BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…January 12, 1969:
This was the day, as an unsuspecting sports world witnesses the biggest upset in NFL history. And New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath had famously guaranteed it in the days before the game. The American Football League was only nine seasons old, and the evidence said that the AFL had not caught up yet with the proud and confident NFL. The Green Bay Packers had won the first two Super Bowls—then known as the AFL-NFL Championship Game—handily, routing the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, respectively. Thus the Baltimore Colts were three-touchdown favorites over the Jets in Super Bowl III.
This was the first time the game was officially called the Super Bowl, and it was super. Broadway Joe Namath backed up his boast by going 17-of-28 for 206 yards, solid numbers in that era. George Sauer caught eight of Namath’s throws for 133 yards, and Matt Snell rushed for 121 and the Jets’ lone touchdown in the second quarter. The going was tough in the red zone, but the Jets got three field goals from Jim Turner to take a 16-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Colts went in without legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas, who missed much of the season with elbow and arm injuries. They had ridden the arm of NFL MVP Earl Morrall to a 13-1 season. But Morrall threw for only 71 yards and tossed three interceptions, and Baltimore desperately turned to Unitas late in the third quarter. The hobbled star led the Colts to their only TD with just over three minutes left in the game, but he was just 11-of-24 for 110 yards himself. The Jets walked away with an epic shocker, a 16-7 upset victory.
Namath was a symbol of the rivalry between the AFL and NFL. When he came out of Alabama following a national championship in 1964, he was courted by both leagues. The St. Louis Cardinals picked Namath 12th overall in the NFL Draft, while the Jets made him the No. 1 overall pick in the AFL. Namath chose the Big Apple, getting a three-year, $427,000 contract—a pro football record at the time. The two leagues agreed to go to a common draft in 1966, the first step toward their eventual merger.
The Jets were coached by Weeb Ewbank, who had led Baltimore during the team’s heyday from 1954-62, including in 1958 when the Colts won what came to be known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played” over the New York Giants for the NFL championship, a launching pad event in terms of NFL popularity. Ewbank jumped to the AFL and the Jets in 1963, the same season they changed their name from the Titans. He’d continue coaching the Jets through 1973.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
Watch more Sports:
See KTVB sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
