Johnny Unitas

The Colts won the 1968 NFL Championship without Unitas, but he returned in the following season, and helped lead the team into Superbowl III against Joe Namath and the New York Jets. Torn ligaments in his throwing arm kept Unitas out of the game until the fourth quarter, and though the injured veteran performed heroically, with 11 of 24 passes completed for 110 yards, this was not enough to save the Colts from a 16-7 loss to the Jets.

Marking the emergence of the American Football League (AFL) as a rival of the NFL, Superbowl III was a match of almost as great historic importance as the championship game 11 years earlier, and indeed, many fans called this "the greatest game ever." Later, Unitas—never known to mince words when it came to talking about coaches—said that the blame for that loss fell on Baltimore coach Don Shula. According to Sports Illustrated, it was Unitas' contention that Shula should have sent him in during the second quarter instead of the fourth.

In any case, it was Unitas and not Namath who gained recognition as the Greatest Quarterback in History at the NFL's 50th Anniversary in 1969. A quarter century later, he would be among just four quarterbacks (the others were Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, and Joe Montana) on the NFL 75th Anniversary Team.