Namath Featured On Super Bowl Pregame Coverage

After the first two Super Bowls, it was widely thought that the NFL was vastly superior to what was then the AFL.  In 1969, even though the NFL's Baltimore Colts were favored over the AFL's New York Jets, Quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a Jets victory.   The Jets would shock the country with a 16-7 victory over the Colts.  It's widely though that this meant the AFL had arrived.  It's  said to have spurred on the merger that brought the AFL teams into the NFL.  

Since that game was 50 years ago, CBS paid tribute to Namath in it's pregame coverage of this year's Super Bowl.

1969 Year Of The Mets And Jets

The Mets and Jets were emblematic of the era, the 1960s was known for a generation gap and of the emergence of youth as a voice.  Neither team was in existence ten years earlier.  The Jets were part of a brand new league the AFL, that challenged, before it became part of the NFL.  The Mets  were an expansion team, a consistent cellar dweller, that shared a town with the storied New York Yankees. The Jets shared the spotlight with the New York "Football" Giants.  Many noticed that the two teams had names that rhymed.  Both teams played in Shea Stadium.  A field that was also famous for hosting the Beatles.
In  the Super Bowl of 1969, the Jets pulled off one of sports greatest upsets beating the Baltimore Colts. In the two previous Super Bowls, the NFL's Packers easily beat the 2 best AFL entries. The top picture is of Joe Namath, the Jet's brash, outspoken but talented quarterback. Namath was unlike any sports figure at the time. A mod dresser and a lover of the night life.
In the World Series, the Mets upset Baltimore's Orioles, also a heavily favored team.  On a related note.The NBA New York Knicks would beat the Baltimore Bullets on their way to the championship in the upcoming NBA season. Of course the Knicks had been around for a while, but can be tied to the Mets and Jets by the year, the city, and the fact that it also beat a  team from Baltimore in the post season.  Not long afterwards, New York would get the Nets, who would play in the ABA, a team with a rhyming name with the city's two hottest clubs.
In a year that saw Woodstock and a man walk on the moon.  The respective championships of the Jets and the Mets, would put a definitive cherry on top of a decade, forever known for the explosion of the youth culture.

Super Bowl Memories: Super Bowl III

By the time Super Bowl III came around, anyone who was paying attention thought that the NFL was superior to the AFL. Would the Super Bowl survive had the Colts beat the Jets? We will never know. Although the Jets upsetting the Colts was the headline of the period, I think that Super Bowl III will be remembered for two opposing legendary quarterbacks, one representing The Establishment (Johnny Unitas) and one representing the youth rebellion of the time (Joe Namath).
The Colts, who had already won 2 NFL titles, would bounce back in a couple years to get their Super Bowl trophy. After 42 years, the Jets have never been back.