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 John C. "Johnny" Unitas - Timonium, Md.
N 39° 27.509 W 076° 36.969
18S E 360958 N 4368903
Johnny Unitas played 16-years for the Baltimore Colts and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Waymark Code: WMVAX5
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 03/25/2017
Views: 6
Johnny Unitas was born on May 7, 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played high school football at St. Justin’s in Pittsburgh and went on to play in college for the Louisville Cardinals. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was release before the start of the 1955 Season. In 1956 he began his Hall of Fame Career with the Baltimore Colts. During the next 16-years he lead the Colts to the Super Bowl V Championship, 3-NFL Championships and was named the League’s Most Valuable Player three times. He was Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Following his retirement in 1973, Johnny Unitas continued to live in Baltimore where he was a visible and active part of the community. Johnny Unitas died of a heart attack on September 11, 2002, He was cremated and his ashes are interred in a cremation bench on the banks of a small lake in the Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium, Maryland. Source/Credit: ( visit link)
Description:
John C. Unitas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1933, and grew up in the Mount Washington Neighborhood of the city. He attended St. Justin’s High School in Pittsburgh where he played both halfback and quarterback on the football team. After graduating he wanted to ply for Notre Dame but Coach Frank Leahy said he was too skinny. Unitas enrolled at Louisville where he proved the critics wrong. During his four-year college career, he completed 245 passes totaling 3,139 yards and 27 touchdowns. After college, Unitas was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was released and in 1956 he joined Weeb Eubank and the Baltimore Colts. He made his NFL debut against the Detroit Lions going 0-2 with one intersection. Two weeks after his less than stellar debut started against the Chicago Bears where his first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown and the Colts lost the game 58-27. A week later he led the Colts to an upset win over the Green Bay Packers. Unitas came into his own in 1958, passing for a total of 2,007 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Colts won the 1958 NFL Championship by defeating the New York Giants in sudden death overtime. This was the first overtime game in NFL History and is often called the “greatest game ever played.” The legend was born and over an NFL Career that spanned 18-years, Johnny U, won Super Bowl V, three NFL Championships (1958, 1959, 1968) and was the League’s MVP 3 times (1959, 1964, 1967). He Number 19 was retired by the Baltimore Colts and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Johnny Unitas suffered a heart attack and died on September 11, 2002. He is resting in the Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium, Maryland.
Date of birth: 05/07/1933
Date of death: 09/11/2002
Area of notoriety: Sports
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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