Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was the third AFL - NFL Championship Game in professional American football , but the first to officially bear the name " Super Bowl " . ( The two previous AFL - NFL Championship Games came to be known , retroactively , as " Super Bowls " . ) This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history . The heavy underdog American Football League ( AFL ) champion New York Jets ( 11 - 3 ) defeated the National Football League ( NFL ) champion Baltimore Colts ( 13 - 1 ) by a score of 16 – 7 . It was the first Super Bowl victory for the AFL . The game was played on January 12 , 1969 , at the Orange Bowl in Miami , Florida – the same location as Super Bowl II . Entering Super Bowl III , the NFL champion Colts were heavily favored to defeat the AFL champion Jets . Although the upstart AFL had successfully forced the long - established NFL into a merger agreement three years earlier , the AFL was not generally respected as having the same caliber of talent as the NFL . Plus , the AFL representatives were easily defeated in the first two Super Bowls . After brashly guaranteeing a victory prior to the game , Jets quarterback Joe Namath completed 17 out of 28 passes for 206 yards , and was named the Super Bowl ' s Most Valuable Player , despite not throwing a touchdown pass in the game or any passes at all in the fourth quarter . Background . Baltimore Colts . Baltimore ' s quest for a Super Bowl seemed doomed from the start when starting quarterback Johnny Unitas suffered a pre - season injury to his throwing arm and was replaced by Earl Morrall , a veteran who had started inconsistently over the course of his 12 seasons with four different teams . But Morrall would go on to have the best year of his career , leading the league in passer rating ( 93 . 2 ) during the regular season . His performance was so impressive that Colts coach Don Shula decided to keep Morrall in the starting lineup after Unitas was healthy enough to play . The Colts had won ten games in a row , including four shutouts , and finished the season with an NFL - best 13 – 1 record . In those ten games , they had allowed only seven touchdowns . Then , the Colts avenged their sole regular - season loss against the Cleveland Browns by crushing them , 34 – 0 , in the NFL Championship Game . By the end of the season , many people thought the Colts were one of the best teams of all time , stronger than even Vince Lombardi ' s Super Bowl I and II champion Green Bay Packers . The Colts offense ranked second in the NFL in points scored ( 402 ) . Wide receivers Jimmy Orr ( 29 receptions , 743 yards , 6 touchdowns ) and Willie Richardson ( 37 receptions , 698 yards , 8 touchdowns ) provided Baltimore with two deep threats , with Orr averaging 25 . 6 yards per catch , and Richardson averaging 18 . 9 . Tight end John Mackey also recorded 45 receptions for 644 yards and 5 touchdowns . Pro Bowl running back Tom Matte was the team ' s top rusher with 662 yards and 9 touchdowns . He also caught 25 passes for 275 yards and another touchdown . Running backs Terry Cole and Jerry Hill combined for 778 rushing yards and 236 receiving yards . The Colts defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed ( 144 , tying the then all - time league record ) , and ranked third in total rushing yards allowed ( 1 , 339 ) . Bubba Smith , a 6 ' 7 " 295 - pound defensive end considered the NFL ' s best pass rusher , anchored the line . Linebacker Mike Curtis was considered one of the top linebackers in the NFL . Baltimore ' s secondary consisted of defensive backs Bobby Boyd ( 8 interceptions ) , Rick Volk ( 6 interceptions ) , Lenny Lyles ( 5 interceptions ) , and Jerry Logan ( 3 interceptions ) . The Colts were the only NFL team to routinely play a zone defense . That gave them an advantage in the NFL because the other NFL teams were inexperienced against a zone defense . ( This would not give them an advantage over the Jets , however , because zone defenses were common in the AFL and the Jets knew how to attack them . ) After winning the 1968 NFL title , the Colts were touted by the sports media as " the greatest team in pro football history " . New York Jets . The New York Jets , led by head coach Weeb Ewbank ( who was the head coach of the Colts when they won the famous 1958 NFL Championship game ) , finished the season with an 11 - 3 regular season record ( one of the losses was to the Oakland Raiders in the infamous Heidi Game ) and had to rally to defeat those same Raiders , 27 - 23 , in a thrilling AFL Championship Game . Jets quarterback Joe Namath threw for 3 , 147 yards during the regular season , but completed just 49 . 2 percent of his passes , and threw more interceptions ( 17 ) than touchdowns ( 15 ) . Still , he led the offense effectively enough for them to finish the regular season with more total points scored ( 419 ) than Baltimore . More importantly , Namath usually found ways to win . For example , late in the fourth quarter of the AFL championship game , Namath threw an interception that allowed the Raiders to take the lead . But he then made up for his mistake by completing 3 consecutive passes on the ensuing drive , advancing the ball 68 yards in just 55 seconds to score a touchdown to regain the lead for New York . The Jets had a number of offensive weapons that Namath used . Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Maynard had the best season of his career , catching 57 passes for 1 , 297 yards ( an average of 22 . 8 yards per catch ) and 10 touchdowns . Wide receiver George Sauer , Jr . recorded 66 receptions for 1 , 141 yards and 3 touchdowns . The Jets rushing attack was also effective . Fullback Matt Snell , a power runner , was the top rusher on the team with 747 yards and 6 touchdowns , while elusive halfback Emerson Boozer contributed 441 yards and 5 touchdowns . Meanwhile , kicker Jim Turner made 34 field goals and 43 extra points for a combined total of 145 points . The Jets defense led the AFL in total rushing yards allowed ( 1 , 195 ) . Gerry Philbin , John Elliott , and Verlon Biggs anchored the defensive line . The Jets linebacking core was led by middle linebacker Al Atkinson . The secondary was led by defensive backs Johnny Sample ( a former Colt who played on their 1958 NFL Championship team ) who recorded 7 interceptions , and Jim Hudson , who recorded 5 . Several of the Jets ' players had been cut by NFL teams . Maynard had been cut by the New York Giants after they lost the 1958 NFL Championship to the Colts . " I kept a little bitterness in me , " he says . Sample had been cut by the Colts . " I was almost in a frenzy by the time the game arrived , " he says . " I held a private grudge against the Colts . I was really ready for that game . All of us were . " Offensive tackle Winston Hill had been cut five years earlier by the Colts as a rookie in training camp . " Ordell Braase kept making me look bad in practice , " he says . Hill would be blocking Braase in Super Bowl III . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . After winning the AFL championship , Namath said that at least four AFL quarterbacks were better than Earl Morrall , including himself , his backup ( 38 - year old Babe Parilli ) , John Hadl of the San Diego Chargers , and Bob Griese of the Dolphins . " The Guarantee " . Despite the Jets ' accomplishments , AFL teams were generally not regarded as having the same caliber of talent as NFL teams . However , three days before the game , Namath appeared at the Miami Touchdown Club and boldly predicted to the audience , " We ' re gonna win the game . I guarantee it . " Jets ' head coach Weeb Ewbank , in an NFL Films segment , once joked that he " could have shot " Namath for the statement . Namath later claimed he only made his famous " guarantee " in response to a rowdy Colts supporter at the club , who boasted the Colts would easily defeat the Jets . Namath said he never intended to make such a public prediction , and never would have done so if he had not been confronted by the fan . Nevertheless , his comments and subsequent performance in the game itself are one of the more famous instances in NFL lore . Some analysts suggested that the Jets ' record in the NFL might have been 9 - 5 , which would have made them unlikely to have made the 1968 NFL playoffs altogether , let alone competitive against the dominant Colts . Despite this , the AFL champions shared the confident feelings of their quarterback . According to Matt Snell , all of the Jets , not just Namath , were insulted and angry that they were 18 - point underdogs . Most of the Jets considered the Raiders , whom they barely beat ( 27 - 23 ) in the AFL title game , a better team than the Colts . However , watching films of the Colts and in preparation for the game , Jets coaching staff and offensive players noted that their offense was particularly suited against the Colts defense . The Colts defensive schemes relied on frequent blitzing , which covered up weak points in pass coverage . The Jets had an automatic contingency for such blitzes by short passing to uncovered tight ends or backs . After a film session the Wednesday prior to the game , Jets tight end Pete Lammons , a Crockett , Texas native , was heard to drawl , " Damn , y ' all , we gotta stop watching these films . We gonna get overconfident . " Television and entertainment . The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC Sports - at the time , still a " Service of NBC News " - with Curt Gowdy handling the play - by - play duties and joined by color commentator s Al DeRogatis and Kyle Rote in the broadcast booth . Also helping with NBC ' s coverage were Jim Simpson ( reporting from the sidelines ) and Pat Summerall ( helping conduct player interviews for the pregame show , along with Rote ) . In an interview later done with NFL Films , Gowdy called it the most memorable game he ever called because of its historical significance . While the Orange Bowl was sold out for the game , the live telecast was not shown in Miami due to both leagues ' unconditional blackout rules at the time . For the first time , famous celebrities appeared for the Super Bowl ceremonies . Entertainer Bob Hope led a pregame ceremony honoring the astronauts of Project Apollo and the recently completed " Apollo 8 " mission , the first manned flight around the Moon . Singer Anita Bryant later sang the national anthem , and the Florida A & M University band performed during the " America Thanks " halftime show . This game is thought to be the earliest surviving Super Bowl game preserved on videotape in its entirety save for a portion of the Colts ' fourth quarter scoring drive . The original NBC broadcast was aired as part of the NFL Network " Super Bowl Classics " series the day before Super Bowl XLI , and again the night before the AFC and NFC Championship games in 2010 . Game summary . New York entered the game with their primary deep threat , wide receiver Don Maynard , playing with a pulled hamstring . But his 112 - yard , two touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders in the AFL championship game made the Colts defense pay special attention to him , not realizing he was injured . Using Maynard as a decoy — he had no receptions in the game — Joe Namath was able to take advantage of single coverage on wide receiver George Sauer , Jr . . ( After studying the Colts ' zone defense , Ewbank had told his receivers , " Find the dead spots in the zone , hook up , and Joe will hit you . " ) The Jets had a conservative game plan , emphasizing the run and short , high - percentage passes to minimize interceptions . Meanwhile , with the help of many fortunate plays , the Jets defense kept the Colts offense from scoring for most of the game . 1st half . The game started badly for the Jets . After taking the opening kickoff , they gained only 15 yards on five plays and were forced to punt . However , Colts safety Rick Volk was knocked out and sustained a concussion on the game ' s second play tackling Snell and would miss much of the game . On the Colts ' first drive , they advanced the ball from their own 27 - yard line to the Jets ' 19 - yard - line in an 11 - play drive , aided by a 19 - yard catch - and - run from Earl Morrall to tight end John Mackey on their first play . But after two incomplete passes and a quarterback run for no gain , they came up empty when defensive lineman / kicker Lou Michaels ' 27 - yard field goal attempt went wide right . " You could almost feel the steam go out of them , " said Snell . On the Jets ' second possession , Namath threw deep to Maynard , who , despite his pulled hamstring , was open by a step . The ball was overthrown , but this one play helped change the outcome of the game . Fearing the speedy Maynard , the Colts decided to rotate their zone defense to help cover Maynard , leaving Sauer covered one - on - one by Lenny Lyles , helping Sauer catch 8 passes for 133 yards , including a crucial third quarter 39 - yard reception that kept a scoring drive alive . The Jets kept rushing Snell to their strong left , rushing off tackle with Boozer blocking the linebacker , and gained first down after first down as the Colts defense gave ground . The Colts defense was more concerned about Maynard , the passing game , and the deep threat of a Namath to Maynard touchdown . Although the Colts were unaware of Maynard ' s injury , the Jets " were " aware that Lyles had been weakened by tonsillitis all week , causing them great glee when they saw the one - on - one matchup with Sauer . With less than two minutes left in the period , Colts punter David Lee booted a 51 - yard kick that pinned the Jets back at their own 4 - yard line . Three plays later , Sauer caught a 3 - yard pass from Namath , but fumbled while being tackled by Lyles , and Colts linebacker Ron Porter recovered it at New York ' s 12 - yard line . However , on third down ( the second play of the second quarter ) Baltimore quarterback Earl Morrall ' s pass was tipped by Jets linebacker Al Atkinson , bounced crazily , high into the air off tight end Tom Mitchell , and was intercepted by Jets cornerback Randy Beverly in the end zone for a touchback . " That was the game in a nutshell , " says Matte . Starting from their own 20 - yard line , Snell rushed on the next 4 plays , advancing the ball 26 yards . The Jets would have success all day running off left tackle behind the blocking of Winston Hill , who , according to Snell , was overpowering 36 - year - old defensive end Ordell Braase , the man who had tormented the rookie Hill in Colts ' training camp . Said Snell , " Braase pretty much faded out . " Namath later completed 3 consecutive passes , moving the ball to the Colts 23 - yard line . Jet ' s RB Boozer gained just 2 yards on the next play , but Snell followed it up with a 12 - yard reception at the 9 - yard line , a 5 - yard run to the 4 - yard line , and capped the drive with a 4 - yard touchdown run , once again off left tackle . The score gave the Jets a 7 - 0 lead , and marked the first time in history that an AFL team led in the Super Bowl . On Baltimore ' s ensuing drive , a 30 - yard completion from Morrall to running back Tom Matte helped the Colts advance to the New York 42 - yard line , but they once again failed to score as Jets cornerback Johnny Sample broke up Morrall ' s third down pass and Michaels ' missed his second field goal attempt , this time from 46 yards . Two plays after the Jets took over following the missed field goal , Namath ' s 36 - yard completion to Sauer enabled to New York to eventually reach the Baltimore 32 - yard line . But Namath then threw two incompletions , then was sacked on third down by Colts linebacker Dennis Gaubatz for a 2 - yard loss . New York kicker Jim Turner tried to salvage the drive with a 41 - yard field goal attempt , but he missed . On their ensuing possession , Baltimore went from their own 20 - yard line to New York ' s 15 - yard line in three plays , aided by Matte ' s Super Bowl record 58 - yard run . But with 2 minutes left in the half , Morrall was intercepted again , at the Jets ' 2 - yard line , deflating the Colts considerably . The Jets then were forced to punt on their ensuing drive , and the Colts advanced the ball to New York ' s 41 - yard line . What followed is one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history . Baltimore tried a flea flicker play , which had a huge impact on the momentum of the game . Matte ran off right tackle after taking a handoff , then pitched the ball back to Morrall . The play completely fooled the NBC Camera Crew , and the Jets defense , leaving receiver Jimmy Orr wide open near the end zone . However , Morrall failed to spot him and instead threw a pass intended for running back Jerry Hill that was intercepted by Jets safety Jim Hudson as time expired , maintaining the Jets ' 7 - 0 lead at halftime . Earlier in the season , against the Atlanta Falcons , on the same play , Morrall had completed the same pass for a touchdown to Orr , the play ' s intended target . " I was the primary receiver , " Orr said later . " Earl said he just didn ' t see me . I was open from here to Tampa . " " I ' m just a lineman , but I looked up and saw Jimmy open " , added center Bill Curry . " I don ' t know what happened . " 2nd half . The third quarter belonged to the Jets , who controlled the ball for all but three minutes of the period . Baltimore ran only seven offensive plays all quarter , gaining only 11 yards . Matte lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage in the second half , yet another demoralizing event , which led to Turner ' s 32 - yard field goal to increase the Jets ' lead , 10 - 0 . Then , after forcing the Colts to punt again , Namath completed 4 passes for 40 yards to set up Turner ' s 30 - yard field goal to increase the lead , 13 - 0 . On that drive , Namath temporarily went out of the game after injuring his right thumb , and was replaced by backup quarterback Babe Parilli for a few plays . Namath returned by the end of the third quarter , but the Jets would not run a pass play for the entire fourth quarter . Matt Snell said , " By this time , the Colts were pressing . You saw the frustration and worry on all their faces . " After Turner ' s second field goal , with 4 minutes left in the third quarter , Colts head coach Don Shula took Morrall out of the game and put in the sore - armed Johnny Unitas to see if he could provide a spark to Baltimore ' s offense . Unitas could not get the Colts offense moving on their next drive and they were forced to punt again after 3 plays . Then , aided by a 39 - yard pass from Namath to Sauer , the Jets drove all the way to the Colts 2 - yard line . Baltimore ' s defense wouldn ' t quit , and kept them out of the end zone . Turner kicked his third field goal early in the final period to make the score 16 - 0 . On Baltimore ' s next possession , they managed to drive all the way to the Jets ' 25 - yard line . However , Beverly ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Unitas in the end zone , the Jets ' fourth interception of the game . New York then drove to the Colts 35 - yard line with 7 consecutive running plays , but ended up with no points after Turner missed a 42 - yard field goal attempt . Unitas started out the next drive with 3 incomplete passes , but completed a key 17 - yard pass to Orr on fourth down . Ten plays later , aided by three Jets penalties , Baltimore finally scored a touchdown on a 1 - yard run by Hill to cut their deficit to 16 - 7 , but with only 3 : 19 left in the game . The Colts then recovered an onside kick and drove to the Jets 19 - yard line with 3 consecutive completions by Unitas , but they turned the ball over on downs after his next 3 passes fell incomplete . That ended any chance of a Baltimore comeback , as the Jets ran the ball for 6 plays before being forced to punt . When the Colts got the ball back , only 8 seconds remained in the game . The Colts then attempted two final passes before time ran out , and the Jets had won Super Bowl III . Matt Snell said , " Leaving the field , I saw the Colts were exhausted and in a state of shock . I don ' t remember any Colt coming over to congratulate me . " As he ran off the field , Namath , in a spontaneous show of defiance held up his index finger , signaling " number one . " Years later Morrall said , " I thought we would win handily . We ' d only lost twice in our last 30 games . I ' m still not sure what happened that day at the Orange Bowl , however ; it ' s still hard to account for . " Wrote Matt Snell , " The most distinct image I have from that whole game is of Ordell Braase and some other guys - - not so much Mike Curtis - - having a bewildered look . " Namath finished the game having completed 17 of his 28 passes . He is the only quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP without throwing a touchdown pass . Snell rushed for 121 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown , and caught 4 passes for 40 yards . Sauer caught eight passes for 133 yards . Beverly became the first player in Super Bowl history to record 2 interceptions . Morrall had a terrible day — just 6 of 17 completions for 71 yards , and was intercepted 3 times . Despite not being put into the game until the fourth quarter , Unitas finished with more pass completions ( 11 ) and passing yards ( 110 ) than Morrall , but he also threw one interception . Matte was the Colts ' top rusher with 116 yards on just 11 carries , an average of 10 . 5 yards per run , and caught 2 passes for 30 yards . The Colts were minus - 4 in turnovers , four of five deep in Jet territory . Final statistics . Source : " The NFL ' s Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football " , ( 1973 ) , p . 141 , Macmillan Publishing Co . New York , NY , LCCN 73 - 3862 Starting lineups . Source : Officials . " Note : A seven - official system was not used until 1978 "