By Benjamin Lampkin
“A player would come around, an absolute star in his own right, perhaps even the ‘Main Man’ on his own team, and he would see Unitas leaning against the wall, looking on, and he would say, ‘Hey, Main Man, how’s it going’ or something as innocuous, just to pay court, to drift by and acknowledge who the number one man was…” George Plimpton in “The Paper Lion” 1966.
The University of Louisville lost perhaps its greatest athletic alumnus last week, when Johnny Unitas died of a heart attack while performing physical therapy in Timonium, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. The former Cardinal quarterback, who played in Louisville from 1951 to 1955, was 69. “Johnny Unitas was a great player, a great person, and a true friend,” said University of Louisville Head Football Coach John L. Smith. “He is the foundation of our program and his legacy extends far beyond his accomplishments on the football field. He touched so many young people through his foundation and he will never be forgotten.”
As word of the death of Unitas filtered throughout the sports world, friends, colleagues, former teammates, and genuine admirers did their best to say a few words that in some way could honor the legacy and life of the one of the greatest football players in the history of the game.
What can you say about a man who almost single-handedly created the model for what we now know as a quarterback? A man who re-wrote nearly every passing record in the National Football League, who has been honored as the greatest quarterback in the NFL’s history, and who did so with a humility and grace that very few could ever hope to exhibit.
And it all started at Louisville in 1951, thanks in no small part to Frank Gitschier, the former U of L assistant coach who recruited Unitas when programs such as Notre Dame and Pittsburgh passed on the 6-foot, 138-lb. quarterback from Pennsylvania.
“You look at the great quarterbacks from Pennsylvania, and they all had steel mill or coal mine backgrounds. He knew the hardships. The way he looked at football was that he picked up his bucket and went to work every day,” said Gitschier. “Johnny Unitas was a genuine person. If you didn’t know who he was, you’d never have known by talking to him all that he accomplished in life.”In his first two years at U of L, Unitas threw for more than 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he was soon dubbed “Mr. Football” by local sportswriters.
However, the end of his college career almost signaled the end of his football career entirely. Drafted in the Ninth Round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was cut before the beginning of the 1955 season, and spent his time playing semi-pro ball for the Bloomfield Rams in Pittsburgh for $6 a game, and working as a pile driver for a construction company.
Unitas was signed the following year by the Baltimore Colts for $7,000, thanks to a mysterious letter from a fan informing the organization of a player in Bloomfield who deserved a chance to play. The NFL would never be the same.
By the time of his retirement in 1973, 22 passing records had been established by him, including records for passing yards (40,000), passes attempted and completed, touchdowns (290), and most seasons leading the league in touchdown passes (four). He also threw touchdown passes in a record 47 consecutive games.
Yet it was more than numbers that made Unitas as great as he was. Small in stature (6-foot, just under 200-lbs), Unitas was as tough as a linebacker, and had a knack for making plays in the pocket and on the run. But Unitas was a pure drop-back passer, and his “Golden Arm” helped Baltimore win championships in 1958 and 1959.
Unitas had his career immortalized in 1979, when he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He was also named Player of the Decade for the 1960’s, the Greatest Player in the First 50 years of Pro Football, and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team.
In 1987, Unitas lent his name to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is annually given to the top senior quarterback in college football. Former U of L quarterback Chris Redman, who in 1999 was given said honor, currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens, and attributes much of his success to the greatest Cardinal QB.
“He’s had his arm around me since my college days,” said Redman. “I believe he’s one of the main reasons I’m an NFL starting quarterback. He had such an impact on me. I’ll miss him so much.”
Many people have expressed those exact sentiments, by giving a solemn and utterly grateful farewell to the man who had such an impact on an inordinate number of players, fans, and people throughout his lifetime. “Without him, I’m not sure that U of L’s athletic programs or the university would be what it is today,” said former Athletic Director Bill Olsen.”He earned everything that came to him,” said Gitschier. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
