In the early 1960s, the New York Jets were originally known as the New York Titans and played home games at the Polo Grounds. The team was later sold. The new owners moved the team to Shea Stadium and renamed it the New York Jets. During the team’s history several sports legends have played for them. Two of the major legends are Don Maynard and Joe Namath.
The first legend is Don Maynard who played college ball at Texas Western College where he was a two-time all-conference running back and track star. In 1957, he was drafted by the New York Giants and was made a wide receiver. After one year he was released by the Giants. Maynard then played for the Canadian Football League. After one year, he was recruited by the the NJ Jets (former NY Titans) and his life would never be the same. He had a great first year with 72 catches for 1,265 yards. He became a great wide receiver with good numbers on not so good a team. Then in 1968 with Joe Namath as quarterback, the Jets won their only Super Bowl. Even though Maynard only had 57 catches, he still had over 1,200 yards receiving, which, by today’s standards is just unbelievable. Maynard was always Joe Namath’s favorite target because he was big, worked hard, and was fast.
In his senior year at Alabama, Joe Namath was drafted by both the National Football League and the upstart American Football League on November 28, 1964. The NFL's St. Louis Cardinals selected Namath as their 12th pick overall in their draft, while the AFL’s NY Jets selected him as their first overall pick. He chose to sign with the Jets. In 1965, Joe was the AFL’s Football League Rookie of the year. In 1967, he became the first quarterback to pass 4,000 yards in a season. He was a four-time AFL All-Star for the years 1965, 1967, 1968, and 1969. The height of his career was his success in the Jets' January 1969 win in Super Bowl III, over the Baltimore Colts. At the time, the Colts were touted as "the greatest football team in history."
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