NFL Legend Joe Namath’s Brush with Pro Baseball
Broadway Joe once thought about pursuing an MLB career
Growing up just outside of Pittsburgh, Joe Namath was a typical child of the time, who really loved sports. In particular, he adored Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente, who inspired him to pursue his own professional baseball career. He was good, too, but he also excelled at football. Despite receiving a number of offers from major league teams, he ultimately chose the gridiron, where he went on to have a storied and Hall-of-Fame career.
Following an excellent run at the University of Alabama, Namath was taken as the first overall selection in the 1965 NFL draft by the New York Jets. His flashy personality and gunslinger mentality on the field quickly made him popular. However, his guarantee that his Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in 1969 made him an absolute legend and earned him the nickname of Broadway Joe when he backed up his cocky assertion.
He ended up spending all but the final season of his 13-year NFL career (1965–1977) with the Jets. He passed for 27,663 yards and 173 touchdowns, leading the league in passing yards on three separate occasions. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Not a bad resume at all, but could he have done better had he chosen professional baseball?
