50 Years Ago Today
Fifty years ago today, a brash young man from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania defied the odds-makers and the football world to lead his team, the New York Jets, to Super Bowl III victory
Joe Namath had been a high school star. He led the Beaver Falls Tigers to win every game they played his senior year. It is speculated that had he been less than the perfect quarterback he was, he'd have sat out most of the games because his off-the-field antics made as many headlines as his on-the-field prowess.
Local sports writer, Joe Tronzo, regaled the local football fans (who were in great profusion in Western Pennsylvania) with his tales of Namath and his endless bag of tricks to overcome challenge after challenge to the Tigers. He and his primary receiver, Tommy Krzminski, wowed our little valley every Friday night
The scouts were there, too, and Namath was recruited by Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide where he went on to play outstanding college football.
His professional career was cut short by a recurring knee injury but in the brief season of his professional career, he managed to make himself renown. That's why he is still, 50 years later, seen as a pitchman for Medicare.
The closing line of his current commercial is that if you will just call the number on your screen, you will be glad you did.
And, as with his prediction 50 years ago that his New York Jets would defeat the favored Baltimore Colts, he promises to "...guarantee it."
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