QB | 1965-1976

Inducted: 1985

Namath will always be remembered for delivering on his Miami Touchdown Club "guarantee" and leading the New York Jets to their stunning 16-7 Super Bowl upset of the heavily favored Baltimore Colts at the Orange Bowl. And in 12 Jets seasons, No. 12 enjoyed a career as one of the game's most exciting and publicized QBs.

As John Madden, the former Oakland coach and fellow Hall of Famer, argued when Namath was left off the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team: "Some guys have had a lot of accomplishments. But with Joe, here's a guy who made a league."

Namath's place in history was assured with his first pro football act, the signing of a reported $400,000 contract in 1965 that gave the AFL its biggest victory in its costly interleague war with the NFL (the St. Louis Cardinals had also drafted Namath). "Broadway Joe" won the Jets' starting job in his third game on his way to AFL Rookie of the Year title in 1965.

In 1967, he became the first pro to pass for 4,000 yards in a season. In 1968, he capped off AFL Player of the Year and unanimous All-Pro selections with MVP honors in Super Bowl III for his efficient 206-yard passing game in the wake of his pregame guarantee of victory. And the Jets' win assured the competitive viability of the AFL-NFL championship series. Despite the knee injuries that plagued him, Namath completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards and 173 TDs in 12 seasons with the Jets and a final year with the Los Angeles Rams. He enjoyed many exceptional days, one coming in the 1968 AFL title game when he threw three touchdown passes to lead New York's 27-23 win over Madden's Raiders. Another came in September 1972, when he outdid Johnny Unitas' 376-yard passing game with 496 yards and six TDs of his own in the Jets' 44-34 win at Baltimore. Namath earned all-league accolades four times (1967-69, 1972) and was named to the AFL's all-time team in 1969. He was also selected for four AFL all-star games and one Pro Bowl.