Johnny Unitas: 'The Unitas Legacy'

Source:John Unitas- the leader of the Baltimore Colts.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history which has earned him the recognition of being the greatest quarterback to ever play in the National Football League. An 18-year veteran of the NFL, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-1954), passing for 3007 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Unitas began his pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and played there 17 years until joining the San Diego Chargers for his final season. His career passing figures include completing 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. Among his many records is one that may stand forever, throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

Unitas was selected as the top quarterback of all-time by the Pro Football Hall of Fame 36-member selection committee. In commemorating the NFL’s 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, he was honored as the GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME. Unitas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Proceeds from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.”

From Johnny Unitas 

What makes John Unitas the greatest quarterback of all-time is that he was able to do things in an era where the rules benefited the defense that are considered amazing today, in an era where the rules benefit the offense like driving his team down the field in a couple of minutes to win the game perhaps with just one or two timeouts if any, pass after pass, completion after completion.

And the other thing being that Unitas called his own plays and had to make all the decisions as well. So he had both great physical skills with his arm and mobility, as well as vision. But also great mental and leadership skills in knowing what plays to call and when to call them.