On this day, January the 2nd, in the year of 1965, pro football quarterback Joe Namath signed a record breaking deal with the American Football Leagues New York Jets, snubbing the more established National Football League.

Worth $427,000, the contract was the highest in price for a rookie in any sport at the time. This was in part due to the upstart AFL trying to weaken the grasp their established rival, the NFL, had on professional football, a tactic of doing this was signing America’s top college quarterback.

The NFL and the AFL would go on to begin to merge later on in the 60’s, with the Joe Namath led Jets beating the NFL’s Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, legitimizing the young NFL in the sports world (ESPN) (History).

To read more daily facts and tidbits and about the New York Jets, see the Barron Perspectives “On this Day Archives” webpage and such articles as “(Silent NFL Game) On This Day – December 20th” and “On This Day – October 23rd (Monday Day Night Miracle)”.