American football player, who led the New York Jets to the 1969 Super Bowl championship. He was born Joseph William Namath --------------------------------------------------------------------------------in Falls, Pennsylvania. A star quarterback at the University of Alabama, Namath signed a contract with the New York Jets of the American Football League in 1965; at that time it was the highest-paying contract ever in professional football. He quickly became a favorite among fans and earned celebrity status with the media. Before the 1969 Super Bowl Namath publicly guaranteed that the Jets would defeat the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts, the defending champions. He then led the Jets to the Super Bowl victory and was named the game's most valuable player. Namath won the 1969 S. Rae Hickok award as the professional athlete of the year. Also in 1969 he began an off-season career as an actor, appearing in several films and television shows.
Namath played one season (1977-1978) with the Los Angeles Rams before his retirement from football in 1978. After retiring he continued working as an entertainer and became a business entrepreneur and television sports broadcaster. Also known as Broadway Joe, Namath was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.