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Home , Cornell Gordon, Earl Christy, Earl Morrall, Emerson Boozer, Jim Turner (placekicker), Johnny Sample

50 DAYS TO 50

A DAY-BY-DAY, SUPER BOWL-BY-SUPER BOWL LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF BLACK COLLEGE PLAYERS ON SUPER BOWLS I THRU 49 AS WE COUNT DOWN THE 50 DAYS TO

DAY 3 - Wednesday, December 22 Super Bowl III 16, 7 January 12, 1969 - Orange Bowl,

11 Black College Players

Baltimore Colts (5) DE Jackson State Cornelius Johnson OG Virginia Union WR Jackson State Charles Stukes DB State LB Southern

ICONIC PHOTO: New York Jets (6) Colts WR Wille Verlon Biggs DE Jackson State Richardson (87, JACKSON STATE) RB Maryland State battles Jets DB RB Maryland State (24, MARYLAND STATE) DB North Carolina A&T in Super Bowl III. OT Southern (File photo, Baltimore Johnny Sample DB Maryland State Sun).

STORYLINE: Six black college players – three from Maryland State (now Maryland Eastern Shore) – helped the upstart Jets from the AFL the mighty NFL’s Balti- more Colts16-7 at the Orange Bowl and send shockwaves thru the sports world. The Jets’ win had a profound influence on the decision to merge the two leagues. It proved that the AFL, full of black college products, could compete and win against NFL teams.

NEW YORK JETS Emerson Boozer, RB (Maryland State) - Boozer ran 10 times for 19 yards in first win for AFL team in Super Bowl. - His first run on the third play of the game lost four yards. - His second carry, in the second quarter, gained two yards. - Had one-yard run on third carry midway thru second quarter. Jets’ convert- ed 41-yard in . - After Jets recoverd fumble on first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Boozer ran for 8 yards on first down. Ran for 2 yards two plays later. Then ran for loss of 5 yards. Turner kicked 32-yard field goal to end drive. - Had 4-yard run in Jets’ next possession. Turner kicked 30-yard field goal to end drive. - Ran for 2 yards on a draw play to open fourth-quarter drive. Got 7 yards two plays later on a sweep left. Turner missed 42-yard field goal. Johnny Sample, DB (Maryland State) - Had three pass break-ups, three tackles and one end zone inter- ception in win over Baltimore - Broke up a pass intended for WR Willie Richardson in the Colts’ second possession. - Broke up pass intended for TE John Mackey on 3rd-and-6 in sec- ond quarter. Colts missed 46-yard field goal after that stop. - Stopped Richardson after six-yard gain on first play of second- quarter drive (4:13). - Intercepted pass from QB intended for Richardson at the 2-yard line. Play was 2nd-and-9 from the Jets’ 15 and came right at 2 minuntes left in the half. - Tackles Richardson after 21-yard fourth quarter completion. Broke up pass to Rich- ardson three plays later. Colts were stopped on 4th-and-5 from Jets’ 19. - Made the final stop of the game on a tackle of Richardson after 15-yard gain. Verlon Biggs, DE (Jackson State) - Had three tackles, holding runners to 1 yard in win over Baltimore. - Stopped Colts’ RB for no gain in second quarter. - Held Matte to 1-yard gain in fourth quarter drive. - Stopped Unitas for no gain on keeper on 1st-and-goal at Jets’ 1. Hill scored TD two plays later. Winston Hill, OT (Texas Southern) - Protected QB ’s left side. Namath was sacked just two times. - Helped clear the way for to rush for then Super Bowl-records 121 yards on 30 carries. Earl Christy, RB/KR (Maryland State) - Returned opening kickoff for 25 yards.

BALTIMORE Willie Richardson, WR (Jackson State) - Led Colts with six (6) receptions for 56 yards. - Dropped the first pass thrown to him on the Colts’ first possession. - The second pass to Richardson, on the Colts’ next possession was broken up by Johnny Sample. - Caught six-yard pass from Earl Morrall late in the second quarter. - Hauled in 21-yard pass from QB in fourth-quarter drive. - After fourth-quarter recovery, caught pass from Unitas for 6 yards. Two plays later caught 5-yard pass from Unitas. - In the final drive, Unitas threw incomplete to Richardson and on last play of game connected with Richardson on 15-yard gain. Sid Williams, DB (Southern) - Had special teams’ tackle for no gain on Baltimore third-quarter punt.

MVP: Joe Namath, QB, NYJ - 17 of 28, 206 yards, 0 TDs.

KEY FACTS: JETS: Brash Joe Namath, known as a prolfic passer, crossed up the Colts by running the ball 43 times (for 142 yards, 3.3 yards per carry), the proverbial ‘3 yards and a cloud of dust’, and passing only 29 times (for 195 yards) with 17 completions and no . Matt Snell had 30 of those 43 carries for 121 yards and scored the game’s first TD on a 4-yard run. Jim O’Brien kicked three field goals. BALTIMORE: More heralded Earl Morrall (starter) and John Unitas (in- jured starter, legend, turned back-up) completed only 17 of 41 passes for 181 yards with four picks (3 by Morrall, 1 by Unitas). Morrall was 8 of 17 for 71 yards. Unitas was 11 of 24 for 110 yards.

To read more on the legend that was Johnny Sample, please see this New York Times article that ran prior to the Super Bowl in 2011, “Johnny Sample, First of the Big- Time Trash Talkers.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/sports/football/22sample.html?_r=0 And to read more on Willie Richarson, check out this Baltimore Sun story from 2012. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-11-29/sports/bs-sp-catchingup-willie-richard- son-20121129_1_colts-john-mackey-jackson-state

PANCAKE ANYONE: New York Jets running back Matt Snell (41) runs thru a hole created by the pancake block of Winston Hill (#75, TEXAS SOUTHERN) on Baltimore linebacker (#55). Snell ran for 121 yards in the Jets win.

NOTICE THE SCORE!: New York Jets defensive end Verlon Biggs (#86, Jackson State) bears down on Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas as he attempts to pass in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl III while trailing 16-0. Biggs had three tackles in the game. Unitas led the Colts to a late score but it was too little, too late.

MEETING AT THE PINNACLE: Colts receiver Wille Richardson (87, JACK- SON STATE) goes up for an Earl Mor- rall pass as New York Jets defensive back Johnny Sample (24, MARYLAND STATE) defends in the second quarter of Super Bowl III in 1969. (File photo, Baltimore Sun).