Original: John Constantine '' Johnny '' Unitas ( ; May 7 , 1933 -- September 11 , 2002 ) , nicknamed '' the Golden Arm '' and often called '' Johnny U '' , was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s , spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts .
Simplified: John Constantine '' Johnny '' Unitas ( May 7 , 1933 & ndash ; September 11 , 2002 ) , was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s .