Born to Lithuanian immigrants in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1933, Johnny Unitas is widely regarded as one of the Greatest NFL Players of All Time. A star halfback and quarterback in high school, Unitas won a scholarship to University of Louisville, Kentucky. Though his college football team was rather mediocre, Unitas excelled in his many positions on the field, giving his all in great shows of physical skill and stamina: at one memorable game against Florida State, he received a standing ovation even though his team was defeated.

Upon graduation, Unitas was surprisingly unable to land an NFL deal - Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Walt Kiesling underestimated him, feeling Unitas was not smart enough to quarterback an NFL team. Of course, Unitas is known as one of the greatest on-field leaders of all time. However, in 1954, the newly married Unitas resorted to working construction jobs in his hometown to pay the bills.

Two years later, a friend and fellow NFL hopeful brought him along for tryouts, and he was picked up by the Baltimore Colts at the last minute. After a rocky and unimpressive start, Unitas soon blossomed, showing the world what a powerhouse he really was. He threw nine touchdown passes that year, and his 55.6-percent completion mark was a rookie record. As the Colt's quarterback, Unitas earned the NFL's Most Valuable Player status that year, and he began a record 47-game streak, (1956-1960), for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass - a record that stood for 52 years.

In many ways, Unitas was the prototype for the celebrity star athletes we see so often today. He was amazing on the field, the media loved him, and his fans loved him even more than that. His heroic leadership of the Colts' victory over the New York Giants on December 28, 1958 led to that match going down in NFL history as 'The Greatest Game Ever Played'. Unitas played with the Colts until 1972: he spent most of his last game on the bench, happy to watch his team playing a blowout game against the Buffalo Bills, when the crowd - dying to see Unitas in action one last time - united in a stadium-wide chant of, "We want Unitas!!" He managed to make a short pass that his receiver turned into a touchdown, much to the crowd's wild excitement.

Unitas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, his #19 was retired by the Colts, and his #16 was retired by the football program at the University of Louisville (the only one of its kind), where his statue stands in the north end of the stadium. Always a huge supporter of his team, (which later became the Baltimore Ravens), Unitas lived his final years severely hobbled by all the injuries he sustained throughout his incredible career, and he worked to raise awareness of this problem suffered by many long-term players. He died of a heart attack during a workout on September 11, 2002 in Baltimore. As of 2013, a movie about Unitas' life is in the works.