![]() Unitas in 1967 | |||||||||||||||||
No. 19 | |||||||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
Born: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | May 7, 1933||||||||||||||||
Died: | September 11, 2002 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 69)||||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||
High school: | St. Justin's (Pittsburgh) | ||||||||||||||||
College: | Louisville (1951–1954) | ||||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1955 / Round: 9 / Pick: 102 | ||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
John Constantine Unitas (/juːˈnaɪtəs/;[a] May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "Johnny U" and "the Golden Arm", Unitas was considered the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback and is regarded as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.[3]
During his professional career from 1956 to 1973, Unitas set many NFL records and was named Most Valuable Player three times in 1959, 1964, and 1967, in addition to receiving 10 Pro Bowl and five first-team All-Pro honors. He helped lead the Colts to four championship titles; three in the pre-merger era in 1958, 1959, and 1968, and one in the Super Bowl era in Super Bowl V. His first championship victory is regarded as one of the league's greatest games and is credited with helping popularize the NFL. Between 1956 and 1960, he set the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 47, which held for 52 years. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
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