Art by Tim Carroll

"Broadway"

Part 3 of the Holy Grail series. Completed July 2, 2009.

For part 3 of the series, I decided to carry the concept into the world of football. Now, I know there are more expensive football cards out there than the 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie card. However, when I think of the most desirable football cards amongst novice and advanced collectors, "Broadway" Joe Namath comes to mind. You see, Namath was a self-made legend. In Super Bowl III (January, 1969), Namath led the HUGE underdog New York Jets into battle against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. When asked what kind of chances he gave his team at winning, Namath made himself look as arrogant as any athlete in history. He did not just give his team a chance to win......HE GUARANTEED IT!! This was during a time in which the likes of Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson did not exist - so guaranteeing a victory was like Babe Ruth calling his shot. It just did not happen. Talk is cheap, but "Broadway" backed it up. The Jets defeated the Colts 16-7. While his play in the game was less than stellar (no touchdowns in the game and no completions in the 4th quarter),Namath was still named the Most Valuable Player of the game - probably on that guarantee alone.

So the legend began, and it became every football card collector's fantasy to own THE rookie card "Broadway" Joe Namath. I've never owned one. Until today.;)

For this one I used:

(447) - 1991 Fleer baseball cards

(260) - 1987 Topps baseball cards

(31) - 1991 Score baseball

(65) - 1991 Upper Deck football cards

(418) - 1990 ProSet football cards

(9) - Glue Sticks

(1,211) TOTAL CARDS

33.5 HOURS

And when I finshed, I had traded my commons for this 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie card: