Old School Tough Guys

Tom Callahan's Johnny U captures football in a generation where working class athletes filled the ranks of pro football teams. These men worked jobs during the off season and defined the tough guy male.His story captures "the life and times of" John Unitas, Hall of Fame quarterback of the original Colts - the Baltimore C-O-L-T-S - from the original cheer. We Redskin fans often wondered if spelling this proved difficult for the Baltimore fans... but I digress.

The story demonstrates the determined athleticism of Unitas who played both ways in college and came into the pro ranks after being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers - who also notably passed on Lenny Moore and Jim Brown...oops.

Lenny Moore describes what he saw in his first scrimmage against the Eagles in Hershey, PA (1956): "For most of the game, I just sat ont he bench and watched. I couldn't believe what I was seeing." It seemed to Moore that absolutely nothing was illegal. "Chuck Bednarik and another Eagles player didn't just tackle Ameche out of bounds. They carried him out of bounds and slammed him against a table behind the bench. I said to myself, Man. I can't do this. These guys were beating on guys like you couldn't believe. I thought, Am I strong enough to take this kind of punishment? I had my doubts." Sitting next to Marchetti on the bench was a rookie tackle. "I forget where he was from," Gino said... "He looked at me and asked, 'Is it like this all the time?' I said, 'Hell no. Wait until the league games start. Wait until the season starts.' Honest to God, I never saw him again." (Johnny U; Tom Callahan; Crown Publishers; 2006; pgs.75-76)
Johnny Unitas demonstrated a remarkable toughness, courage, and determination in a very different time. Callahan captures the times and the changes the nation and football would undergo over the next 20 years.