Jan 12 in Jet History: Remembering Super Bowl III
Jan 12, 2016 7:48:13 GMT -5
jetfrantik and Bing© in Buffalo Chairman like this
Post by Lithfan on Jan 12, 2016 7:48:13 GMT -5
January 12, 1969
As a 7-year old boy, I remember sitting with my dad and his friend, Howie, watching the Super Bowl game in my dad’s bedroom -- the only room in the house with a color TV. This game was too big for the little black and white set in my bedroom. Howie was a lifelong Giant fan and season ticket holder. I remember him telling me I shouldn’t be too upset when the Jets get beaten, as they surely would. They played in new league that was not as good as the NFL of the Colts and Giants. I should just be happy to watch my team play against an NFL team.
With the bravado of a little boy, who doesn’t know any better, I was certain we would win. My dad has introduced me to pro football about three months earlier. A trip to Shea Stadium to see the Jets beat the Chargers. The Jets were my team, they couldn’t lose. Joe Namath couldn’t lose. Maynard and Sauer on the outside, Biggs, and Philbin anchoring the defense. Snell and Boozer on the ground. No way the Jets would lose that game. I don’t remember a lot of specifics, although I have read about the game many times over since then, but my memory of what I saw that day is limited. Too many years have passed. For those other members of the Hampur who are old enough to remember, I would be curious to hear what you remember of that day.
As to the game itself, it started slowly and the Jets found themselves in trouble early. A punt by the Colts David Lee pinned the Jets at their own 3-yard line. Two Matt Snell runs gave them 9 yards, but on 3rd and 1, Namath connected with Sauer for what appeared to be a first down, but he was hit by Lenny Lyles who jarred the ball loose. It was ruled a fumble, recovered by the Colts Ron Porter at the Jets 12. After a 6-yard run by Tom Matte on first down, QB Earl Morrall threw what should have been a touchdown pass to Tom Mitchell, but the ball ricocheted off Mitchell and was grabbed by Randy Beverly for an interception in the end zone and the Jets had dodged a bullet. The red zone turnover would become a recurring theme that would haunt the Colts throughout the game.
The Jets took over at their own 20 and Joe Namath led a brilliant 80-yard drive. Snell gained 26 yards on three consecutive carries and the Jets were near midfield. Bill Mathis gained another 6-yards on the ground, and then Namath went to work through the air. He hit Sauer on consecutive plays to get down to the Colts 23. Boozer carried for two yards and then Namath hit Snell for a first and goal at the 9. Two more Matt Snell runs and the Jets led 7-0 in the 2nd quarter.
“This is the start of a new era,” Coach Ewbank would say after the game. “We did put in a few new wrinkles such as a couple of pass patterns, but we stuck mostly with a running game when we found it going so well. Ball control did it. We didn’t make any errors.”
Later in the quarter, the Colts seemed poised to tie the game after a 58-yard run from scrimmage by Tom Matte. Until Johnny Sample picked off Morrall’s pass at the Jets 2-yard line. The Jets got another red zone interception on the final play of the first half, a trick play which might have worked had Morrall thrown to a wide open Jimmy Orr in the end zone. Morrall handed to Matte, who tossed it back to Morrall. Morrall apparently did not see Orr all by himself in the end zone, instead he threw to Jimmy Hill on the other side of the field. Safety Jim Hudson broke on the ball and intercepted at the 12. The Jets 3rd red zone interception of the half.
It would be more of the same in the second half as Tom Matte lost a fumble on the Colts opening drive of the 2nd half, which led to the first of 3 second half Jim Turner field goals which gave the Jets a 16-0 4th quarter lead.
But it was not over yet. Late in the 3rd quarter, trailing 13-0, Don Shula pulled Earl Morrall and replaced him with future Hall of Famer, Johnny Unitas, who had been sidelined due to injury. In his first two possessions, the Colts did not fare any better under Unitas than they had under Morrall. They went 3 and out on their last 3rd quarter possession. After Turner’s 3rd FG made it 16-0, Unitas drove the Colts to the Jets 25, but on 2nd and 10, his pass intended for Jimmy Orr was intercepted by Randy Beverly near the end zone, his second red zone interception in the game.
After the interception, and with time running out on the NFL Champs, Unitas led the Colts on their only scoring drive of the day, an 80-yard march that ended with a 1-yard TD run by Jimmy Hill. With 3:30 left on the clock, still down by 2 scores, the Colts went for the onside kick and recovered. Unitas drove the Colts to the Jets 19, where his 4th down pass fell incomplete. 2:21 seconds later the Jets were World Champions.
A jubilant team was ready to speak with the press in the locker room, all except for one man. Namath refused to speak with any writers other than the guys who covered the Jets all year. “I only talk to our New York writers,” he said. “They are the only ones who thought we had a chance.” Eventually team president Phil Iselin had to coax Joe to appear on television for post game interviews.
As for the other Jets, they had a lot to say:
Coach Ewbank: “It was fabulous. Joe called another one of his great games. I couldn’t pick out one of the players who played poorly. Defense was marvelous. Offensive line was great.”
Gerry Philbin: “We showed them. We proved it. We knew that if we stopped them, Joe would take over. The defense played one of its best games. The linebackers, where we had been a little weak, came through. Look at those interceptions. 4 of them. It was a long time coming.”
Larry Grantham: “It is so sweet. We were so far down when I joined the club in 1960 that I thought we would never get to the top, but we came through. The odds were foolish. We were confident that Joe would get the points. Baltimore undersold our defense.”
George Sauer: “I believe I was the primary receiver on all except three passes tossed in my direction. Joe just put the ball in there. He was truly great.”
Pete Lammons: “Personally I went into the game expecting to win and we did. I am not a defeatist. If I were I wouldn’t be playing football.
Johnny Sample: “We’re the greatest team alive.”
For one day, 47 years ago today, they were the greatest team alive.
Source: The Montreal Gazette & New York Daily News
As a 7-year old boy, I remember sitting with my dad and his friend, Howie, watching the Super Bowl game in my dad’s bedroom -- the only room in the house with a color TV. This game was too big for the little black and white set in my bedroom. Howie was a lifelong Giant fan and season ticket holder. I remember him telling me I shouldn’t be too upset when the Jets get beaten, as they surely would. They played in new league that was not as good as the NFL of the Colts and Giants. I should just be happy to watch my team play against an NFL team.
With the bravado of a little boy, who doesn’t know any better, I was certain we would win. My dad has introduced me to pro football about three months earlier. A trip to Shea Stadium to see the Jets beat the Chargers. The Jets were my team, they couldn’t lose. Joe Namath couldn’t lose. Maynard and Sauer on the outside, Biggs, and Philbin anchoring the defense. Snell and Boozer on the ground. No way the Jets would lose that game. I don’t remember a lot of specifics, although I have read about the game many times over since then, but my memory of what I saw that day is limited. Too many years have passed. For those other members of the Hampur who are old enough to remember, I would be curious to hear what you remember of that day.
As to the game itself, it started slowly and the Jets found themselves in trouble early. A punt by the Colts David Lee pinned the Jets at their own 3-yard line. Two Matt Snell runs gave them 9 yards, but on 3rd and 1, Namath connected with Sauer for what appeared to be a first down, but he was hit by Lenny Lyles who jarred the ball loose. It was ruled a fumble, recovered by the Colts Ron Porter at the Jets 12. After a 6-yard run by Tom Matte on first down, QB Earl Morrall threw what should have been a touchdown pass to Tom Mitchell, but the ball ricocheted off Mitchell and was grabbed by Randy Beverly for an interception in the end zone and the Jets had dodged a bullet. The red zone turnover would become a recurring theme that would haunt the Colts throughout the game.
The Jets took over at their own 20 and Joe Namath led a brilliant 80-yard drive. Snell gained 26 yards on three consecutive carries and the Jets were near midfield. Bill Mathis gained another 6-yards on the ground, and then Namath went to work through the air. He hit Sauer on consecutive plays to get down to the Colts 23. Boozer carried for two yards and then Namath hit Snell for a first and goal at the 9. Two more Matt Snell runs and the Jets led 7-0 in the 2nd quarter.
“This is the start of a new era,” Coach Ewbank would say after the game. “We did put in a few new wrinkles such as a couple of pass patterns, but we stuck mostly with a running game when we found it going so well. Ball control did it. We didn’t make any errors.”
Later in the quarter, the Colts seemed poised to tie the game after a 58-yard run from scrimmage by Tom Matte. Until Johnny Sample picked off Morrall’s pass at the Jets 2-yard line. The Jets got another red zone interception on the final play of the first half, a trick play which might have worked had Morrall thrown to a wide open Jimmy Orr in the end zone. Morrall handed to Matte, who tossed it back to Morrall. Morrall apparently did not see Orr all by himself in the end zone, instead he threw to Jimmy Hill on the other side of the field. Safety Jim Hudson broke on the ball and intercepted at the 12. The Jets 3rd red zone interception of the half.
It would be more of the same in the second half as Tom Matte lost a fumble on the Colts opening drive of the 2nd half, which led to the first of 3 second half Jim Turner field goals which gave the Jets a 16-0 4th quarter lead.
But it was not over yet. Late in the 3rd quarter, trailing 13-0, Don Shula pulled Earl Morrall and replaced him with future Hall of Famer, Johnny Unitas, who had been sidelined due to injury. In his first two possessions, the Colts did not fare any better under Unitas than they had under Morrall. They went 3 and out on their last 3rd quarter possession. After Turner’s 3rd FG made it 16-0, Unitas drove the Colts to the Jets 25, but on 2nd and 10, his pass intended for Jimmy Orr was intercepted by Randy Beverly near the end zone, his second red zone interception in the game.
After the interception, and with time running out on the NFL Champs, Unitas led the Colts on their only scoring drive of the day, an 80-yard march that ended with a 1-yard TD run by Jimmy Hill. With 3:30 left on the clock, still down by 2 scores, the Colts went for the onside kick and recovered. Unitas drove the Colts to the Jets 19, where his 4th down pass fell incomplete. 2:21 seconds later the Jets were World Champions.
A jubilant team was ready to speak with the press in the locker room, all except for one man. Namath refused to speak with any writers other than the guys who covered the Jets all year. “I only talk to our New York writers,” he said. “They are the only ones who thought we had a chance.” Eventually team president Phil Iselin had to coax Joe to appear on television for post game interviews.
As for the other Jets, they had a lot to say:
Coach Ewbank: “It was fabulous. Joe called another one of his great games. I couldn’t pick out one of the players who played poorly. Defense was marvelous. Offensive line was great.”
Gerry Philbin: “We showed them. We proved it. We knew that if we stopped them, Joe would take over. The defense played one of its best games. The linebackers, where we had been a little weak, came through. Look at those interceptions. 4 of them. It was a long time coming.”
Larry Grantham: “It is so sweet. We were so far down when I joined the club in 1960 that I thought we would never get to the top, but we came through. The odds were foolish. We were confident that Joe would get the points. Baltimore undersold our defense.”
George Sauer: “I believe I was the primary receiver on all except three passes tossed in my direction. Joe just put the ball in there. He was truly great.”
Pete Lammons: “Personally I went into the game expecting to win and we did. I am not a defeatist. If I were I wouldn’t be playing football.
Johnny Sample: “We’re the greatest team alive.”
For one day, 47 years ago today, they were the greatest team alive.
Source: The Montreal Gazette & New York Daily News
