UNITAS, JOHNNY

born May 7, 1933, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S. byname of John Constantine Unitas American professional football quarterback who was named greatest all-time National Football League (NFL) quarterback in 1969. Unitas played football at St. Justin's High School (Pittsburgh), but his weight (145 pounds) caused him to be rejected for an athletic scholarship at Notre Dame University. He played for the University of Louisville (Kentucky), where he grew to 6 feet 1 inch and a weight of 190 pounds. He was drafted by the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955 but was released before the regular season began. He worked at construction jobs and played for the semiprofessional Bloomfield Rams for $6 a game until he joined the NFL Baltimore Colts as a backup quarterback in 1957. Unitas led the Colts to five league championship games (195859, 1964, 1968, and 1970) and to two Super Bowl games (1969, 1971). He was traded to the NFL San Diego Chargers in 1972, and he retired in 1974. After he retired from football, he was a television football commentator and ran an airfreight company and two restaurants. He was elected to the Football Hall of Fame in 1979.