John Constantine "
Johnny"
Unitas (; May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002), nicknamed "
Johnny U", or "
The Golden Arm", was an American professional
American football player who played from the 1950s through the 1970s. He spent the majority of his career playing for the
Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting
quarterback, and the
National Football League's most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967. For 52 years he held the record for
most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (which he set between 1956–1960), until
New Orleans Saints quarterback
Drew Brees broke his long standing record on October 7, 2012. Unitas was the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback with a strong passing game, media fanfare, and widespread popularity. He has been consistently listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.