The Golden Arm

John Constantine Unitas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 7, 1933. His father passed away when Johnny was only four years old. He was then raised by his mother, who took over the family coal business and also had to work as a bookkeeper to support her family.

From a very young age, all Johnny wanted to do was play football. He played quarterback in high school and he was a pretty good player. There were some colleges that he wanted to play for, but those college coaches said he was too small to play football. That never stopped Johnny; he never gave up and finally the University of Louisville offered him a scholarship. He put on some weight and also grew about two inches in height while in college. During his time with the Louisville Cardinals, he played very hard and set many records as a quarterback. He was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955 as the 9th pick in college draft, but they never let him play. Many people now say that the worst mistake the Pittsburgh Steelers ever made was letting Johnny go.

After that, Johnny found himself working in a tiling and construction company. On the weekends, he would play three different positions as a semi-pro for a team called the Bloomfield Rams. It was in 1956 that he joined the Baltimore Colts and he was named "NFL's Most Valuable Player". In 1958, the Colts won the NFL Championship against the New York Giants, the first game ever to go to overtime. Many consider that game the "best game ever played."
Johnny was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1979. He died on September 11, 2002.