Reflecting on Johnny Unitas' Louisville career
Whenever people think of quarterbacks that have come through the University of Louisville, a few names come to mind. Lamar Jackson & Teddy Bridgewater are usually the first to come up due to recent success both in the collegiate & professional ranks, followed by Chris Redman, Dave Ragone, Stefan LeFors and Brian & Jeff Brohm among others.
As successful as they all were, only one signal caller (so far) has their jersey number retired by the university as well as their own statue gracing the grounds of Cardinal Stadium: Johnny Unitas.
Mainly known for his Hall of Fame professional career with the Baltimore Colts, Unitas had plenty of noteworthy moments as a Cardinal that lead to his No. 16 to be retired. On what would have been his 87th birthday, Louisville Report is turning back the clock and reflecting on his Louisville career.
It's not uncommon for freshman to arrive on campus having to hit the weight room so that they can work themselves into playing shape, and Unitas was certainly no exception. In fact, he showed up to his first day of practice weighing at just 145-pounds despite being six-foot-one according to university records.
He didn't have to wait long to prove himself though.
Since Louisville did not belong to the NCAA during his playing days, he was allowed to see the field as a freshman. Head coach Frank Camp took full advantage of this, inserting him in Louisville's fifth game of the season against St. Bonaventure.
The caveat was that UofL was already trailing 19-0.
That didn't stop Unitas though, even in a steady rain. He fired off 11 consecutive passes, three of which were good for touchdowns to seize a 21-19 lead.
Louisville ultimately lost the game 22-21 on a last-second field goal, but the legend of Unitas was already starting to take shape.
After starting the season just 1-4, the Cardinals then won their next four games in a row to finish the 1951 season with a 5-4 record.
While his performance against St. Bonaventure was impressive, the highlight of his freshman campaign came in Louisville's seventh game of the season against Houston.
The Cardinals entered the game as 19 point underdogs to the Cougars, but Unitas helped will his team to victory and in the process pulled off one of the greatest plays in his collegiate career.
Louisville possessed a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter over the favored Cougs, but had the ball on their own eight yard line. Victory was all by no means guaranteed.
On third down, Unitas took the ball into his own hands after a pair of runs went nowhere. He dropped back, avoided two would-be tacklers in his own end zone, then delivered a 92-yard pass to Babe Ray for the proverbial nail in the coffin. The Cards won 35-28.
His sophomore season wasn't as successful from a team perspective as Louisville would go 3-8 in 1952, but for Unitas it was arguably his best year in college. He completed 77 of his 154 passes and tossed 12 touchdowns, the latter of which is nearly half of his collegiate total.
The way that Unitas played in UofL's second game of the 1952 season against Florida State, you'd have thought that the Cardinals were on a collision course with the national championship.
They routed the Seminoles 41-14 in Doak Campbell Stadium, with Unitas completing 17 of his 22 passes.
As touted as he was up to that point in his career, he almost left the team after his sophomore year.
Following what was described as an "administrative hassle", 15 football players were dismissed and left the Cardinals' roster bone dry.
Unitas briefly thought about transferring to Indiana University, but ultimately decided to stay with Louisville once he reminded himself that the Hoosiers had spurned him prior to enrolling at Louisville.
Johnny U went on to throw for 2,912 yards & 27 touchdowns, and complete 247 of his 502 pass attempts in his time as a Louisville Cardinal.
He went on to be drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ninth round of the 1955 NFL Draft, only to be cut by his hometown team before the season even began.
Following his release, he found a gig with the semi-pro Bloomfield Rams while also working for a Pittsburgh tiling company. It was during this time that the Baltimore Colts invited him for a tryout.
Of course as many know, the rest is history.
Stats and Information are courtesy of the 2019 Louisville Football Media Guide
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