Joe Namath turns 77 years old today.
Namath stepped from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, into the national spotlight as the quarterback at Alabama and seemingly has never left. He became the face of the American Football League, the issuer of the Super Bowl guarantee, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an actor and announcer, a product pitchman and a regular on TV talk shows.
Here’s a look at Joe Namath through the years during his public career:
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath (12) talks with teammates as coach Paul “Bear” Bryant watches during an SEC game against Tennessee on Oct. 19, 1963, at Legion Field in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide defeated the Volunteers 35-0. As a sophomore in 1962, Namath had led the Crimson Tide to a 10-1 record, with the only loss a 7-6 setback to Georgia Tech, and set a school single-season record with 1,192 passing yards. In 1963, Alabama went 9-2, losing to Florida and Auburn by a total of six points, and Namath missed the Crimson Tide's victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl after being suspended for violating team rules.
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath breaks a tackle attempt by Auburn's Steve Osburne during an SEC game on Nov. 30, 1963, at Legion Field in Birmingham. Auburn defeated Alabama 10-8 in an Iron Bowl showdown against two one-loss teams.Alabama Media Group
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath poses with the Crimson Tide offense before the 1964 season. As a senior, Namath earned All-SEC first-team recognition and led Alabama to a 10-0 regular-season record to earn the national championship, as determined by the wire-service polls. That was despite the first of Namath's knee injuries. The injury caused Namath to miss two games and come off the bench in three other contests.ph
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath attends class at the university in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 22, 1964. Namath was a physical-education major. (AP Photo)
Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant walks away as trainers tend to Crimson Tide quarterback Joe Namath, who had suffered a knee injury against North Carolina State at Denny Stadium on Oct. 10, 1964.
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath looks for a receiver during an SEC game against Auburn on Nov. 26, 1964. The Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 21-14, in the first nationally televised Iron Bowl. (Robert Adams\The Birmingham News)Alabama Media Group
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath (right) holds an orange in the locker room after the Crimson Tide completed its regular-season schedule with a 21-14 victory over Auburn in an SEC game on Nov. 26, 1964, at Legion Field in Birmingham. Alabama completed its season in the Orange Bowl. Alabama Media Group
Alabama quarterback Joe Namath has his injured knee checked and re-wrapped by trainer Jim Goostree on Dec. 30, 1964, in Miami, where the Crimson Tide was scheduled to play Texas in the Orange Bowl two days later. (AP Photo)
Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and quarterback Joe Namath discuss the game plan at practice for the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. During his Alabama career, Namath completed 203-of-374 passes for 2,714 yards with 27 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The QB left Alabama owning the school career record for touchdown passes.
Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant with quarterback Joe Namath on the sideline at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1965, in Miami. The Crimson Tide suffered its only loss of the season as Texas took a 21-17 victory in the game. The Birmingham News
Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant puts his arm around quarterback Joe Namath in the locker room after the Crimson Tide lost to Texas in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1965, in Miami. Alabama's 10-0 record in Namath's senior season earned the Crimson Tide a spot in the first prime-time Orange Bowl against Texas, which had lost once -- 14-13 to undefeated Arkansas. Namath entered the game for the first time at the 9:41 mark of the second quarter with the Tide down 14-0, and he ended up winning the game's MVP Award. He passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns. But his fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter was ruled to have come up short, although Namath always has maintained he got the football across the goal line. The loss didn't affect Alabama's national championship because the votes for the final polls were collected before the bowls.AP
Former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath signs his first contract with the New York Jets on Jan. 2, 1965, in Miami Beach, Fla., as team owner Sonny Werblin (standing) and Jets coach Weeb Ewbank watch. The St. Louis Cardinals had selected Namath with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft, and the Jets picked the quarterback with the No. 1 choice in the AFL Draft. The Jets kept Namath out of the NFL with a three-year contract for $427,000 -- the richest, to that point, in pro football's history. It was the kind of money that made the owners in both leagues think about making peace, which they did, with a world-championship game between the league's two winners and a common draft paving the way to a full merger for the 1970 season.AP
Linda Felber of Cofax, Wash., America’s Junior Miss, whispers to Joe Namath on Jan. 8, 1965, at Ladd Stadium in Mobile, where the Alabama quarterback was preparing to play in the Senior Bowl.AP
Quarterback Joe Namath recuperates from knee surgery at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital on Feb. 3, 1965. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets coach Weeb Ewbank watches Joe Namath run on June 29, 1965, in New York. Namath was recovery from knee surgery in February. (AP Photo/Harry Harris)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath passes during an AFL game against the Houston Oilers on Nov. 21, 1965. Namath threw four touchdown passes in the Jets’ 41-14 victory. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath talks with San Diego Chargers wide receiver Lance Alworth during the AFL All-Star Game on Jan. 15, 1966, in Houston.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath accepts the AFL Rookie of the Year Award from South Carolina Gov. Robert McNair at the Easley Football Jamboree on Jan. 24, 1966.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath gets a visit from Miss Sunken Garden Karol Kelly of St. Petersburg, Fla., at Lenox Hill hospital on Dec. 27, 1966, in New York City. Namath was awaiting another operation on his right knee, part of a narrative of injuries for the QB. In 1970, Namath was able to play in only five games because of a broken wrist. In 1971, he played in just four games after suffering a left knee injury. In 1973, a separated shoulder limited Namath to six games. In the four seasons from 1970 through 1973, Namath missed 28 of 56 games. The one season he stayed on the field -- 1972 -- resulted in Pro Bowl recognition.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath shows the playbook to the son of defensive back Johnny Sample at the team’s training camp on Aug. 7, 1968, in Hempstead, N.Y. The previous season, Namath had become the first player in U.S. pro football history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Namath completed 258-of-491 passes for 4,007 yards as he led the AFL in each of those categories for the second straight season.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath gets fitted for a mink coat by Hy Rifkin on Aug. 15, 1968, at the team’s training camp at Hofstra College in Hempstead, N.Y. Rifkin is the head of Radley Furs, the firm that made the coat, which cost an estimated $5,000. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath scrambles against the Oakland Raiders during an AFL game on Nov. 17, 1968, at the Oakland Coliseum. The game became a landmark in the history of televised sports because NBC cut short its coverage to begin its Sunday night movie at the scheduled time, depriving football fans of watching the Raiders rally with two late touchdowns to win. The reaction of fans led to networks staying with games until their conclusion. The Jets-Raiders contest came to be known by the name of the movie that NBC was showing. It’s called the “Heidi Game.” (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath drops back to pass against the Cincinnati Bengals during an AFL game on Dec. 8, 1968, at Shea Stadium in New York. Namath threw two touchdown passes the Jets ran their record to 10-3 with a 27-14 victory. AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath gets a pass off over Oakland Raiders defensive end Ben Davidson during the AFC Championship Game on Dec. 29, 1968, at Shea Stadium in New York. The Jets beat the Raiders 27-23 to qualify for Super Bowl III as Namath threw three touchdown passes.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath talks with reporters and fans poolside in Miami before the AFL champions took on the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. In the first two AFL-NFL World Championship games, the NFL's Green Bay Packers had taken care of the AFL's representative, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 to cap the 1966 season and the Oakland Raiders 33-14 to end the 1967 season. The NFL's Baltimore Colts were supposed to do the same to the AFL's New York Jets in the game being billed as the Super Bowl. Adding spice to the contest, though, was a guarantee by Namath that his team would win the game.
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath passes against the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969, in Miami. The Jets defeated the Colts 16-7. After an Alabama alumnus, Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr, had won the MVP Award for the first two Super Bowl games, Namath continued the Crimson Tide streak as the MVP for Super Bowl III.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath hands off to Matt Snell during Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts on Jan. 12, 1969, in Miami. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath gets off a pass under pressure from Baltimore Colts defenders during Super Bowl III in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 12, 1969. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath throws over Baltimore Colts defensive end Bubba Smith during Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969, in Miami. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath hugs his father after the Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969, in Miami. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath talks with reporters in the locker room after the Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III on Jan. 13, 1969, in Miami.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath and former New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle pose at Namath's Bachelors III night spot in Manahattan on Jan. 23, 1969. American Airlines announced that the two sports stars would represent New York City in the Astrojet Golf Classic in February at La Costa Country Club in California. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath talks with U.S. Army Pfc. Henry Lock of Flint, Mich., at U.S. Forces Ohji Hospital in Tokyo on Jan. 27, 1969. Namath was on a tour of U.S. military installations.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath announces his retirement at his Manhattan restaurant Bachelors III on June 6, 1969, in New York. Namath said he was leaving football because of pressure from NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle over the restaurant. The matter was latter resolved, and Namath kept playing. (AP Photo/M. Lederhandler)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath looks for a receiver with Denver Broncos defensive tackle Jerry Inman bearing down on him during an AFL game on Sept. 21, 1969, in Denver. In 1969, Namath earned the AFL Player of the Year Award for the second straight season as he led the Jets to another AFL East title. But the Kansas City Chiefs stopped the Jets 13-6 in the playoffs on their way to backing up New York's victory over the Baltimore Colts the previous year with a 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath signs a copy of his book for Olympic figure skater Peggy Fleming on Nov. 24, 1969. (AP Photo)AP
Joe Namath with co-star Ann-Margret during filming of the movie "C.C. and Company" in Tucson, Ariz., in May 1970. (AP Photo)AP
Joe Namath rides a horse on June 13, 1970, in Rome, where he was filming the movie “The Last Rebel.”AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath on the practice field at the team’s training camp on Aug. 21, 1970. After Namath had played in all but one game during his first five seasons with the Jets, he missed nine games in 1970 and 10 in 1971 because of injuries.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath passes against the Cleveland Browns during an NFL game on Sept. 21, 1970, in Cleveland. The game was the first “Monday Night Football” contest in league history.AP
On a visit to Tuscaloosa, New York coach Weeb Ewbank (second from right) talks with Jets players Joe Namath and Paul Crane and Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant on April 15, 1971.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, with his pants slit to make room for the tape on his left knee, walks to his car at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Aug. 8, 1971. Namath was injured during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions and had to have knee surgery.
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, sidelined by a knee injury and wearing a fur coat, watches from the sidelines as Jets play the Baltimore Colts in an NFL game on Nov. 14, 1971, in New York. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath calls signals during an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 28, 1971, in New York. After being sidelined by a knee injury, Namath made his season debut with three touchdown passes against the 49ers. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath laughs with Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and running back Johnny Musso at the National Football Foundation’s annual awards banquet on Dec. 7, 1971, in New York. Musso was a consensus All-American running back and the Crimson Tide was heading to the Orange Bowl with an undefeated record to finish their 1971 season.AP
Raquel Welch and Joe Namath arrive for the Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. (AP Photo) AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath chats with Big Bird during taping of the children's television show "Sesame Street" in New York on Sept. 25, 1972. (AP Photo/Harry Harris)AP
U.S. presidential adviser Henry A. Kissinger shakes hands with New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath in the locker room at Shea Stadium in New York on Nov. 13, 1972, after the Jets’ NFL game against the Buffalo Bills. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath shakes hands with Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula after an NFL game on Nov. 19, 1972, in Miami. The Dolphins downed the Jets 28-24 to lift their record to 11-0. (AP Photo/MTF)AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath portrays himself during an episode of “The Brady Bunch,” which kicked off the TV program’s fifth season on Sept. 14, 1973.ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath passes during an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 18, 1973. Namath was playing for the first time since getting hurt in the second game of the season on Sept. 23, 1973.AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath signs a two-year, $900,000 contract on July 30, 1975, at the team’s training camp in Hempstead, N.Y. The contract was the most lucrative in NFL history at the time. (AP Photo)AP
New York Jets quarterbacks Joe Namath (left) and Richard Todd take a break at training in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 22, 1976. Like Namath a a former Alabama QB, Todd had joined the Jets as the sixth player picked in the NFL Draft earlier that year. (AP Photo) AP
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath watches an NFL game against the Washington Redskins on Dec. 5, 1976, at Shea Stadium in New York. The Jets started Richard Todd in Namath’s place in the game, and Namath played in only one more game for the Jets.AP
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Joe Namath stands in the pocket during an NFL preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 8, 1977, in Los Angeles. Namath ended his NFL career with four games in 1977 for the Rams. The Jets had released Namath in favor of Richard Todd, their 1976 first-round draft choice and a former Davidson High School and Alabama standout. Namath signed with the Rams and started the first four games of the season, but he didn't play again after throwing four interceptions in a 24-23 loss to the Chicago Bears on Oct. 10, 1977 -- exactly 13 years after his first knee injury at Alabama.AP
Playing a high school basketball coach, Joe Namath talks to his team during taping of the television program “The Waverly Wonders” on Feb. 9, 1978. Namath starred as coach Joe Casey, but the TV series lasted only nine episodes.AP
Joe Namath speaks with Mary Harmon Bryant, the widow of Paul “Bear” Bryant, after her husband’s funeral at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham on Jan. 28, 1983.AP
Roone Arledge (center), the president of ABC Sports, talks with Joe Namath and Frank Gifford at the 21 Club in Manhattan on July 9, 1985. Arledge announced that Namath will join the crew of "Monday Night Football." (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)AP
Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath poses with a bronze bust after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 3, 1985. He became the third former Alabama player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Don Hutson and Bart Starr, and he went into the football shrine in the same class as the first former Auburn player to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Frank Gatski. Namath was a finalist for induction in 1983 and 1984 before making the final cut for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.AP
Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath looks at his framed jersey, presented to him by coach Weeb Ewbank, on Oct. 15, 1985. The Jets retired Namath's number in a halftime ceremony during an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins in East Rutherford, N.J. Namath’s number is one of five retired by the team, along with those of Don Maynard, Curtis Martin, Joe Klecko and Dennis Byrd.AP
Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath speaks at a press conference in Atlanta on Jan. 28, 1994, about the 25th anniversary of his team’s victory in Super Bowl III.AP
Joe Namath speaks with reporters before an event for the 50th anniversary of the Senior Bowl on Jan. 22, 1999, in Mobile. (Mobile Register/John David Mercer)
Joe Namath poses for a photo after a news conference in New York on June 25, 2003. The New York Jets announced the former quarterback would rejoin the team as ambassador-at-large. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)AP
Joe Namath reacts to a putt during the pro-am for the Bruno's Memorial Classic on May 19, 2005, in Hoover.ph
Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Namath shakes hands with University of Alabama president Robert Witt after receiving his diploma at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 15, 2007. Namath finished his degree 42 years after he left school. (AP Photo/Porfirio Solorzano)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Joe Namath prepares to present the Vince Lombardi trophy after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)AP
Joe Namath and former New York Jets teammate Emerson Boozer attend the premiere of "Namath" at the HBO Theater on Jan. 25, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images)Getty Images
Joe Namath walks off the field after helping with the coin toss for Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. AP
Joe Namath makes an appearance at “Jets and Chiefs: The Ultimate Tailgate” during the New York City Wine and Food Festival on Oct. 18, 2014, at Esurance Rooftop Pier 92 in New York. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Joe Namath poses with a fan during a fundraiser for Jupiter Medical Center on Oct. 20, 2016, at the Plaza Hotel in New York. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)Getty Images
Joe Namath throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a National League game between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies on June 6, 2018 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)Getty Images
Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath speaks during a celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of the team’s victory in Super Bowl III. The ceremony was held at halftime of the Jets’ game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 14, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)AP
Alabama coach Nick Saban talks with Joe Namath before an SEC game against Arkansas on Oct. 26, 2019, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)AP