Joe Namath is a retired American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He was an AFL icon and played for that league's New York Jets for most of his professional career. He led the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III in 1969, becoming the first quarterback to win a championship in both professional leagues. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Namath's career record as a quarterback in both the AFL and NFL was 62–63–4. He completed 1,886 out of 3,762 passes for 27,663 yards, Namath threw 173 touchdown passes and 220 interceptions. He also rushed for 815 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Namath was born and raised in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. He played college football at the University of Alabama under legendary head coach Paul Bear Bryant. Namath was an All-American in 1964.
After an unsuccessful attempt to join the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals, Namath was drafted by the AFL's New York Jets in the first round of the 1965 AFL draft. He signed a then-record $437,000 contract with the Jets and became the AFL's highest-paid player. He led the Jets to the AFL Championship in 1968 and Super Bowl III in 1969. Namath was named the Super Bowl MVP, making him the first quarterback to win that