Johnny Unitas John Constantine Unitas ( ; May 7 , 1933 – September 11 , 2002 ) , known as Johnny Unitas or " Johnny U " , and nicknamed " The Golden Arm " , was a Lithuanian American professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s . He spent the majority of his career playing for the Baltimore Colts . He was a record - setting quarterback , and the National Football League ' s most valuable player in 1959 , 1964 and 1967 . For 52 years he held the record of winning the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass ( between 1956 – 1960 ) , until New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke his long standing record on October 7 , 2012 . Unitas was the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback with a strong passing game , media fanfare , and widespread popularity . He has been consistently listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time . Early life . John Constantine Unitas was born to Lithuania n immigrant parents in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , in 1933 , and grew up in the Brookline neighborhood . His father died when Johnny was four years old , and he was raised by his mother , who worked two jobs to support the family . His unusual surname was a result of a phonetic transliteration of a common Lithuanian last name " Jonaitis " . Attending St Justin ' s High School in Pittsburgh , Unitas played halfback and quarterback . After high school , Unitas looked for an opportunity to play college football . The University of Louisville came through and Unitas left home for Kentucky . College career . In his four - year career as a Louisville Cardinal , Unitas completed 245 passes for 3 , 139 yards and 27 touchdowns . Reportedly , the 6 - foot - 1 Johnny Unitas weighed 145 pounds on his first day of practice at the University of Louisville . Unitas ' first start was in the fifth game of the 1951 season against St . Bonaventure . That game , the freshman threw 11 consecutive passes and three touchdowns to give the Cardinals a 21 – 19 lead . Though Louisville lost the game 22 – 21 on a disputed field goal , it had found a talented quarterback . Unitas completed 12 of 19 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns in a 35 – 28 victory over Houston . The team finished the season 5 – 5 — 4 – 1 with Unitas as the starting quarterback . As a freshman , Unitas completed 46 of 99 passes for 602 yards and nine touchdowns ( 44 ) . By the 1952 season , the university decided to de - emphasize sports . The new president at Louisville , Dr . Philip Grant Davidson , reduced the amount of athletic aid , and tightened academic standards for athletes . As a result , 15 returning players could not meet the new standards and lost their scholarships . But Unitas maintained his scholarship by taking on a new elective : square dancing . In 1952 Coach Camp switched the team to two - way football . Unitas not only played safety or linebacker on defense and quarterback on offense but returned kicks and punts on special teams . The Cards won their first game against Wayne State , and then Florida State in the second game . Unitas completed 16 of 21 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns . It was said that Unitas put on such a show at the Florida State game that he threw a pass under his legs for 15 yards . The rest of the season was a struggle for the Cards , who finished 3 – 5 . Unitas completed 106 of 198 passes for 1 , 540 yards and 12 touchdowns in his sophomore year . The team won their first game in 1953 , against Murray State , and lost the rest for a record of 1 – 7 . One of the most memorable games of the season came in a 59 – 6 loss against Tennessee . Unitas completed 9 of 19 passes for 73 yards , rushed 9 times for 52 yards , returned 6 kickoffs for eighty - five yards , 1 punt for three yards , and had 86 percent of the team ' s tackles . The only touchdown the team scored was in the fourth quarter when Unitas made a fake pitch to the running back and ran the ball 23 yards for a touchdown . Unitas was hurt later in the fourth quarter while trying to run the ball . On his way off the field received a standing ovation . When he got to the locker room he was so worn that his jersey and shoulder pads had to be cut off because he could not lift his arms . Louisville ended the season with 20 – 13 loss to Eastern Kentucky . In his junior year , Unitas completed 49 of 95 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns . Unitas was elected captain for the 1954 season , but due to an early injury did not see much playing time . His first start was the third game of the season , against Florida State . Of the 34 - man team , 21 were freshmen . The 1954 Louisville Cardinals went 3 – 6 , with the last win at home against Morehead State . Unitas was slowed by so many injuries his senior year his 527 passing yards ended second to Jim Houser ' s 560 . Professional career . Pittsburgh Steelers . After college , the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL drafted Unitas in the ninth round . However , Unitas was released before the season began as the odd man out among four quarterbacks trying to fill three spots . Steelers Head Coach Walt Kiesling had made up his mind about Unitas ; he thought him not smart enough to quarterback an NFL team . The opposite would be true , as Unitas would become one of the greatest on - field leaders of all time , introducing the 2 - minute offense to the NFL . Kiesling never even let Unitas take a snap in practice with the Steelers . Among those edging out Unitas was Ted Marchibroda , future NFL quarterback and longtime NFL head coach . Out of pro football , Unitas — by this time married — worked in construction in Pittsburgh to support his family . On the weekends , he played quarterback , safety and punter on a local semipro team called the Bloomfield Rams for $ 6 a game . Baltimore Colts . In 1956 Unitas joined the Baltimore Colts of the NFL under legendary coach Weeb Ewbank , after being asked at the last minute to join Bloomfield Rams lineman Jim Deglau , a Croatian steel worker with a life much like Unitas ' , at the latter ' s scheduled Colts tryout . The pair borrowed money from friends to pay for the gas to make the trip . Deglau later told a reporter after Unitas ' death , " [ His ] uncle told him not to come . [ He ] was worried that if he came down and the Colts passed on him , it would look bad ( to other NFL teams ) . " . The Colts signed Unitas , much to the chagrin of the Cleveland Browns , who had hoped to claim the rejected Steeler quarterback . Unitas made his NFL debut with an inauspicious " mop - up " appearance against Detroit , going 0 - 2 with one interception . Two weeks later starting quarterback George Shaw suffered a broken leg against the Chicago Bears . In his first serious action , Unitas ' first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown . Then he botched a hand - off on his next play , a fumble recovered by the Bears . Unitas rebounded quickly from that 58 – 27 loss , leading the Colts to an upset of Green Bay and their first win over Cleveland . He threw nine touchdown passes that year , including one in the season finale that started his record 47 - game streak . His 55 . 6 - percent completion mark was a rookie record . In 1957 , his first season as the Colts full - time starter at quarterback , Unitas finished first in the NFL in passing yards ( 2 , 550 ) and touchdown passes ( 24 ) as he helped lead the Colts to a 7 – 5 record , the first winning record in franchise history . At season ' s end , Unitas was named the NFL ' s Most Valuable Player by the Newspaper Enterprise Association ( NEA ) . " Greatest Game Ever Played " . The Colts won the NFL championship under Unitas ' leadership on December 28 , 1958 , by defeating the New York Giants 23 – 17 in sudden death overtime . It was the first overtime game in NFL history , and is often referred to as the " greatest game ever played " . The game , nationally televised by NBC , has been credited for sparking the rise in popularity of professional football during the 1960s . In 1959 , Unitas was named the NFL ' s MVP by the Associated Press ( AP ) and UPI for the first time , leading the NFL in passing yards ( 2 , 899 ) , touchdown passes ( 32 ) and completions ( 193 ) . Unitas then led the Colts to a repeat championship , beating the Giants again 31 – 16 in the title game . First MVP in ' 59 . In 1959 Unitas was voted the AP Player of the Year and also the UPI player of the Year . ( See : National Football League Most Valuable Player Award ) The AP Award was considered the MVP award , adopting that verbiage in 1961 . The Associated Press had always called the pre - 1961 ' Players of the Year " ' their MVP until 2008 , when it was revealed to them that they had made certain errors in their listings , namely that Jim Brown was the 1958 MVP / Player of the Year rather than Gino Marchetti and that Unitas was the true winner in 1959 , not Y . A . Tittle . Rather than correct the winners , the AP " disavowed " that the pre - 1961 winners were indeed " MVPs " claiming that it was a different award . Nonetheless , UPI also voted Unitas the top player award and there is little doubt that through sports history " MVP " and " Player of the Year " are terms that are interchangeable . The ' 50s become the ' 60s . As the 1950s turned into the 1960s , the Colts ' fortunes ( and win totals ) declined . Injuries to key players such as Alan Ameche , Raymond Berry and Lenny Moore were a contributing factor to this . Unitas ' streak of 47 straight games with at least one touchdown pass ended against the Los Angeles Rams in week 11 of the 1960 season . After three middle - of - the - pack seasons , Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom fired Weeb Ewbank and replaced him with Don Shula , the then - youngest head coach in NFL history ( 33 years of age when he was hired ) . The Colts finished 8 – 6 in Shula ' s first season at the helm , good enough for only third place in the NFL ' s Western Conference but they did end the season on a strong note by winning their final three games . The season was very successful for Unitas personally as he led the NFL in passing yards with a career - best total of 3 , 481 and also led in completions with 237 . Second MVP in ' 64 . The 1964 season would see the Colts return to the top of the Western Conference . After dropping their season opener to the Vikings , the Colts ran off 10 straight victories to finish with a 12 – 2 record . The season was one of Unitas ' best as he finished with 2 , 824 yards passing , a league - best 9 . 26 yards per pass attempt , 19 touchdown passes and only 6 interceptions . He was named the NFL ' s Most Valuable Player by the AP and UPI for a second time . However , the season would end on a disappointing note for the Colts as they were upset by the Cleveland Browns in the 1964 NFL Championship Game , losing 27 – 0 . More postseason heartbreak would follow in 1965 . The Colts and Packers finished in a tie for first place in the Western Conference and a one - game playoff was played in Green Bay to decide who would be the conference representative in the 1965 NFL Championship Game . The Colts lost in overtime 13 – 10 due in large part to a game - tying field goal by Don Chandler that many say was incorrectly ruled good . The season had been another fine one for Unitas , as he threw for 2 , 530 yards , 23 touchdowns and finished with a league - high 97 . 1 passer rating , but he was lost for the balance of the season due to a knee injury in a week 12 loss to the Bears . Backup quarterback Gary Cuozzo also suffered a season - ending injury the following week and it would be running back Tom Matte who filled in as the emergency QB for the regular - season finale and the playoff loss to the Packers . Third MVP in ' 67 . After once again finishing 2nd in the Western Conference in 1966 , the Colts rebounded to finish 11 – 1 – 2 in 1967 tying the Los Angeles Rams for the NFL ' s best record . In winning his third MVP awards from the AP and UPI in 1967 ( and his second from the NEA ) , Unitas had a league - high 58 . 5 completion percentage and passed for 3 , 428 yards and 20 touchdowns . Once again the season ended in heartbreak for the Colts , as they were shut out of the newly instituted four team NFL playoff after losing the divisional tiebreaker to the Rams due to a 34 – 10 loss to them in the regular season finale . Super Bowls . In the final game of the 1968 preseason , the muscles in Unitas ' arm were torn when he was hit by a member of the Dallas Cowboys defense . Unitas wrote in his autobiography that he felt his arm was initially injured by the use of the " night ball " that the NFL was testing for better TV visibility during night games . He would spend most of the season sitting on the bench . But the Colts still marched to a league - best 13 – 1 record behind backup quarterback and ultimate 1968 NFL MVP Earl Morrall . Although he was injured through most of the season , Unitas came off the bench to play in Super Bowl III , the famous game wherein Joe Namath guaranteed a New York Jets win despite conventional wisdom . Unitas ' insertion was a desperation move in an attempt to retrieve dominance of the NFL over the upstart AFL . Although the Colts finally won an NFL Championship in 1968 , they lost the Super Bowl to the AFL Champion , New York Jets . Unitas helped put together the Colts ' only score , a touchdown late in the game . Despite not playing until the fourth quarter , Unitas still finished with more passing yards than the team ' s starter , Morrall . In 1970 , Unitas led the Colts to play in Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys . He was knocked out of the game in the second quarter , after throwing a 75 - yard touchdown pass ( setting a then - Super Bowl record ) that helped lift the team to a 16 to 13 victory . In 1971 Unitas led the Colts to the AFC Championship game which they lost 21 – 0 to the Miami Dolphins . Unitas was involved in only one other head - to - head meeting with " Broadway " Joe Namath after their 1970 regular season meeting ( won by the Colts , 29 – 22 , on a day when Namath ' s wrist was broken on the final play of the game ) . That last meeting was a memorable one . On September 24 , 1972 , at Memorial Stadium , Unitas threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns , but Namath upstaged him again , bombing the Colts for 496 yards and six touchdowns in a 44 – 34 Jets victory – their first over Baltimore since the 1970 merger . One of the most memorable moments in football history came on Unitas ' s last game in a Colt uniform at Memorial Stadium in a game against Buffalo . Unitas was not starting the game , but the game was a blowout , and the Colts were leading 28 – 0 when Unitas came on due to the fans chanting " We want Unitas ! ! ! " and a plan devised by the head coach to convince Unitas that the starting quarterback was injured . Unitas came onto the field and proceeded to throw his last pass at home as a Colt , which was a short pass that the receiver was able to turn into a long touchdown as Baltimore won 35 – 7 . San Diego , retirement , and records . Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1973 but he was far past his prime . He was replaced in mid - season by rookie quarterback Dan Fouts and the Chargers finished the season with a record of 2 – 11 – 1 . Unitas retired from football in 1974 . Unitas finished his 18 NFL seasons with 2 , 830 completions in 5 , 186 passes for 40 , 239 yards and 290 touchdowns , with 253 interceptions . He also rushed for 1 , 777 yards and 13 touchdowns . Unitas set many passing records during his career . He was the first quarterback to throw for more than 40 , 000 yards , despite playing during an era when NFL teams played shorter seasons of 12 or 14 games ( as opposed to today ' s 16 - game seasons ) . His 32 touchdown passes in 1959 were a record at the time , making Unitas the first QB to hit the 30 touchdown mark in a season . His 47 - game consecutive touchdown streak between 1956 and 1960 is a record that is considered by many the football equivalent of Joe DiMaggio ' s 56 - game baseball hitting streak . The streak stood for 52 years before being broken by Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints in a game against the San Diego Chargers on October 7 , 2012 . Post - playing days . After his playing days were finished , Unitas settled in Baltimore where he raised his family while also pursuing a career in broadcasting , doing color commentary for NFL games on CBS in the 1970s . After Robert Irsay moved the Colts franchise to Indianapolis in 1984 , a move reviled to this day in Baltimore as " Bob Irsay ' s Midnight Ride , " Unitas was so outraged that he cut all ties to the relocated team ( though his # 19 jersey is still retired by the Colts ) . Other prominent old - time Colts followed his lead . He asked the Pro Football Hall of Fame on numerous occasions ( including on Roy Firestone ' s " Up Close " ) to remove his display unless it was listed as belonging to the Baltimore Colts . The Hall of Fame has never complied with the request . Unitas donated his Colts memorabilia to the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore ; it is now on display in the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards . Johnny Unitas was inducted into the American Football Association ' s Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 . Unitas actively lobbied for another NFL team to come to Baltimore . After the NFL returned to Baltimore in 1996 as the Ravens Unitas and most of the other old - time Colts regarded the Ravens as the true successors to the Baltimore Colts . Unitas was frequently seen on the Ravens ' sidelines at home games ( most prominently in 1998 when the now - Indianapolis Colts played the Ravens ) and received a thunderous ovation every time he was pictured on each of the huge widescreens at M & T Bank Stadium . He was often seen on the 30 yard line on the Ravens side . When the NFL celebrated its first 50 years , Unitas was voted the league ' s best player . Retired Bears quarterback Sid Luckman said of Unitas , " He was better than me . Better than ( Sammy ) Baugh . Better than anyone . " Unitas lived most of the final years of his life severely hobbled . Due to an elbow injury suffered during his playing career , he was unable to use his right hand , and could not perform any physical activity more strenuous than golf due to his artificial knees . Personal life . At the age of 21 , Unitas was married by his uncle to his high school sweetheart Dorothy Hoelle on November 20 , 1954 ; they had five children before divorcing . Unitas ' s second wife was Sandra Lemon , whom he married on June 26 , 1972 ; they had three children and remained married until Unitas ' s death on September 11 , 2002 . Death . On September 11 , 2002 , Unitas died suddenly of a heart attack while working out at the Kernan Physical Therapy Center in Timonium , Maryland . After his death , many fans of the Baltimore Ravens football team petitioned the renaming of the Ravens ' home stadium ( owned by the State of Maryland ) after Unitas . These requests were unsuccessful since the lucrative naming rights had already been leased by the Ravens to Buffalo , New York M & T Bank . However , a statue of Unitas was erected as the centerpiece of the plaza in front of the Stadium named in Unitas ' honor . Large banners depicting the NFL Hall of Famer in his Baltimore Colts heyday flank the entrance to the stadium . Towson University , where Unitas was a major fund - raiser and which his children attended , named its football and lacrosse complex Johnny Unitas Stadium in recognition of both his football career and service to the University . Toward the end of his life , Unitas brought media attention to the many permanent physical disabilities that he and his fellow players suffered during their careers before heavy padding and other safety features became popular . Unitas himself lost almost total use of his right hand , with the middle finger and thumb noticeably disfigured from being repeatedly broken during games . He is buried at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium , Maryland .