Early Career of Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1933. He was the offspring of Lithuanian immigrants who came to the United States. His father died when he was young, and his mother supported the family by working two jobs. Johnny grew up and attended St. Justin's High School in Pittsburgh, and played on the varsity football team at halfback and quarterback. He was an outstanding athlete, but was looked over by Notre Dame and Indiana University. He was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh, but he failed his entrance exam for the school. The University of Louisville offered him a scholarship, and Unitas was off to Kentucky to play for the Cardinals.

In 1951, in his freshman year, Unitas got to play quarterback for the university against St. Bonaventure. In the game, Unitas completed 11 straight passes and had 3 touchdowns to give the Cardinals a 21-19 lead. The team would end up losing the game on a disputed field goal, 22-21. For his freshman year, Unitas completed 46 of 99 passes for 602 yards and 9 touchdowns. In his sophomore season, Unitas played both linebacker and safety, plus quarterback for the Louisville team. Unitas ended up completing 106 of 198 passes for 1,540 yards and 12 touchdowns. In his junior year, Unitas again played quarterback for the Cardinals, and completed 49 of 95 passes for 470 yards and 3 touchdowns.

That year's squad was not very good and only won one game that season. In 1954, his senior year, Unitas was selected as a captain for the squad. He only threw for 527 yards for the year in limited playing time due an early season injury. Unitas was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 9th round of the draft in 1955, but was released by the team because of overcrowding at the quarterback position. In 1956, Unitas got a tryout with the Baltimore Colts and was signed to a contract.