Second, he signed a $400,000 contract with the Jets. This was the beginning of the big-money athlete. By comparison, I believe Jerry Kramer, who was an all-pro, made something like $17,000 during the 1967 season, when the Pack won the SB. Seriously, Kramer made more money off his book, Instant Replay, than he made off the Green Bay Packers. BTW, the NFL team that had the rights to Namath were the St. Louis Cardinals.
Third, his Super Bowl victory over the Jets was undoubtedly the biggest upset in the history of the NFL. It changed the entire NFL situation.
Finally, Namath was the first undeniably succesful "new generation" player. He rocked the boat in the league. It seems strange now, but Namath was the first player to wear white shoes. it looked funny to see him out there in the mud of Shea stadium, looking like he was in his socks with no shoes on. His hair stuck out from under his helmet, which nobody ever did before. He came into a flat-topped league with a hippie attitude. Madison Avenue loved him because he'd do stuff like the pantyhose commercial.
None of the other stuff would have mattered, if Namath hadn't been able to play football. Head to head, Daryl Lamonica and the Raiders used to regularly whip Joe Willie and the Jets. However, Lamonica never won THE game. Namath did. The Jets turned the Super Bowl from a game with all the relevence of the pro bowl (the first one didn't even sell out) into the biggest sports event in the world. The Chiefs probably would have done it the next year, but the Jets did it one year sooner. Who was the second man on the moon?
Many athletes careers are summed up in one afternoon. Dwight Clark and "the Catch". Jackie Smith laying on his back after dropping a sure touchdown in the Super Bowl. For Joe Namath, it was running off the field after the Super Bowl with that #1 gesture, which is copied to this day.
George Blanda, Daryl Lamonica and Ken Stabler as the third-string QB. Those were the days.