Today, May 7th, would have been the 76th birthday of Johnny Unitas, the greatest quarterback in the history of the game. Author Tom Callahan has written an excellent biography the Colt immortal entitled, Johnny U: The Life & Times of John Unitas (2006). As the title implies, this is not simply a date by date biography of Unitas. Instead, Callahan presents Unitas in a series of stories (albeit, arranged chronologically) revealing an intricate personality and a Hall of Fame quarterback as a product of, as well as a maker of his time. As Callahan writes in the Preface, significantly entitled "It Was a Player's Game Then":
[The book] begins and ends with [John Unitas.] But it is as much about a certain time as a single player. It is less about a specific place in the country than a place where the whole country used to be.
The stories that Callahan includes about Unitas are rich indeed, from John's ability to communicate with his teammates to his toughness on the field; from his feud with Don Shula to meeting Minnie Pearl on an airplane and learning how to tell (mostly dirty) jokes to lighten up his teammates. Callahan interviewed an impressive number of people including Unitas' teammates, opponents, and family members.
Johnny U: The Life & Times of John Unitas is a must-read for any Johnny Unitas or Baltimore Colt fan. It is a must-read for any student of American culture who wants to learn a little about what our country was like at the dawn of the civil rights movement and the television era. It is certainly a must-read for any one who admires a person who works hard to succeed, yet does so with grace and a refreshing lack of self-importance. At 286 pages, you will be sorry to reach the final chapter.
The photo below illustrates so well the character of Johnny U that Callahan brings to life. It is of the 1958 sudden death victory over the Giants. Alan Ameche has just plunged across the goal line; in fact, he has not yet risen from the turf. John Unitas, (lower right) is not high-fiving, doing cartwheels, dancing in the end zone or otherwise engaging in the histrionics of the modern player. He is simply walking off the field--he did his job. That was enough. The older I get, the more I admire the late, great Johny U. Happy birthday, #19.
A great tribute to a great man. When I was a small boy my Grandfather would take me to watch Johnny U and Raymond B hook up.
Posted by: Al Smith | May 12, 2009 at 09:35 PM