Joe Namath

We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it.

Joseph William Namath (born May 31, 1943), nicknamed Broadway Joe, is a former American football quarterback.

Quotes

• A friend of mine used to call me Joey U for Unitas. I also admired Roberto Clemente. Those two were my heroes. I never watch a baseball game on TV unless Clemente or Rich Allen is playing. I always watch a game Bob Gibson is pitching.
  • Quoted in "Sidelights on Sports" by Al Abrams, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (January 24, 1969).

• Now, don't get me wrong. I like baseball. I played it when I was growing up — my hero was Roberto Clemente. But you have to be a die-hard fan for baseball. What are there — 162 games in baseball? (My wife once asked me: "When does the season start? When does it end?") I just can't keep interested over the long haul. I really don't get interested until it reaches the playoffs and the World Series.
  • In "Home Runs vs. Touchdowns; Face it: Contact is a Major Attraction" by Namath, in The Santa Cruz Sentinel (September 9, 1990).

• I said, 'Whoa, wait a minute. You guys have been talking for two weeks now [meaning the Colts' fans and the media] and I'm tired of hearing it.' I said, 'I've got news for you. We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it.'
  • Quoted in "He guaranteed it", ProFootballHOF.com (January 1, 2005).

• He had such a flair. He had such a grace. He was a gentleman. I remember a royal essence about him. He was just so graceful. I wouldn’t dare say that I had an arm like Clemente, [but] I used to catch like Roberto. I stepped into the box like Roberto. Tried to be like Roberto. He was my baseball hero. He was the first hero I had. Big time. I even have an autographed Roberto Clemente baseball at home.
  • In "He’s One of a Kind: In football, as well as in life, Joe Namath stands alone" by Glenn Miller, in The Fort Myers News-Press (October 9, 2005).

• I have been a vegetarian for a few years. Fred Dryer of the Rams has been one for 10 years. It shows you don't need meat to play football.
  • Quoted in "9 superstar athletes who don't eat meat" by Brian Merchant, MNN.com (March 5, 2013).