Joe Namath is an indelible figure in pro football history.
Although his career statistics are modest in the context of today's aerial game, the star New York Jets quarterback played a key role in the emergence and acceptance of the American Football League in the 1960s.
"Broadway Joe" was viewed as brash by his critics, but he backed up his attitude with bold play on the field. Indeed, Namath's legend was cemented in January 1969, when he guided the Jets past the mighty Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. It was the first win for the fledgling AFL over the established NFL in the championship game, and the Jets won despite being 18-point underdogs.
The victory validated what Namath proclaimed at an awards banquet three nights before the game:
It's the most famous guarantee in American sports, and for better or worse, it inspired countless imitators over the subsequent decades.
Some go well, like the New York Rangers' Mark Messier pledging a playoff win over the New Jersey Devils en route to the 1994 Stanley Cup. Others age poorly, like Wyoming football coach Joe Glenn's 2007 assurance that his Cowboys would beat Utah, only to suffer a 50-0 loss.
Nevertheless, Namath will always be the original.
