PDA

View Full Version : Joe Namath biography



Tony
12-28-2004, 10:47 PM
I'm about half way thru it...it's written by Mark Kriegel.
Broadway Joe has always been one of my favorites, and this book illustrates several things:

* He was blessed with pure athleticism...and HUGE hands! This helped him become expert with ball fakes, which his brothers and high school coach drilled early on. He was offered several contracts in baseball, could dunk a basketball in a wide variety of ways, and shot par golf in college.
* An option QB for Bear Bryant, combined with his amazing passing ability, made him a true double threat. Unfortunately, it was as a senior in college that he developed knee problems.
* He played hurt his entire career. Opponents went out of their way to knock him out of the game, most notably the Raiders. Yet he always picked himself up, often grinning, and usually played better despite concussions, fractured cheekbone & ankle, sprained thumb, dislocated shoulder, and of course the knees.
* Despite the flamboyance, and his fondness for "booze and broads", he was an honest man with deep principles. Many disliked him for his unique fashion sense, his salary, and his lifestyle...he was basically about a decade or two before his time.

It's a good read about an era when the NFL and AFL were competing, then merging. The upcoming chapters will tell the tale of his famous "guarantee" against the Colts in the '69 Super Bowl. Vintage Joe Namath!

mattyboy
12-29-2004, 08:14 AM
Tony,
growing up in New York city there were 2 sports icons that all the kids idolized for their skill and style one was Joe willy Namath the other is walt Clyde frazier both wore enuff fur to keep PETA demostrating til hell freezes :eek:
the best Christmas gift I ever got was a number 12 jets jersey and a pair of Clyde pumas I was the coolest kid on the block :cool:

Having family in Baltimore the "gaurantee" was almost a hatfield and mccoy incident there was a real contrast in styles there with 2 of the best quaterbacks to ever lace them up
Johnny U soft spoken,crew cut,black shoes,clean shaven, all business
and Broadway Joe, long hair,outspoken, white shoes, fu man chu mustache,party boy

too bad the "scope" wasn't around back then it could have lengthened his career a lil. man his knees looked like subway maps by the end

Donzi Racer
12-30-2004, 10:41 PM
Lets see if this one is in the biography. Can't remember what year but think it was in Joe Willy's junior year at bama that he got suspended off the team near the end of the season. Bear knew he would probably lose the last game of the season and the bowl game without him but he kicked him off the team. Joe would never divulge what he had done to get kicked off and Bryant kept quiet also, but it was generally accepted that he was out breaking curfew with some alcohol involved. Well all I remember is that Joe didn't have any money and couldn't go home to beaver falls and couldn't stay in the football dorm. Well unbeknownst to Bear Bryant, Mary Harmon Bryant let Joe stay in their basement for the few weeks that he was suspended. The team went to their bowl game without the mighty Joe Willy but a never say die kicker kicked 4 field goals to win the bowl game for the Tide that day. Final score was 12 to 7. He was wonderful to watch for so many years and he definately would have been something else if he could have stayed healthy for a year or two.

While in the pros he got hit pretty hard once by a linebacker and the linebacker helped him up and said don't worry Joe I didn't hit your knees. Joe said that he got his bell rung so many times he wished they would go after his knees sometimes.
When was the biography written? thanks, Tom

Tony
12-31-2004, 04:44 PM
Tom, the copyright is 2004. Yes, the suspension story is in the book, and talks about it in great detail. Apparently it involved drinking, Joe had only had one glass of wine, but several of his teammates were trashed. He was seen and took the falll, protecting his teammates in doing so. Namath had a great deal of respect for Bear Bryant, and cried after getting suspended. The part about Bear's wife taking him in is in the book, but does not mention the length of the stay.

The hit you might be referring to was a late cheap shot by Ben Davidson in Oakland in 1967...but I doubt that Ben offered to help him up. It knocked Namath's helmet off and gave him a concussion, but two plays later he was back in the game!

It continues to be a very good read, pick it up if you get the chance!