Joseph William Namath was born in 1943 in Pennsylvania and played sports from his youth. In high school he excelled at football, basketball, and baseball and when he graduated, he received offers from six Major League Baseball teams. Namath chose a career in football, instead, because his mother wanted him to have a college education. Namath soon received a full scholarship to play at the University of Alabama. He went on to make a name for himself in the American Football League and the National Football League in the 1960s and 70s, playing for the New York Jets for most of his career. During these years, “Broadway Joe” won the 1968 AFL Championship and the 1969 Super Bowl. Namath was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.