WHAT THIS MAN DID FOR THE CITY AND PEOPLE OF BALTIMORE CANNOT BE EQUALED BY ANY PLAYER EVER EXCEPT FOR BABE RUTH. JOHNNY U WAS THE MAN. A TREASURE TO WATCH PLAY. THE MAESTRO OF THE ORCHESTRA. A TRUE MASTER AND NOT AFRAID TO TAKE A HIT. TEAM ALWAYS CAME FIRST. THANX JOHNNY U RIP
Yeah to hell with Ray Lewis. 🙄 To say Babe Ruth did as much for Baltimore as Unitas did is like saying Cal Ripken doing much for the city while living in Boston and playing his entire career as a Red Sux. (Yes, Sux)
I met Johnny Unitas in the Summer of 1963. He brought the team out to the boys school and I got to play ball with the team and wrestle with Johnny . It was something I never forgot. The team coming out to be with boys that had trouble. We all needed a mentor and he became that to many boys. I was 13 at the time .
Even though I never seen him play, but this man is my idol, his never quit personality, always fighting till the end, and his no ego no nonsense attitude
Every fall Sunday from 1959 to 1967, when I left Baltimore, my ears were fastened to the transistor, or my eyes were glued to the TV, waiting to hear Unitas to Berry or Moore; knowing that somehow Unitas would pull it out. Then the roar of the crowd and then the Baltimore Fight song. He lingers in my memory to this day. He was the Greatest!
I had the honor of meeting him at a Sports Card Show in Arlington, Texas in the 1980's. He signed an 8x10 glossy of himself. He could not have been nicer. A true NFL Hall.of Famer! I was too young to see him play in person during his prime but he was a great player who will.nevet be forgotten. Even 40 years later, my Cousin asks if I am still an Unitas fan. The answer will always be "Yes".
Chuckle... yeah, Namath gave legitimacy to AFL and the first “Diva”...movies, commercials, etc. In that you’re correct...however Unitas changed the game and position on the field.
John Gaynoe, I went to that game as well at the LA Coliseum. I saw Johnny U play twice against the old LA Rams. The last time I saw Unitas was during a Ram game at Anahiem Stadium and he came on the field and threw some passes against a couple other former quarterbacks. I don't remember who they were but it didnt' matter. It was the Great Johnny U on that field.
I was a child when I went to the last game that Johnny Unitas played as a Colt. To this day, that touchdown pass to Eddie Hinton was the most emotional moment in sports I have ever witnessed. It was amazing.. The crowd stood for almost 20 minutes, giving Unitas one last cheer.
The Holy Trinity of the NFL . The "Triple J's " Jerry Rice, Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas. All three were the best that ever played their positions, bar none.
Tom Brady is this Era's GOAT, Montana had the 80's and Johnny U had the late 50's and the 60's, all three revolutionary and better than their contemporaries.
Unitas held the consecutive touchdown pass record of 47 games until it was surpassed by Drew Brees on October 7, 2012. The record is now 54 games. The previous record had stood since 1960.
And that record was before the change of rules to benefir the offense, like the bump the receiver only before 5 yards, imagine Johnny Unitad playing today, it would not be fair.
UNITAS, played in the era were QBs were not protected like a little girl. UNITAS PLAYED IN THE BRUTAL ERA OF FOOTBALL, PERIOD!!! Qbs in modern day Football are so protected that they can easily break records after records.
He was mr. Football. I saw him play after he left the Colts. He played for San Diego. The game was in Denver and the Denver fans gave him a standing ovation when he came onto the field for just a few snaps.
When you talk about Johnny Unitas,you talking about Toughness/Greatness/Great Precision/Leadership/ Great Warrior/ and Athletic Skills at it's highest peak.
I gave Tom Brady the nod as being better than my favorite 49er team's QB, but neither Joe Montana nor Mr. Brady, nor any other QB now or since, can hold a candle to the late great Johnny Unitas. My first football trading card was a Johnny Unitas card when I was 11 (born in 1960), I hadn't seen but a few games of his but I knew I had the card of someone special from all the praises and admiration for him from my schoolmates, family, friends, (even my Japanese cousins recognized him), from all the people, inside and outside professional football on the TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc., they held him up to be some sort of living legend, somewhere well up above all the rest and near a God, well, from then and throughout the years since I have always held a special reverence for him, this documentary provided many unknown specifics to me as well as a pleasant reminder, that I was among so many others to have been blessed to know of a human being so wonderful and rare as Johnny U. They were right, he is near a God, as I believe he is along side our heavenly father... and rightfully so. Thank you so much Mr. Unitas and God bless.
Thank you, thank you. I've been looking for this video forever. He was my hero. I lived in Baltimore, Chuck Thompson's son was my best friend for a while. Even rode in his corvette on the center console.
To my memory, he is the very first pro football player I ever heard of and that would've been back in 1960. He was an amazing competitor, the best ever, all these stats today's QB's make ain't happening if they're playing back in the 1950's/60's football era.
Do some research (wiki) on Raymond Berry. He was only 6'1 never weighed more than 180 lbs and slow! Played defensive end in high school but not until he was a senior did he go on offense and his dad was coach! Unitas and he weren't glamour but they were winners. They had their stuff down like a hard science. Exactly how many steps, how many seconds until a turn inside or out. Berry had hundreds of variations on his fakes, which he could adjust to in a second. Of course they researched and practiced these things endlessly. They were unstoppable!
Rest in peace. 9/11. I hope people still remember you and all that you were. I missed placing flowers on your Statue this anniversary, I'm in Utah. I miss you.
Johnny "U"...….. Johnny Unitas...the "Blue Collar Quarter back"....The workin' man's Quarter back, Johnny Unitas played the game like a man made of steel...he was TOUGH as nails. He will ALWAYS be remembered for being cool as a cucumber under pressure when the games was on the line.....The year was December 1958, the place, Yankee Stadium, the New York Giants vs the Baltimore Colts for the Championship title. It was the NFL'S first sudden death overtime, Johnny Unitas hands off to halfback Alan Lamiche, Lamiche goes over right tackle into the end zone. The Colts win the game....Johnny "U"....the man who made wearing a crew cut and high top cleats popular with America's youth......What was important about that game, was it brought the NFL on par with Major League Baseball, for it's popularity, advertising and television viewing etc..... Johnny Unitas became the face of the NFL......RIP Johnny.
I'm from new Zealand and I must be honest. I know the name johnny unites but never knew what or who Johnny Unites was . After watching this I can't believe there's no modern box office movie about him . I grew up watching rugby and the "New Zealand Alll Blacks" are my football heros but I'm starting to love the nfl ,its a great game and these storys are insanely good !
Paul Adams: Yes, you really continue to explore of the history of the game. There are incredible stories. A story related to this is an ESPN "30 for 30" that tells the story of the Colts move Indianapolis, but the Baltimore Colts marching band stays in Baltimore, practicing and waiting for their team to return to Baltimore. It's wonderful.
For passing ability, awareness of ALL of his receivers, and pure intelligence....... Johnny Unitas is the greatest quarterback in pro football history. There's only one other that I might name over Unitas, and that would be those same qualities PLUS the ability to run with the football................ Roger Staubach.🏈
They say Tom Brady is the QB GOAT but I am not sure if you really look at the great career of Johnny U. In my book, the greatest pound for pound QB to ever play in the NFL.
People don't know their history, or their recency bias is so strong that they can't possibly fathom that someone better was from an earlier era. I had a conversation the other day with someone who was convinced that, at best, Ty Cobb would be a hitter in the .290s if he played today. Around the time of the Deflategate, someone at work who was quite annoying was going on and on about how Brady was the greatest, and when I said that I could name five better of the top of my head, he asked me to prove it, and I easily did: (in no particular order) Montana, Unitas, Graham, Elway, and Marino. These are not all my top five, but just to point out that it was possible. I honestly don't think that he'd ever heard of any of them. A lot of people seem surprised that I know Otto Graham, being born in 1979, but how hard is it to pick up a book?
@@wvu05 I agree. Otto Graham was also a great one. He had better coaching than Unitas. That's why I gave the edge to Unitas being the GOAT QB. Weeb was a very good coach but he was defensive minded and not the offensive savant like Paul Brown.
@@willielittle9301 Both were great coaches, but I think that another edge for Unitas is that he called the plays. Neither of them could say that they benefited from cheating or ridiculously bad calls for most or all of their titles like the ones that Mr. Recency Bias won. Quite frankly, given his turnaround well into his 40s after clearly being on the decline in 2018-19, I can't help but wonder how much of that was better play through chemistry.
Brady is the greatest ever unitas was my hero growing up they both had a lot in common no one wanted them and look at what they did if unitas didn’t have a Shithead coach in don shula who wasted his talents letting earl morral play over him on occasions he would’ve won more the only other Qb who’s story compares to them is Kurt Warner everyone has there favorites what brady did with extra play off rounds was in readable and with different players Johnny u put the nfl on the map by shocking the world and beating the bullies of the fo the ny giants amazingly his passing records for tdps in consecutive games stood longer then both babe Ruth’s single season hr mark did he and Ray berry are arguably as great as Montana and rice as the greatest qb to wr tandem ever but they played in a different era where qbs didn’t throw every play like they do now brady graham unitas Montana the best 4 ever starr layne Bradshaw and Baugh wernt bad either I wonder what would’ve happened if Otto graham didn’t spit him playing in a sandlot game in Bloomfield and if mo Lewis didn’t injure drew Bledsoe can you imagine the Steelers cut unitas 1 year and Len Dawson the next what were they thinking
Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman, Bart Starr, Norm Van Brocklin, Charlie Conerly, Johnny Unitas, Bobby Layne and Tommy Thompson were undoubtedly the first set of field Generals in the NFL
@@ldfreitas9437 actually no I grew up in California 50 year fan of the Raiders, but I know Y.A. Tittle was the 49ers QB during the time of the other QB's I mentioned
Johnny Unitas still considered the “toughest” QB in NFL history! Played hurt many times and still got the job done too. In the 1950s, the defense was allow to really take the stuffing out of you! Not like in today’s protective NFL. It was war! Multiple gang QB tackles and the defense was allow to stayed on the pile for a long time before slowly getting up again. Johnny U was a different breed of man!
You can't overlook Otto Graham in that discussion. He never missed a game, and the facemask was literally invented so that he could come back into a game at halftime after his face got gashed. Johnny Unitas was tough, no doubt about it, but that's another level.
Never saw him play, but I did see him get inducted into Canton. Butkus was inducted that day too. How good does that get? We lived in the burbs of Cleveland. The family went to those from '67 to 83. All the inductions back then right in front of the building entrance. Then after they were over everyone walked into the stadium for the HOF game. If you were to ever see a preseason game live that was the one.
I am 69 and still remember the presence Johnny Unitas had when he ran onto the field. When the Vikings had to play the Colts, I knew it was going to be almost impossible to beat them. His golden arm with receivers like Raymond Berry, John Mackey, Jimmy Orr and Lenny Moore made life hell for the defense. This is a great testimonial to a true legend.
The first Colt game my stepfather took me to as a kid was the Colts vs Jets.That was in 1972 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and Namath and Unitas put on a show. Hollywood Joe vs Golden Arm Unitas and to my standard Unitas and Namath was the greatest 2 QBs of all time. I was reading story on Johnny Unitas in the library in Baltimore and it said in the 50s and early 60s,Unitas was unstoppable.
In a biography on Unitas the author pointed out that, after Unitas was with the Colts and had achieved much success, they acquired a new Offensive Lineman... who was newly married. The guy bought a new home that was under construction, and, to help him move in, Unitas came over and laid down the linoleum for his kitchen floor. When the Colts drafted Lenny Moore at Halfback, as a black man in Baltimore, no one wanted to room with him... so Unitas said he would and they did for as long as they both played for the Colts. Born in 1952, I grew up loving the Bears because in Great Falls, MT, we got the Black & Blue division games. But when a game with Unitas at QB for the Colts was broadcast in our area, I found that I couldn't help but admire him. He was intelligent - as I could tell in his interviews, he was gritty - as I could tell from the beatings the Bears' D would issue him and he'd pick himself up and continue the game, and he was a great quarterback - as I could tell by how he would surgically remove the other team from their expectations of a WIN. To me, it never seemed like the Colts were out of a game as long as Unitas was still at QB. At every level he was told he was too skinny, not good enough, but at every level where they let him play... he won championships. He always seemed like a gentlemen and a consummate professional football player. Turns out, he was always both of those things. P.S. But I always hated him wearing those ugly black high-top cleats. I thought they made him look like a dork. I wanted him to wear the more athletic-looking newly popular in the league white shoes... like the KC Chiefs did under Hank Stram.
I am so proud to be from Baltimore where the great Johnny Unitas played football.Johnny Unitas was the man and my stepfather was a Colt fanatic and when they moved out of Baltimore in 1984,my stepfather heart was broken and his health went down and he finally passed away in 1986. I remember as a young kid my stepfather loved them Colts,he always had season tickets and other than his wife and job,the Colts was a big part of my stepfathers life.Johnny Unitas was like a GOD in Baltimore,they called him the golden arm.Johnny Unitas and the Colts team personified the NFL and gave the NFL it's image it has today. Rest in Peace Johnny Unitas,you was the greatest of all time.
This was an Outstanding movie about an OUTSTANDING QUARTERBACK AND PERSON ! I was a Colts season ticket holder( Upper Deck Sec 41)r and looked forward to going to each home game The 1958 Colts - Giants championship game was the BIRTH of the NFL. John was an 11 on a 1 to 10 scale. .I lived in Hydes MD and my house adjoined John's He was also a sparishioner at ST. John the Evangelist Catholic church located in Hyde. Imagine what he would be making today if he were playing in the NFL
Hi Jack Later in his career Unitas lived in the Timonium- Lutherville area of Baltimore county as he attended St. Joseph's church in what was known as Texas, MD We'd see Johnny on Sundays in the off-season and upon his earliest retirement years. The one season my father bought season tickets 1972 & 2 of the greatest sporting events, 872 combined passing yards between Unitas & Namath , Unitas coming off the bench to connect with Eddie Hinton on what was Johnny's last TD pass in Memorial stadium. Time leading up to Johnny entering the game to the pass from Unitas to Hinton & the several minutes afterwards were the loudest & most rambunctious the Colts fans had ever been. It's the only sporting event I have attended where perfect strangers were hugging one another whether the person was in front of, in back of or sitting beside you.
We were on a family trip to Florida and stayed at his hotel and ate at his restaurant. All of a sudden my dad takes up to Mr.Unitas’s table interrupting his dinner. …oh no dad. But Unitas was such a class act, and we all still have our signed photos.
When I was a kid playing ball, we played Iron Man ball. I was linebacker on defence and left guard on offense. This man played the "Greatest Game" ever played, and credited his linemen for protecting him. That gave me a swell of pride......
He was a hell of a player and a fine individual a credit to humanity and his mother must have been a very special lady loser husband and raised Johnny the way he was raised more people should be like him and he deserves this disability money.
Nothing to be ashamed of. Ever. The nice guy was a stud. My first ‘idol’. On the playground everybody called themself some version of his name. Not original but I was Johnny U. Man.
Firing Mcaffrey was the first sign that Irsay didn't know what he was doing. Coming off a Super Bowl and then a a Afc championship appearance. The Colts were old by 72 and needed to be rebuilt.
1972 was a season of transition for the colts asking Johnny u to take a demotion was tough for all they had a blend of youth and experience but needed a change at qb
I don't put any blame on the Steelers on releasing Unitas. QB was a totally different position before him and he set the precedent as the ultimate prototype today especially because of his hard work, toughness, leadership, and cerebral traits. The NFL could change the rules all they want, you still need those traits to be a great QB.
And something else to consider...Mr Johnny U..played @ a time where they didn't have 1/2 the protect the Q. B. rules they have today & played like that for 18 yrs...hellooooo
I grew up in Baltimore got John's autograph age 8 at practice I told him he was great went and got John Mackey autograph he stepped on my foot didn't say a word my claim to fame great time to grow up in Baltimore colts were great orioles were great bullets great clippers great best time of my life
Wasn't alive when Unitas played but I heard all the GOOD stories about Unitas and the Colts from my dad and uncles at the time the Ravens became the home team. I now see why he is so highly revered. Proud to see him play for Baltimore.
Shula was such a real bastard. He took Johnny out in the 1 game against the Jets, because he. knew. he. could. AND THEY LOST . Don Hitler. JOHNNY U !!! #1 man .
I have a feeling that we've seen some of the greatest QBs ever in the 80s 90s and til now, but this guy may really be the GOAT. He called his own plays, won over a long period of time, and stood head and shoulders above all his peers. And he did it in a time when defenders could assault the offensive players unlike the last 10-15 years.
I lived 1 hour or so south of Baltimore near DC. They setup Covid Vaccine Facility at the Ravens Stadium. Directions to the site said to enter near the UNITAS STATUE.... they had me at Unitas (even though I was a Redskins Guy.....was a bit too young to appreciated Unitas as a kid).
He was my hero as a kid and I met him when I was 12 he asked me what i wanted to be took two pictures with me signed one of them and shook my hand I didn’t wash it for a hole month
Agreed Unitas was the template for todays QB HELL he invented the 2 min offense in 58 nfl championship game to lead colts to nfl championship You can add Brooks Robinson to this because he and Unitas were legendary
Johnny Unitas was Peyton Manning before Peyton Manning. They both were legit field generals that had power of having full control of the line of scrimmage during the pre-snap and then execute. And I always say this, Johnny Unitas is the god father of the modern-era quarterback. top 5 greatest quarterback to ever lace up pair cleats in the National Football League.
