The Baltimore Colts were 18-point favorites to win the Super Bowl, and most people thought it should be higher. Easily defeated in Super Bowls I and II, the American Football League (AFL) was widely considered to be inferior, and many experts agreed that if the New York Jets played in the NFL, they probably wouldn't have even made the playoffs. Baltimore Colts players agreed, and had a particularly strong disdain for Jets quarterback Joe Namath, who was drafted by the AFL's Jets and NFLs St. Louis Cardinals on the same day, shunning the Cardinals to sign a $427,000 contract with the Jets, a pro football record at the time. Appearing at the Miami Touchdown Club three days prior to the game, Namath delivered what would go down in NFL lore as "the guarantee". The brash and cocky Namath, angrily responding to rowdy Colts supporters, said, "You Baltimore guys have been talking all week, but I've got news for you, buddy. We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it." Few quotes in football history are more remembered, as Namath and his New York Jets became the first AFL team to win a Super Bowl, a 16-7 victory that earned Namath the Most Valuable Player award.
In all, Namath played eleven seasons with the Jets, while leading the league in passing yards three times, was selected to five Pro-Bowls, and became the first 4000-yard passer in football history. In the twilight of his career, Namath was signed by the Rams in 1977. But by this point, his effectiveness as a quarterback was greatly reduced by his many knee injuries as well as his "hard and fast" lifestyle. Namath started four games for the Rams, and after taking a beating on a Monday Night Football game in Chicago, retired from professional football.
Offered is the game-used Rams home jersey worn by Joe Namath during that final, 1977 season. Evidence shows that the Sand-Knit manufacturer’s label has fallen off, a common occurrence since it was glue-affixed, unlike the Los Angeles Rams exclusivity label, which is still intact and stitched onto the left front tail. Glue remnants are clearly visible where the tag was originally placed. Light game use is evidence, which is acceptable given Namath’s limited playing time. A distinct feature of Namath gamers while with the Rams, the sleeves are trimmed right to the edge of the ram horn. LOA from Lou Lampson, Mile High Card Co.