Johnny Unitas is widely considered the finest quarterback ever to play the game. Much has been written about his life, but for the first time, Unitas’s son, John, writes about his father and reveals information about his family and father’s career that has never before been brought to light. For anyone who holds an interest in either Unitas’s life or NFL history, John Unitas Jr.’s revealing and touching biography honoring the life and times of his father is a must-read. It sheds light on the character and convictions of the man who has lived on in NFL history, both on and off the field, offering clues to what made him the man and the player he was. John C. Unitas Jr. is the son of Johnny Unitas and the president of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., which bestows the Golden Arm Award each year upon a college player. He lives in Baldwin, Maryland. Edward L. Brown teaches high school English in Baltimore County. He works during the summers for Middlebury College as the innkeeper at the Bread Loaf campus in the Green Mountains. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Raymond Berry is a former wide receiver who played his entire professional football career with the Baltimore Colts and is in the Professional Football Hall of Fame. He was the head coach of the New England Patriots when they appeared in Super Bowl XX. He lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Johnny U and Me The Man Behind the Golden Arm By John C. Unitas Jr., Edward L. Brown Triumph Books Copyright © 2014 John C. Unitas Jr. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60078-979-3 Contents FOREWORD BY Raymond Berry, INTRODUCTION: TREE Shadows, 1. FALLEN Granite, 2. LEAVING Lithuania Behind, 3. THE Unknown from St. Justin's, 4. SKINNY (on a) Nobody, 5. MARRYING Tough, 6. PICKED Off the Sandlots, 7. NO Longer a Secret, 8. CENTRAL Casting and Reality, 9. AWED by the Fans' Awe, 10. LUCK Runs Both Ways, 11. QUESTIONING the Football God, 12. MOM as Mrs. Johnny U, 13. WHO'S in Charge?, 14. STIFF-ARMING Glam, 15. WILD Rumors, 16. FOOTBALL Wise, Business Stupid, 17. WINNING Is Redemption, 18. HOME Wrecked, 19. THE END ... But Not Like in the Movies, 20. CALIFORNIA Dreamin', 21. NEW Wife, New Life, Bad Business, 22. A Mom and Pop (Father and Son?) Operation, 23. LAWYERS, F------ Lawyers, 24. ANYTHING but Appealing, 25. NOTHING Is Forever, EPILOGUE, APPENDIX, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, DISCLAIMER, ABOUT THE Authors, QUOTES ABOUT Johnny U, PHOTO GALLERY, CHAPTER 1 Fallen Granite September 8, 2002 Carolina Panthers 10, Baltimore Ravens 7 It was the opening weekend of NFL season, and the Baltimore Ravens were on the road against a downtrodden Carolina Panthers team. While every season — in every sport — begins with all teams undefeated and full of optimism, these two teams seemed to be headed in opposite directions. In 2001, the Ravens had made the playoffs and Carolina had ended its season with a 15-game losing streak. Baltimore had lost to the Steelers — there's my dad's hometown again — in the divisional playoff game. In early September they were less than two years removed from winning the first football championship for Baltimore since Super Bowl V 30 years earlier, a game my dad started and the Colts won. The Panthers, like the Ravens, were an expansion team, beginning in the NFL in 1995. Their owner, Jerry Richardson, was a former NFL player. He wasn't just any player — he was Dad's teammate during the 1959 season, catching a touchdown pass from him in the Championship Game against the New York Giants. Richardson also played in 1960 and caught eight passes. Legend has it he retired from the NFL because he and the Colts' office couldn't agree on a contract amount, arguing over a $500 difference. Today's game didn't feature Richardson or my dad, although my dad had an interest in the game. For the Panthers, it was the debut of their new coach, John Fox, and for the Ravens, it was the debut of their starting quarterback, Chris Redman. Obviously, Fox did a nice job as a new coach, winning the game. Redman was drafted in the third round in 2000 and played in two games that year, completing two passes for 19 yards. He didn't play in any games the following year. Today, he was starting, and statistically, he played a solid game. He was 20-for-34 for 218 yards and threw a touchdown in the first quarter. He wasn't outplayed by the Panthers' starting quarterback, Rodney Peete, who was 12-for-19 for 136 yards. Peete did enough to win, an attribute my father saw as far more important than yards passed or awards won. ESPN reported that the game focused "on a blue-collar game plan." It was the kind of game my father was used to seeing when he played although he didn't necessarily play "blue-collar" football. He was born blue-collar, but as a quarterback, he understood the need for a sophisticated offense. Today, however, both teams ran the ball a fair amount. The Panthers used the game to jump-start a 7–9