Soundbytes Of The Decade - #9 Joe Namath

To a generation of NFL fans, this is the image of Joe Willy Namath. Running off the field of Super Bowl III triumphant. Pulling off one of the greatest upsets of all-time leading his Jets of the AFL over the much favored Colts of the NFL. It gave legitimacy to an upstart league, and some might even argue it was a turning point in football becoming our national sport, surpassing the popularity of baseball. On the field, Namath was a Hall of Famer. Off the field, he was one of the first transcendent sports stars, crossing over into the mainstream media. Who can forget those pantyhose commercials, right? In every way, Joe Namath is one of the most iconic figures ever to past generations of football fans.

To this generation of football fans, Joe Namath looks a little something like this:

Thanks to an interview during a December 2003 Sunday Night game between the Jets and Patriots, Namath is now remembered for strug-g-ling during an interview with sideline reporter Suzy Kolber. Most sideline interviews are boring and tedious, but this one brought a little extra spice, namely in Joe's attempts to woo Suzy. Evidently Broadway Joe had a little too much of the sauce before going on air (never good if the word drunk appears after your name automatically in Google search). This gem of a soundbyte launched a successful sports blog (Kissing Suzy Kolber) a PTI staple (strug-g-ling) and made a new generation of NFL fans take note of Joe Namath... not for his accomplishments on the field, but his pick-up attempts off of it. Pay attention at the end as Joe Theismann tries to cover up the embarrassment, poorly. The ESPN brass must have been thinking... "an interview with Joe Namath... at a Jets game... what could possibly go wrong??" Well, see for yourself. Here now, our #9 Soundbyte of the Decade! Let's throw it to you, Suzy!

Tune in next time when our #8 Soundbyte of the Decade takes us back to another infamous football quote. It has been popularized in a series of commercials and involves... well, I'll let you think about it, but don't let your thoughts deceive you. It is what you think it might be.