Johnny Unitas / Peyton Manning: Will Colt History Repeat Itself?

As a rookie Johnny U was the Baltimore Colts quarterback, in 1956. I became a Baltimore Colts fan, in 1958, because I thought the horseshoes on their helmets were cool. (Give me a break I was 13 years old.) However, as I inhaled the Colts that season, through television, radio and the newspaper, I believed no one who wore a helmet with a horseshoe was as cool as Colt’s quarterback Johnny Unitas, reverently called Johnny U.

Johnny U led the Colts franchise to unprecedented success, and when he retired in 1973 I remained a Colt fan, through thick and thin. Unfortunately, though, it was pretty much thin, both on and off the field, which culminated on a dark night in 1984 when the Colts moved to Indianapolis, and the helmets with the horseshoe now belonged to a foreign entity called the Indianapolis Colts.

In their new home ineptness continued, but that landscape changed when the Indianapolis Colts picked Peyton Manning, the reincarnation of Johnny U, with the first pick of the 1998 NFL draft. As a rookie Manning became the Colts quarterback, and once he adjusted to the nuances of professional football, the Colts began to enjoy the on the field success they enjoyed when Johnny U led from that position.

Manning and Johnny U are clones of each other in many ways: Johnny U was not mobile and neither is Manning, nonetheless, to overcome that deficiency both became students of the game of football. As a result, they each became prolific pocket passers, even though opponents knew they weren’t going to run with the ball.

In addition, their resumes are similar in passing accuracy, proficiency, fourth quarter comebacks, multiple league championships and a Super Bowl. To roll Johnny U’s and Manning’s parallelism into one word, it would be leadership; the style of leadership that returns to the leader unquestioned allegiance from teammates.

Likewise, their resumes are similar in that the eternal enemy of time moves forward and in its stead, in once stalwart bodies, leaves fissures, splits and breaches that cannot be disguised. Johnny U reached that threshold in 1973. Then, without fanfare, the Baltimore Colts put his broken body out to pasture and traded him to the San Diego Chargers. After one forgettable season with the Chargers, Johnny U retired.

With the Indianapolis Colts, Manning appears to face the same fate. After neck surgery Manning’s body isn’t responding as quickly as Colt management desires, and rumors are that the team he resurrected is prepared to put him out to pasture, via a trade.

Yes, football is a business and feelings, fairness and “football families” are facetious terms that never delve below the surface of the dollar bill. However, it shouldn’t be that way.

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Unitas’ Records: profootballhof.com

This Day in History: Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis: history.com

Databasefootball.com: Peyton Manning: databasefootball.com

Peyton Manning: Indianapolis / Baltimore Colts Single Game Passing Records: peyton manning18.com

Today in Pro Football History: Baltimore Colts: Historical Moments: sportsecyclopedia.com

Associated Press: Peyton Manning to increase workouts: espn.go.com


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