Goldin Elite Auction Ending May 22-23
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/22/2021
This lot closes on May 22nd, 2021 at 10:00 PM EDT for initial bids.
One of the great quarterbacks in NFL history, Johnny Unitas was a 10-time Pro Bowler and a three-time NFL MVP. Unitas played for the Baltimore Colts through the 1972 season before finishing his career as a member of the San Diego Chargers in 1973. He was the NFL’s most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967. For 52 years, he held the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (set between 1956-1960), until it was broken by Drew Brees in 2012. He was considered the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback, with a strong passing game, media fanfare, and widespread popularity. He led the Colts to three NFL Championship titles (1958, 1959, 1968) and a victory in Super Bowl V (Colts 16, Cowboys 13, Jan. 17, 1971). Unitas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 after passing for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns in a legendary career.
Offered here is a stunning home powder blue San Diego Chargers jersey worn by Unitas during his final season in 1973. This Sand-Knit mesh jersey has Unitas’ iconic number “19” screen-printed on the front, back and sleeves in yellow with white borders. The front left tail has a “Designed & Tailored Exclusively for the San Diego Chargers AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE by Sand-Knit” tag and a “Sand-Knit size 48” wash tag. The sleeves and torso are separated by a white stripe that has a yellow lightning bolt outlined in blue. The back has “UNITAS” screen-printed on a matching blue mesh nameplate and is sewn on above the number. This jersey displays light use and has mesh holes exposed in some of the numbered screen-print. There are loose and pulled thread, along with some stains on the upper left nameplate. A great gamer from the final season of the legendary quarterback.