johnnyunitas.com

Johnny Unitas was a professional American football quarterback who played from the 1950s through the 1970s, spending most of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He earned the nickname "The Golden Arm" for his record-setting passing, including a streak of throwing touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960 — a mark the site notes remains unsurpassed as of 2012. He was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player three times: 1959, 1964, and 1967.

The Basics

John Constantine "Johnny" Unitas lived from May 7, 1933, to September 11, 2002. He is often called "Johnny U" and is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. His career spanned the era when the NFL grew into a national spectacle, and he became one of its most recognizable faces.

Why "The Golden Arm"?

The nickname reflects what defined his game: throwing. Two facts from his record explain it:

• The 47-game touchdown streak (1956–1960). Throwing at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games demands durability, consistency, and accuracy across parts of five seasons. The site states the record remained unsurpassed as of 2012.
• Three MVP awards (1959, 1964, 1967). Winning the league's top individual honor in three separate seasons, spread across a decade, shows sustained excellence rather than a single peak year.

Together, these achievements are why "The Golden Arm" stuck — it describes a quarterback whose arm produced records and awards over a long career.

Beyond the Field

Unitas's charity work matched his playing statistics, according to the site. In 1987 he started The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, which promotes the game of football and provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young athletes.

The foundation also presents the Golden Arm Award annually to the top senior or upperclassmen college quarterback. The award, in the site's words, "encapsulates all that is positive in college sports" — a nod to the idea that college athletics is about more than touchdown passes and sacks.

What You'll Find on johnnyunitas.com

The site serves as a hub for his legacy and related merchandise:

The auction items were offered publicly for the first time, which makes the site useful for collectors as well as fans researching his career.

Quick Answer

If you arrived wondering who Johnny Unitas was: he was a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, a three-time NFL MVP, and the holder of a 47-game touchdown-pass streak. "The Golden Arm" refers to the passing record and awards that made him one of football's most enduring figures — and the website named for him documents that legacy, his foundation, and collectibles tied to his career.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation promotes the game of football and provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young athletes. Johnny Unitas started it in 1987, carrying his charity work beyond his playing career with the Baltimore Colts. The foundation is also the body behind the Golden Arm Award, which it presents annually to the top senior or upperclassmen quarterback in college football.

What the Foundation Was Set Up to Do

According to johnnyunitas.com, Unitas' off-field charity work matched the scale of his playing statistics and wins. He "carried the ideals of football forward into his community, striving to make an impact and bettering the lives of others." The foundation formalized that effort with two stated purposes:

• Promote the game of football — supporting the sport's positive role in college athletics and beyond.
• Provide financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young athletes.

The site frames the foundation as an educational one, which is why its full name includes "Educational Foundation" rather than referring only to the award.

How the Golden Arm Award Fits In

The Golden Arm Award is the foundation's most visible program, but it is not the foundation itself. The site describes the award as presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation to the top senior or upperclassmen quarterback in college football.

The site also explains why the award matters: fans and media often focus on touchdown passes, elusive runs, ferocious tackles and quarterback sacks, and "we lose sight of other important matters of college athletics." The award is presented as a counterweight — the foundation says it "encapsulates all that is positive in college sports."

Why the Name "Golden Arm" Appears Everywhere

Unitas was nicknamed "The Golden Arm," and the foundation and award both carry that nickname. The site notes he was a record-setting quarterback and the NFL's most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967, and that his record of throwing touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games (between 1956 and 1960) remained unsurpassed as of 2012. The foundation's name ties its charitable and educational work directly to that legacy.

Where to Find More

The foundation's work is described on johnnyunitas.com under the "Golden Arm Foundation" and "Golden Arm Award" sections. The same site also lists Johnny Unitas collectibles for sale and references a Hunt Auctions Super Bowl LVIII live auction featuring items from Unitas' personal collection, each accompanied by a letter of provenance from the Unitas family. Those are separate from the foundation's charitable mission, but they appear alongside it on the site.

johnnyunitas.com lists two ways to obtain Johnny Unitas memorabilia: a small online shop with fixed-price collectibles, and a linked Hunt Auctions sale featuring items from the Unitas family's personal collection. The shop section shown on the site displays three products with listed prices and a "Quick View" button for each; the auction section describes lots offered publicly for the first time, each accompanied by a letter of provenance from the Unitas family. Availability and final auction prices are not stated on the page, so treat listed prices as examples rather than a complete catalog.

Shop items shown on the site

The "Shop Johnny Unitas Collectables" section presents products in a grid with a "Quick View" option and a "Load More" button, which suggests additional items exist beyond the first three displayed.

These are the only prices visible in the page content. The site does not show shipping terms, stock status, or payment methods in the material available, so confirm those details on the product page before ordering.

How to browse the shop

1. Open the "Shop Johnny Unitas Collectables" section of the homepage.
2. Select "Quick View" on a product to see its details without leaving the page.
3. Use "Load More" to reveal additional products beyond the initial three.
4. Expected result: a fuller list of available collectibles; if the list does not expand, the remaining inventory may not be loaded on that page.

Hunt Auctions Super Bowl LVIII live auction

The site promotes a Hunt Auctions "Super Bowl LVIII Live Auction" that includes lots from Johnny Unitas's personal collection. According to the page:

• The relevant lots are 153–223 and 318–375.
• The items come from the personal collection of the Baltimore Colts quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
• They are being offered publicly for the first time.
• Each item is accompanied by a letter of provenance from the Unitas family.

The page provides a "View Auction" link but does not list individual lot descriptions, estimates, or results. For bidding, registration, buyer's premiums, and dates, use the Hunt Auctions listing itself rather than the homepage summary.

What this tells you about the site

johnnyunitas.com functions as a memorial and informational site built around four sections: a biography of Johnny Unitas, the Golden Arm Foundation, the Golden Arm Award, and the shop and auction promotions. The biography notes he played professionally from the 1950s through the 1970s, mostly with the Baltimore Colts, was NFL MVP in 1959, 1964, and 1967, and still held the record for touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games as of 2012.

For buyers, the practical distinction is:

• Fixed-price shop items suit someone who wants a specific listed collectible at a known price, subject to availability.
• Auction lots suit someone seeking one-of-a-kind family-held items, but require going through Hunt Auctions for terms and bidding.

If provenance matters most, the auction lots carry an explicit family letter; the shop listings do not mention certificates or provenance in the page content shown.

johnnyunitas.com is a tribute and foundation website centered on Johnny Unitas, the Hall of Fame quarterback who played professionally from the 1950s through the 1970s, mostly with the Baltimore Colts. It is not an official NFL or team site. Instead, it combines a short biography, information about the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation and the Golden Arm Award, a small collectibles shop, and auction announcements tied to his personal collection.

What the site covers

Johnny Unitas biography

The homepage introduces John Constantine “Johnny” Unitas (May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002), nicknamed “The Golden Arm” and often called Johnny U. It notes that he was a record-setting quarterback and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1959, 1964, and 1967. It also highlights that his record of throwing touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960 remained unsurpassed as of 2012, and that he is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. A “Read More” link leads to a fuller account of his life and career.

Golden Arm Foundation

The site explains that Unitas’s charity work matched his playing achievements. In 1987 he started The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation to promote the game of football and to provide financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young athletes.

Golden Arm Award

The Golden Arm Award is presented annually by the foundation to the top senior or upperclassmen quarterback in college football. The site frames the award as recognizing positive contributions in college sports beyond touchdown passes and tackles.

Collectibles shop

A shop section lists memorabilia with prices shown on the page, including:

• Johnny Unitas 1967 Legacy Jersey, Baltimore Colts — $362.00
• Bradford Exchange, “The Great Super Bowl Quarterbacks” Collection — $212.00
• Bradford Exchange “Longton Crown” Collection — $312.00

A “Load More” option suggests additional items may be listed.

Auction announcements

The site promotes a Hunt Auctions Super Bowl LVIII Live Auction. Lots 153–223 and 318–375 are described as coming from Unitas’s personal collection, offered publicly for the first time, each accompanied by a letter of provenance from the Unitas family. A “View Auction” link is provided.

Who the site is for

• Fans and researchers looking for a concise overview of Unitas’s career and records.
• Students and followers of college football wanting background on the Golden Arm Award and its criteria.
• Collectors interested in Unitas-related memorabilia or the family-provenance auction lots.
• People exploring the foundation’s mission of supporting young athletes.

What to keep in mind

The site is a commemorative and foundation resource, so it is best treated as a starting point for biography and award information rather than as an official league or team record. Prices and auction details reflect what is displayed on the page and can change; confirm current availability and terms directly with the shop or auction house before acting.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation to the top senior or upperclassman quarterback in college football. It is not a pro award and not a career-achievement honor for NFL play; it recognizes a college quarterback in the upper stages of his eligibility. The award is one part of johnnyunitas.com, the official site devoted to the Baltimore Colts quarterback known as “The Golden Arm.”

Who gives the award, and to whom

The site states the award is “presented annually to the top senior or upperclassmen quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.” That single sentence answers the two practical questions readers usually have:

• Recipient: a college quarterback who is a senior or otherwise an upperclassman.
• Presenter: the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, the charity Unitas started in 1987.

The foundation’s stated purpose is broader than the trophy: it promotes the game of football and provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young athletes. The award and the foundation therefore share a name and a mission, but they are not the same thing—one is an annual honor, the other is the organization behind it.

Why the award exists, in the site’s own framing

The site explains the motivation directly: college football fans and media often focus on touchdown passes, elusive runs, ferocious tackles and quarterback sacks, and “we lose sight of other important matters of college athletics.” The Golden Arm Award is described as encapsulating “all that is positive in college sports.”

That framing matters if you are trying to understand what the award rewards. It is presented as a counterweight to highlight-reel stats—an honor tied to the values Unitas carried from the field into his community work, rather than simply to the loudest passing numbers.

Where it fits on johnnyunitas.com

The site organizes Unitas’s legacy into a few clear sections, and the award is one of them:

If your question is specifically about the award, the “Golden Arm Award” section is the relevant one; the foundation section explains who runs it.

Common points of confusion

• “Golden Arm” is a nickname before it is an award. Unitas himself was nicknamed “The Golden Arm,” which is why the foundation and the trophy carry the name.
• The award is for college players. The site’s description of Unitas’s own career—record-setting quarterback, three-time MVP—is context for the award’s namesake, not the award’s criteria.
• The foundation and the award are distinct. One provides financial assistance to young athletes; the other is an annual honor for an upperclassman quarterback.

For the current recipient, eligibility details, or selection process, the site’s Golden Arm Award section is the place to check; the available page material describes the award’s purpose and presenter but does not list a selection committee or a full winners archive.