Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas was born on May 7, 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although his father died when he was just 4 years old, Unitas was raised well in hard times by his mother. Unitas started playing football at a young age and carried on to play while he attended St. Justin’s High School. After high school, Unitas looked all over for a college that would offer him a scholarship, but many colleges passed. Eventually, Unitas was able to get a scholarship at the University of Louisville.

While attending the University of Louisville, Unitas continued his success at the quarterback position until he was plagued with injuries in his senior year. Despite having a lack luster senior year in college, Unitas was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was let go because he was unable to secure a spot on the roster. After his short career with the Steelers, Unitas continued to play football with a semi-pro team with hopes of once again making it to the National Football League (NFL.) Unitas eventually did get picked up by the Baltimore Colts, who later became the Indianapolis Colts. Unitas soon became the starting quarterback for the Colts, but his first game was full of errors. After a bad first impression, Unitas drastically improved and lead the Colts to a championship in 1958.

Unitas was married young to his long-time girlfriend Dorothy, and the two had five children together. The couple later divorced and Unitas remarried and had another three children. In 2002, Unitas suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 69.