Posts Tagged “joe namath”

When the name Willie Mays gets brought up, most sane baseball fans associate the legendary outfielder with the San Francisco Giants. But at one point at the end of his career, Mays did play with the New York Mets.

SI.com did a unique feature in their Photo Gallery section in which they compiled a group of sports legends that quite didn’t look right wearing certain teams uniforms throughout their career.

The list makes you say, “Boy Michael Jordan looks weird in that Washington Wizards uniform.” Below is SI.com’s list.

Willie Mays
New York Mets, 1972-73
Mays led the Giants from 1951 through 1972, before being traded midseason to the Mets. In just a handful of at-bats, Mays had little impact on his new team.

Michael Jordan
Washington Wizards, 2001-03
Sure, he owned part of the team. But MJ just didn’t look right in a Wizards uniform and he failed to get his team to the playoffs.

Joe Namath
Los Angeles Rams, 1977
After 12 years with the Jets, Namath dragged his worn out knees to Los Angeles for one more shot at glory. He played in just four games, throwing three TDs and five INTs.

Bobby Orr
Chicago Blackhawks, 1976-79
After making his mark on NHL history in Boston, Orr joined the Blackhawks. He played just 26 games for Chicago.

Hank Aaron
Milwauke Brewers, 1975-76
After setting the all-time home run record with the Braves, Aaron spent two seasons in Milwaukee — the city in which he began his career with the Braves before they moved to Atlanta.

Patrick Ewing
Seattle Supersonics, 2000-01
Ewing spent one season with the Sonics and the next year in Orlando. He didn’t average double-digit scoring in either season.

Tony Dorsett
Denver Broncos, 1988
Dorsett followed up 11 seasons in Dallas with one forgettable season in Denver.

Babe Ruth
Boston Braves, 1935
After 15 years rewriting the record books in pinstripes, Ruth joined the Braves, who simply wanted him to boost attendance. Ruth had just 72 at-bats with the Braves.

Ray Bourque
Colorado Avalanche, 1999-2002
Actually Bourque did contribute to the Avalanche’s success, which included a Stanley Cup in 2001. But he just doesn’t look right out of the Bruins uniform he wore for 21 years.

Dominique Wilkins
Boston Celtics, 1994-95
‘Nique had 12 great seasons in Atlanta before bouncing around with the Clippers, Celtics, Spurs and Magic at the end of his career.

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With Joe Namath, it’s not all about stats.

Oh, “Broadway Joe” had stats, too. But it was more about his presence and larger-than-life façade.

Joe Namath was drafted with the 12th overall pick in the 1965 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, but elected to sign with the AFL’s New York Jets, who chose him with the third overall pick in the first round of the 1965 AFL Draft. Joe Namath played in New York for almost his entire career from 1965 to 1976, then capped off his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1977.

For his career, Joe Namath finished with 173 touchdowns and threw for 27,663 yards. While his QB Rating was only a 65.5, Joe Namath was nominated to five Pro Bowls and was a five-time All-Pro Selection. He was also a two-time AFL MVP in 1968 and 1969.

As previously noted, however, stats weren’t Joe Namath’s claim to fame.

The year was 1969 and the NFL was regarded as the more superior league to the AFL. Led by All-Pro quarterback Johnny Unitas, the Baltimore Colts were favored by three touchdowns and expected to steamroll the New York Jets in the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, now referred to as the Super Bowl.

Three days before the game, Joe Namath responded to a heckler at the Miami touchdown Club with the now famous, “We’ll win the game. I guarantee you.” It was the first time a professional athlete guaranteed a win and the quote sent shockwaves through the country.

Who was this brash player?

Joe Namath proved that he wasn’t all talk, competing 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards and earning the game’s Most Valuable Player Award in the New York Jets’ stunning 16-7 victory. It’s still one of the greatest upsets in football and sports history.

The win made Joe Namath a star and his career made him a Hall of Famer. But the guarantee made Joe Namath a legend. While he was the first NFL quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in 1967, he was also the game’s first marketable media personality. Joe Namath was a true media superstar and before his knees ruined his mobility, one of top quarterbacks to play the game.

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