The Press Stories
Don Maynard, a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame who made an impact on quarterback Joe Namt with the New York Jets in the now defunct American Football League (AFL), has died. He is 86 years old.
Hall of Fame leaders confirmed the news through his family on Monday.
With an injury to one leg in their surprise win over NFL champions Baltimore Golds in the 1969 Super Bowl III, with the Jets, Maynard was our target.
This match established the credibility of the AFL, which gained a reputation for its interest in attack. However, Maynard proved his worth a long time ago.
After a fruitless season with the New York Giants in 1958, the lean and fast Texas man joined the Hamilton Tiger-Gates in the 1959 Canadian Football League.
The AFL was then formed and he was the first player to sign a contract with the New York Titans, who would soon become the Jets.
Despite incompetent quarterbacks with the Titans / Jets, Maynard made his mark in two seasons with at least 1,000 passing yards.
When Namat arrived in New York City in 1965, he signed a record-breaking deal and made headlines around the world, seeing daylight as one of the league’s best aerial clothing.
Photo by Kathy Villains, Archives Associated Press
Don Maynard and Joe Namath, 2008.
Namat is very good at making long passes, which is in line with Maynard’s skill. As the main receiver of “Broadway Joe”, Maynard had three seasons with gains of at least 1,200 passing yards in four years.
During our rookie season, he caught 14 Touch Down bass and enjoyed two more campaigns with at least 10 majors.
When he retired after a season with the St. Louis Cardinals, he became the No. 1 white receiver in professional football history with 633 catches and 88 touchdowns for 11,834 yards.
He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
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