[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 126 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6859-H6862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING JOHNNY UNITAS AND EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY ON HIS
PASSING
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 538), honoring Johnny Unitas and extending
condolences to his family on his passing.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 538
Whereas, as a member of the Baltimore Colts, Johnny Unitas'
leadership and passing skills helped change the game of
football;
Whereas throughout his life, Unitas defined humility,
grace, and determination;
Whereas in 1955 Unitas played for the love of the sport of
football, earning just $6 per game as a player in the Greater
Pittsburgh Football League;
Whereas Unitas led the Baltimore Colts over the New York
Giants for the 1958 NFL championship in what came to be known
as ``The Greatest Game Ever Played'' and quarterbacked the
Colts to a 2nd consecutive title in 1959;
Whereas Unitas threw a touchdown pass in the Colts victory
over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V;
[[Page H6860]]
Whereas when Unitas retired from the NFL in 1974, he held
22 NFL records, including the record of 47 consecutive games
with a touchdown pass;
Whereas Unitas was named Player of the Year in 1959, 1964,
and 1967, and played in 10 Pro Bowls;
Whereas Unitas completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239
yards and 290 touchdowns during his career;
Whereas Unitas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 1979;
Whereas Unitas was named the ``Greatest Player in the First
50 Years of Pro Football'', and named to the NFL's 75th
Anniversary Team;
Whereas throughout his career Unitas played for the love of
the game, his city, and its fans;
Whereas Unitas established the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm
Educational Foundation, supported cystic fibrosis research,
and with his wife Sandra, sought to assist victims of sexual
assault and domestic violence; and
Whereas Unitas' compassion and sense of charity gave hope
to those in need in Baltimore and throughout the Nation: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) celebrates the remarkable life of Johnny Unitas and his
indelible impression on the City of Baltimore;
(2) honors him for his leadership, sportsmanship, and
outstanding achievements on the football field;
(3) recognizes his remarkable spirit and tireless work to
improve the lives of those in need; and
(4) extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of
Johnny Unitas on his passing.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan).
General Leave
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on House Resolution 538.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the House consider House Resolution
538, important legislation introduced by my distinguished colleague,
the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ehrlich). This resolution celebrates
the life and achievements of the greatest quarterback who ever lived,
Johnny Unitas.
Johnny Unitas passed away suddenly last month at the age of 69. He
may be gone but his greatness on the football field will never be
forgotten. Unitas played 17 seasons for the Baltimore Colts. He led the
Colts to three NFL championships and held nearly every NFL passing
record at the time of his retirement in 1973. He was the first
quarterback to throw over 40,000 yards in a career and holds the record
for throwing a touchdown pass in an incredible 47 consecutive games,
nearly a 4-year span of games. But numbers alone do not adequately tell
the story of his greatness on the football field.
Considered the ultimate team leader, Unitas is credited with
inventing the 2-minute drill, leading the Colts to many victories in
the final seconds of the game. His most famous game-winning drive came
in 1958 when he led the Colts on an 80-yard drive in a sudden death
overtime to beat the Giants for the NFL championship. To this day the
1958 championship game is known as the greatest game ever played. His
composure and courage on the field were legendary. Former teammate John
Mackey, himself a Hall of Famer and considered by many the best tight
end to have played, once said of Unitas, ``It's like being in the
huddle with God.''
Unitas led by example. On a Colts team full of tough, gritty players,
former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Art Donovan was asked who he
considered to be the toughest of all. Without hesitation Donovan said
``Unitas, because he took the punishment. And never said a word about
it.''
After his football career ended in 1973, Unitas made Baltimore his
home. The city loved and admired Unitas not only for his toughness and
ability on the field but for his humanity. Even though he was revered
by millions, he was a humble and gracious man. At his funeral mass in
Baltimore, his youngest daughter, Paige, spoke of her father's
tenderness. When she once grew impatient with fans seeking his
autograph, Unitas told her, ``It takes so little to make people
smile.'' He was untiring in his work for charity, including supporting
research for leukemia, cystic fibrosis, and prostate cancer. Also, he
formed the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation to provide
financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-
athletes.
Johnny Unitas may have left us too soon, but his legend will live on.
The sight of a hunched-over Johnny U., No. 19, slowly walking off the
field at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium in his black high-topped shoes
after throwing a touchdown pass will be etched in the memories of
football fans for years to come. We offer condolences to Unitas's
family and celebrate the life of the greatest quarterback who ever
played the game, Johnny Unitas. Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to
support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
might consume.
National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said, ``Unitas
epitomized football, the enduring values of toughness and competition,
and he epitomized this community and America.''
{time} 1745
Johnny Unitas, the Hall of Fame quarterback who broke nearly every
National Football League passing record and won three championships
with the Baltimore Colts in an 18-year career, died of a heart attack
in Baltimore on September 11.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1933, Johnny Unitas was raised
in a working-class family during the Depression. His father, a coal
delivery man, died when he was 5, and his mother worked two jobs to
raise four kids.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1979,
Unitas retired after the 1973 season with 22 National Football League
records, among them marks for the most passes attempted and completed,
most yards gained passing, most touchdown passes, and most seasons
leading the league in touchdown passes.
Unitas was voted the Most Valuable Player in 1964 and in 1967, and
played in 10 Pro Bowls. He led Baltimore to the National Football
League championship in 1958, 1959, and the Super Bowl in 1970. He was
named the Greatest Player in the First 50 Years of Pro Football, and
was named to the National Football League's 75th anniversary team.
This long list of accomplishments stems from a player who hitchhiked
home from his first National Football League training camp after the
Pittsburgh Steelers cut him in 1955. He spent that season playing
semipro football on rock-and-glass covered fields in Pittsburgh for $6
a game and working as a pile driver at a construction site.
At his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Unitas said, ``A
man never gets this station in life without being helped, aided,
shoved, pushed and prodded to do better. I want to be honest with you:
the players I played with and the coaches I had, they are directly
responsible for my being here. I want you all to remember that. I
always will.''
Those who helped, aided, shoved, pushed and prodded him to do better,
the players he played with and the coaches, as well as those who simply
enjoyed watching him play the game of football, will always remember
him and his contributions to the sport. His comments epitomize the
career of Johnny Unitas, who was always giving credit to others for
helping to make him the star that he was.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Ehrlich).
Mr. EHRLICH. Mr. Speaker, we have heard about the numbers, about the
greatest game ever played; and I just spoke with the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Cardin) about what a sad day it was at the funeral.
But I have a quick story about my friend and constituent. A couple
years ago, Johnny Unitas was doing an event for me and the Q&A time
came. The question was, ``Mr. Unitas, if you were playing today, how
much money would you be making?''
[[Page H6861]]
The gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) will appreciate this.
Johnny thought for a second and said, ``About 3 million bucks.''
There was a murmur in the crowd, and they were all thinking 3 million
bucks for Johnny U, and that players get $100 million contracts these
days and so the questioner said, ``Aren't you really underselling
yourself, the greatest quarterback who ever played?''
Johnny thought for a second and said, ``Well, I am 66 years old.''
Mr. Speaker, I have told that story a lot because it says all one
needs to know about my friend and my constituent. And as Kendall
Ehrlich, my wife, always likes to say, the coolest celebrity she has
ever met because Johnny U. will always be the coolest celebrity one
could ever meet because he was an ordinary person who was able to
achieve extraordinary things on the football field and he never took
himself too seriously. He always had time for whomever wanted an
autograph or needed help, the charity of the day, the week, the month
or of the year in Baltimore, the State of Maryland, or in the United
States of America.
That was our Johnny U. I will miss him. The people of Baltimore, the
State of Maryland, United States of America, sports fans around the
world will miss No. 19.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin).
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Mr. Speaker, let me pay my respects to Johnny Unitas, what he meant
as an individual and what he meant to our community. I agree with the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ehrlich) and his comments. I feel very
privileged because I had the opportunity to witness Johnny play at just
about every one of his home football games in Baltimore.
During the NFL's 50th anniversary, he was voted the Greatest
Quarterback of All Times, and clearly he was the greatest quarterback
of all times on the field. He established just about every record
during his time, and currently holds the record for throwing a
touchdown pass in the most consecutive games, a record that is not
likely to be challenged for a long time to come.
But that is just half the story about Johnny Unitas. Members know him
as a great athlete, a person during the time of football when the
quarterback really controlled the game, called the plays, was
responsible for the leadership of the team. Johnny Unitas represented
the best that there was in that regard. He is responsible for getting
the American public interested in the game of football. He probably is
responsible for a lot of the high salaries today because of the
interest on television for football today.
But the other story is Johnny Unitas the individual, off the field. I
feel privileged not only to have witnessed him as a great athlete on
the field, but to see how he worked within our community. He was always
there to help our community. Baltimore was his adopted home. He came to
us through other towns, but Baltimore is where he lived his life and
where he gave back so much to the community. He was responsible for a
lot of charitable activities. He always worked with young people and
never turned down a request for an autograph, not because he was
honored to be asked to give an autograph, but because he did not want
to disappoint anybody. That was the type of life he lived. He was a
great individual.
He will always be remembered as the person who led Baltimore to
championships, the person who always was on the sidelines during all of
our games. His number 19, of course, is known by all; but he is clearly
number one in the hearts of all of the people of the Nation. I thank
the gentleman for bringing this resolution before us.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 538. I was
fortunate enough to play in several games against Johnny Unitas, I
guess maybe a better word is ``unfortunate'' because Johnny's team
always came out on top.
One time we played in Baltimore, and they had a white horse that ran
around the field every time Baltimore scored. On that day we almost
killed the horse because the horse ran around the field 15 to 20 times.
Johnny was sharp that day, and we were not very good.
Johnny had a quick release, excellent skills, arm strength and
accuracy. But as many Members have mentioned, probably his greatest
attribute was physical toughness because at the time Johnny played, we
did not have the rules protecting the quarterback that we have today.
Today players can hardly touch a NFL quarterback, but Johnny took a
licking for 18 years, and he always got up. I was impressed by his
leadership and his physical toughness.
He did not have early NFL success. As was mentioned, he was cut by
the first team he tried out for. He played semipro football for $6 a
game, a tough league. Many Members have mentioned the 1958 championship
game against the Giants, which the Colts won 23 to 17. That was a
landmark game. I remember watching that game that day. That was the
game that caught people's attention. That was the game that launched
the National Football League as it is today.
Johnny played at a unique time. The top players were paid $10,000 a
year. When compared to today's salaries, just imagine the difference.
Most players at that time worked in the off season to make ends meet.
He had no agent. He had great loyalty to his team and community. He did
not bounce around for the best deal. He stayed most all of his career
in one place.
When he played, there were 36 players on a team. Today there are 53,
so every one of those 36 players had to contribute. At that time there
were about one dozen NFL teams. Today there are roughly 30.
I think today's NFL teams and players owe a lot to Johnny Unitas and
others like him who played at that time. He was a great humanitarian
and a great human being. Much has been said about his 22 NFL passing
records, his three NFL MVPs, his 18 years with one team; but probably
the greatest credit to Johnny was the fact that he was named the
greatest NFL player in the first 50 years of the league. Of course,
that takes in a lot of great players. I urge support of this resolution
and again would like to offer my condolences to the family and in
support of Johnny and all that he represents.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I do not have any additional
requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for bringing this
resolution to the floor and giving this House the opportunity to
express its admiration for this extraordinary athlete and extraordinary
man.
We extend our condolences to the Unitas family on the death of Johnny
Unitas. To us, he was the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of
football, a man whose toughness and compassion embodied the spirit of
Baltimore and whose talent on the gridiron made him a legend in his own
time.
But he was much more. They know him as a husband and father and had
the opportunity to share in his extraordinary life.
We can only hope that the outpouring of admiration from the many
people who were touched in some way by Johnny Unitas will provide a
comfort to them in the days ahead. I urge all Members to support this
resolution.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H. Res. 538 honoring
Johnny Unitas and extending condolences to his family on his passing. I
thank my Maryland colleague and friend Congressman Ehrlich for
introducing this legislation.
Johnny Unitas set 22 NFL records, went to 10 pro bowls, was player of
the year 3 times, and was named Pro Football's Greatest Player in the
first 50 years. But interestingly, all this came from an inauspicious
beginning.
Notre Dame didn't want him because he was thought to be too small.
Others didn't think he had the smarts to play quarterback. The
Pittsburgh Steelers drafted and promptly cut him. Later, with the
Baltimore Colts, Johnny Unitas was put in for their injured starter,
and his pass was intercepted. On the next two possessions, he fumbled.
Since the other Colts backup quarterback had decided to go to law
school, Unitas started the next game. Unitas and the Colts beat the
Green Bay Packers; then they beat the Cleveland Browns; and so began
Johnny Unitas's ascendance. Later that very season, he began
[[Page H6862]]
his string of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass. That record
is still unrivaled to this day. And no one has even come close.
He typified an athletic style that at times seems of a bygone era. He
was famously hard-working, had a self-effacing manner, and was public
spirited with an uncanny devotion to his adopted city and fans. With
his modest style, it was said that one couldn't tell from the way
Johnny Unitas walked off a football field whether he'd thrown a
touchdown or an interception. In fact, the photo of him taken moments
after he threw the game-winning overtime touchdown in the 1958 NFL
Championship--in what is known as the Greatest Game Ever Played--shows
Johnny Unitas, head bent, walking toward the Colts bench as if nothing
much had happened.
His skills, warmth, charities, and remarkable life have touched
people far beyond the grid-iron. During his funeral, a small plane
pulled the same banner that flew above Memorial Stadium on his last
game in Baltimore. It read: ``Unitas We Stand.''
He played for the love of the game, his city, and its fans. He was
Baltimore. Our prayers are with the Unitas family. We all miss you,
Johnny U.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Johnny
Unitas--a great football player, a great Baltimorean, and a great human
being. Johnny Unitas epitomized all that is right about sports, and he
put Baltimore on the map with his dazzling skill and workmanlike
attitude.
Johnny Unitas hitchhiked home from his first training camp in 1955,
cut from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent that year playing semipro
ball for $6 a game, and working at a construction site nearby to make
ends meet. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Baltimore Colts signed Unitas the next year. He retired after the
1973 season, setting 22 NFL records, including the most passes
attempted and completed, most yards gained passing, most touchdown
passes and most seasons leading the league in TD passes.
Unitas completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290
touchdowns. He completed at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight
games, a record not challenged since it was set from 1956-60.
Johnny Unitas was the Most Valuable Player in 1964 and 1967 and
played in 10 Pro Bowls. He led Baltimore to the NFL championship in
1958 and 1959 and the Super Bowl in 1970. On the NFL's 50th anniversary
in 1969, Unitas was voted the greatest quarterback of all time. He also
was selected at quarterback for the NFL's All-Time team in 2000 by the
36 Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.
To many, including myself, Johnny Unitas was the greatest quarterback
to play the game. He left an indelible mark on football, Baltimore, and
this nation.
Johnny never strayed far from the game. After his retirement in 1973,
he was a fixture in the Baltimore football scene that he made famous,
watching the Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis and the Ravens take
their place.
Johnny was famous for saying, ``Talk is cheap. Let's go play.'' I
believe this is advice we could all afford to heed.
On September 11, at the age of 69, Johnny Unitas suffered a heart
attack and passed away.
I extend my condolences to the family of Johnny Unitas, to his fans,
and to all those people he touched. He will be missed.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 538.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________