Super Bowl III

Background

Many observers were surprised that the Colts advanced to the Super Bowl with a 13-1 regular season record and a win over the Cleveland Browns, 34-0, in the NFL Championship Game. Starting quarterback Johnny Unitas had suffered an injury to his elbow on his throwing arm earlier in the season. His replacement, veteran backup Earl Morall, had never started an NFL game in his entire career. But Morall led the Colts to the 13-1 record, was kept in the starting lineup even after Unitas had recovered, avenged their only regular season loss to Cleveland by defeating them in the league title game, and won the the NFL's Most Valuable Player award.

Related Topics:
Regular season - Cleveland Browns - Johnny Unitas - Earl Morall

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By contrast, the New York Jets entered Super Bowl III with an 11-3 regular season record, but barely defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27-23, in the AFL Championship Game, after recovering a fumble on their own 27-yard line with less than two minutes left.

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But three days before the game, Namath appeared at the Miami Touchdown Club and boldly predicted to the audience, "The Jets will win on Sunday. I guarantee it." Interestingly enough, Namath later claimed he only made his famous "guarantee" in response to a rowdy Colts fan at the club, who boasted the Colts would easily defeat the Jets. Namath said he never intended to make such a public prediction, and never would have done so if he had not been confronted by the fan.

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