Super Bowl III: a recap   * Jan. 12, 1969, in Miami   * Attendance: 75,377   LINESCORE   New York Jets 0 7 6 3 - 16   Baltimore 0 0 0 7 - 7   SUMMARY   * Despite the fact that the Colts were coming into the game as 18-point favorites, Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed victory on the Thursday before the game. He then went out and led the AFL to its first Super Bowl victory over a Baltimore team that had lost only once in 16 games all season.   * Namath, chosen the game's most valuable player, completed 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards. The Jets had intercepted Colts quarterback Earl Morrall three times in the first half, each deep in New York territory.   * The Jets finished the game with 337 total yards, including 121 on 30 carries by fullback Matt Snell.   SOURCE: The Associated Press

In a few days, the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots will play the most important football game of their lives. Super Bowl XXXVIII will take place amid big-ticket commercials and a halftime show that will run much longer than a normal NFL intermission. Pundits have already tapped the Patriots as touchdown-plus favorites, and Bill Belichick's club can lay claim to dynasty status with a win. It would be the squad's second world championship in three seasons. Carolina has a chance to earn a place in sports history by becoming the underdog that becomes the top dog. It's the kind of story fans love. Anytime a real-life Rocky lands a knockout punch, people are reminded of why they love sports and why a mere game becomes a passion. But even if Carolina pulls off the upset Sunday at Houston's Reliant Stadium, it hardly will rank as the greatest stunner in Super Bowl history. That honor goes to Super Bowl III - one of the most important games in the history of the National Football League. The winner of the game was not even a member of the NFL - but its victory gave the American Football League credibility in the eyes of the senior circuit. Talk of a merger had begun in the mid-60s, and the leagues finally unified in 1970. "I just knew we were going to win," said Joe Namath, who quarterbacked the New York Jets to a 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts. "I honestly thought we were a better team than the Colts, which is why I predicted we would win." Super Bowls I and II were showcases for the Green Bay Packers to whip up on overmatched AFL teams. Kansas City was the first victim, and the Oakland Raiders went quietly in the second season-ending contest, known then as the "NFL-AFL Championship Game." When Super Bowl III arrived, there was little reason to expect anything other than an NFL-administered beating. The Colts had rolled to an NFL Championship with a 15-1 record. And even though Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas was out of commission, backup Earl Morrall had put up big numbers throughout the year. The Jets, on the other hand, were a motley crew of free spirits. Namath was the most free-spirited of them all, sporting long hair, a Fu Manchu mustache and a penchant for partying. Three days before Super Bowl III, which was held at the Orange Bowl, Namath made a speech to the Miami Touchdown Club. Those in attendance heard the eight famous words: "We're going to win Sunday. I guarantee it." What did Namath know that no one else did? "I felt like we had a great defense that could stop their offense, and I thought our offense would be able to move the ball," Namath said. "Saying what I said was locker room material, and I know (Jets coach Weeb Ewbank) cringed when he found out I said it. But we were a confident team. We weren't intimidated by the Colts, just because they played in the NFL and we played in the AFL." Prognosticators insisted a Baltimore blowout was in the works, and the Colts were installed as 18-point favorites. But once the third showdown between pro football's major- league champions began, it became obvious that little brother was growing up. Fast. A Jets defense that had never really distinguished itself during the AFL season completely smothered Morrall and company, forcing the quarterback to rush his passes and ended more than a few plays on his backside. New York's offense, which had risen to the top of the league on the arm of Namath, surprised the Colts with a strong running game and a series of short passes. While Namath would finish the day with good numbers - 17 of 28 completions for 206 yards and an MVP trophy - it was the running and kicking game that doomed the NFL champions. Matt Snell pounded the Baltimore defense into submission, and when 60 minutes were in the books, it was three field goals and one TD that had spelled an end to the NFL's air of invincibility. The 16-7 final convinced the NFL that its continuing battle with the AFL for college All-Americans was no longer worth the cost. The two leagues merged a year later. Although no one can say for certain, had the Jets been dominated that January day in 1969, Super Bowls might have become a thing of the past. Certainly, a merger would have been out of the question. But this Sunday, a charter member of the AFL will tangle with an expansion team for the world title. And the architect of the game in modern pro football history says the victors should enjoy it while it lasts. "We were on top of the world when we beat Baltimore," Namath said. "But then the next year when we were hoping to go back and win our second Super Bowl, we got beat in the (AFL) playoffs. When I was at Alabama, Coach Bryant always told me you remembered the losses more than the wins, and he was right. It was great being part of history, but losing in 1970 still sticks out in my mind." Super Bowl III: a recap * Jan. 12, 1969, in Miami * Attendance: 75,377 LINESCORE

 

New York Jets 0 7 6 3 - 16 Baltimore 0 0 0 7 - 7 SUMMARY

 

* Despite the fact that the Colts were coming into the game as 18-point favorites, Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed victory on the Thursday before the game. He then went out and led the AFL to its first Super Bowl victory over a Baltimore team that had lost only once in 16 games all season. * Namath, chosen the game's most valuable player, completed 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards. The Jets had intercepted Colts quarterback Earl Morrall three times in the first half, each deep in New York territory. * The Jets finished the game with 337 total yards, including 121 on 30 carries by fullback Matt Snell. SOURCE: The Associated Press