CHAPTER 2
The Team That Couldn’t
January 9, 1969. It was three days before the third AFL-NFL World Championship game. The NFL’s Baltimore Colts were to face the AFL’s New York Jets in Miami, Florida.
It seemed like everyone but the Jets thought the Jets would lose. The Colts were favored to win by eighteen points. Joe Namath was the Jets’ quarterback. He was sick of hearing they didn’t have a chance. He was bored with reading that an American Football League team couldn’t win a Super Bowl.
Namath’s nickname was “Joe Cool” for a reason. Not much bothered him. But on that day somebody made a joke about the Jets, and Joe Cool lost his cool. He made an announcement that nobody ever forgot.
“We’re gonna win the game,” Namath said. “I guarantee it.” He sounded so sure that everyone in the room started to laugh.
Three days later, on January 12, 1969, the Jets met the Colts in Miami for the Super Bowl.
Don Shula was the coach of the Baltimore Colts. The Colts’ star quarterback was Johnny Unitas. People called him the Golden Arm. Unitas was one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. But he had missed most of the season due to an injury. He still wasn’t really fit to play.
Shula had studied the Jets. Joe Namath was walking the confident I’ll show you! walk. The Jets looked strong. They seemed prepared. Was an upset possible?
No one scored for most of the first half. But then, just before halftime, Namath completed four passes. Then, fullback Matt Snell scored a touchdown. Jim Turner’s extra-point kick was good. At halftime the score was 7–0.
Hold on here! What was going on? People were starting to wonder if a brash, young upstart AFL team could win a Super Bowl.
The answer turned out to be one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NFL. Jim Turner kicked three field goals for the Jets. The Jets defense kept the Colts offense from scoring until the fourth quarter.
Final score: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7. Joe Namath was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. An AFL team had finally won. The unthinkable had happened.
The next day, one of the most famous football photos of all time appeared in newspapers. The picture showed Namath leaving the field with his index finger raised. One finger meant We’re number one. Joe Namath had promised a win, and the Jets had delivered.
