ode to Joe Willie
January 12th, 2009
Forty years ago, you made history…but I suspect your life since that day has not been what you’d thought it would be. I hope you have found peace and happiness. You must know you are football royalty. No one–and I mean NO ONE– ever did what you did on a playing field. Any playing field. It was, and continues to be a remarkable triumph of the human desire to succeed. Godspeed, Joe Willie, enjoy the rest of your days.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
You wrote on thejetsblog.com: “Fan since 1967; first game I remember was Namath throwing 6 picks against Oilers in 28-28 tie…”
I was at that game with my Dad. It was my first Pro Football game. I was a little kid, but I still remember at the end of the game as the final seconds ticked off, Joe Namath running at full speed to tackle an Oiler defender before he scored a TD. I was seated in the lowest section right behind the end zone the Jets were defending at the time so the action was all the way on the other side of the field and I couldn’t see it very well. But I do remember seeing Joe Willie hustling like hell and hanging onto the Houston runner for dear life until he was brought to the Shea Stadium turf. Do you remember what happened? Was it a blocked field goal? Whatever the case, I remember that the tie was preserved on that play.