Throwback Thursday: The Iconic Joe Namath

The former Alabama quarterback known as Broadway Joe was a rare superstar who made an indelible impact long before he played in the NFL.

A lot of younger football fans would be shocked at the way Joe Namath was portrayed in the media when he was the quarterback of the New York Jets. 

Broadway Joe was seemingly everywhere, from television advertisements to movies, especially after his successful guarantee that the Jets would win Super Bowl III.

One would be hard-pressed to find a major magazine that didn't have Namath on its cover at some point, and we're talking national publications that had very little to do with sports. 

Among those, however, was this little gem about the Iron Bowl in the October 1967 issue of Sport Magazine. Enjoy: 

"Joe Namath of the New York Jets still chuckles at the memory of the play. Joe had handed off to one of his running backs at Alabama. The runner went down, ending the play, but fiercer action was just beginning. Carried away by the intensity of the action, a couple of Auburn and Alabama players abandoned blocks and tackles for left hooks and right crosses. A near-riot ensued.

"As the fight burned itself out, one of the officials, a bustling little man, charged into the midst of the milling players and attempted to fix the blame. New to the Southeastern Conference, he was not familiar with their names.

"'Are you Wright?' he asked ‘Bama quarterback Namath, apparently confusing him with teammate Frank Wright.

"'Suh,' replied Namath, drawing himself up to his full height of 6-2 and affecting his best Southern colonel’s accent (Namath is from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania), 'a Namath is always right.'

"The official, Namath says, was so distracted by the general, tension-breaking hilarity, that he penalized nobody."