Auction Item Details
Lot 280
LOADING IMAGES
Lot Number: 280
Description: Exceptional Johnny Unitas Baltimore Colts professional model jersey c.1967. Classic blue jersey with white shoulders has the number "19" on front, back, and sleeves. "MacGregor" manufacturers tag on the front of the proper dating period affixed to tail front noting size (46) and adjacent is a wash tag. Additional flag tag with an "L" is also present. Incredible usage wear evident throughout with discoloration and dirt staining to the white numbers and scattered pulls in the fabric. There is a team repair on front chest above the number "9" and stitching is visible on inside shoulders where added by the team to fix or reinforce the shoulder pad area. Obtained in 1968 inside the Baltimore Colts locker room at Memorial Stadium by our consignor and his father whom was handed the jersey by Equipment Manager Fred Schubach. For many years it served as the focal point in the family home and it can be seen in a 1978 dated issue of the Baltimore Sun Magazine (included) on display in that very home. By all accounts, Johnny Unitas ranks as one of the greatest players in NFL history. His on field accomplishments quite literally seem as fictional: (10) time Pro Bowl selections, (5) Time AP All-Pro selections, (4) Time NFL MVP award winner, (3) Time Pro Bowl MVP award winner, NFL 50th and 75th Anniversary team member, and Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee in 1979. As impressive as Unitas' on field accomplishments may be he truly was one of the seminal figures in the popularization of the National Football League in the this country. His significance to the game was evident through numerous mediums none less important than the 1958 NFL Championship game. Deemed as "The Greatest Game Ever Played" it was Unitas' leadership which sent the Colts to victory in the first sudden death overtime victory in NFL history. That specific game is largely credited with the rise of the popularity of the NFL in the 1960s due to its national television audience. The offered specimen rates as one of only a scant few documented Unitas game jerseys to have entered the marketplace. Museum quality and categorically one of the finest examples in private hands. Includes LOA from Hunt Auctions, letter of provenance, and 1978 Sun Magazine as noted: EXEstimated Price Range: ($100,000-$150,000)
Sold for Price: Login or Register