The architect of modern quarterback play — Johnny Unitas threw touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960, a record considered as unbreakable as Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak. His performance in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, often called the Greatest Game Ever Played, on national television transformed professional football into America's sport. Three-time NFL MVP who spent 17 seasons with the Baltimore Colts and is considered by many football historians the most important player the position has ever produced.
John Constantine Unitas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1933. He was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers without playing a game, worked construction and played semi-professional football for $6 per game before the Baltimore Colts signed him in 1956. His 18-season career produced 40,239 passing yards, 290 touchdowns and three NFL championships (1958, 1959, 1970). He is credited with setting the template for the modern quarterback — reading defences, calling plays at the line of scrimmage and making quick decisions under pressure. His record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass stood from 1958 to 2012, when it was broken by Drew Brees. The 1958 NFL Championship Game — the overtime victory over the New York Giants broadcast nationally on television — is known as the Greatest Game Ever Played and is credited with launching the NFL's transformation into America's most popular sport. He was named the NFL's Player of the Decade for the 1960s. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. He was the NFL MVP three times (1959, 1964, 1967).
NFL Champion 3x
Career Honours
- NFL Champion 3x
- Super Bowl V
- NFL MVP 3x
- Pro Bowl 10x