Namath: A Biography
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Namath: A Biography Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Mark Kriegel (Author), Scott Brick (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 189 ratings
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In between Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan there was Joe Namath, one of the very few sports heroes who transcended their game. The son of a Hungarian immigrant, Namath left the steel country of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, for the Deep South, where he played quarterback for Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama. Almost four years later, he signed a $427,000 contract with the New York Jets that changed football forever, transforming a crude, violent game into show business. Namath became the most glamorous athlete in America; his fame nurtured by the age of television, the point spread, and the sexual revolution. His hair, his draft deferment, and his white shoes became symbols for a generation. But it was his "guarantee" of victory in Super Bowl III that ensured his legend.

In the tradition of Richard Ben Cramer's Joe DiMaggio, David Maraniss's A Life of Vince Lombardi, and Nick Tosches's Dino, Mark Kriegel details Namath's journey from steeltown pool halls to the upper reaches of American celebrity, and beyond. He renders Namath as an athlete and a man, a brave champion and a wounded soul. Here are Namath's complex relationships with pain and fame plus his appearances in pantyhose ads, on The Simpsons, and Nixon's Enemies List. Namath is not just for football fans, but for any listener interested in the central role of sports in American culture.

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  1. Listening Length
    21 hours and 34 minutes
  2. Author
    Mark Kriegel
  3. Narrator
    Scott Brick
  4. Audible release date
    October 29, 2004
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B0006IU6JQ
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 21 hours and 34 minutes
Author Mark Kriegel
Narrator Scott Brick
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 29, 2004
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0006IU6JQ
Best Sellers Rank #178,848 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#146 in Football (Audible Books & Originals)
#627 in Football Biographies (Books)
#782 in Sports Biographies (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
189 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

H. Argun
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2005
Verified Purchase
This book is a biography of Joe Namath and starts out from his birth and follows the course of his life through high school, college, professional football, and thereafter. It gives an inside look at what type of person Joe Namath really is, and provides much insight into the personality of a very unique individual. The book gives many stories of life on the football field and off of it. I thought the stories of Namath's very fast paced life living in New York was the best part. I was a little surpirised that he was basically dumped by his wife and while he had many friends, he appears to have struggled with developing lasting and intimate friendships.

Whether you are a football fan or not, this book is a great read, especially if you grew up in the 1960's and 1970's time era. I would highly recommend it.
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Tyler Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Sports bio with some depth
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
Kriegel brings some dimension to an athlete too often defined by cliches: the Super Bowl guarantee; the finger thrust in the air after the "monumental" upset of the Colts in that 1969 game; and of course the womanizing and boozing that made his leering, winking image worth millions in advertising endorsements.

In fact, "Broadway Joe" was a product of blue-collar Western Pennsylvania, with all the good and bad that entails. Kriegel captures his milltown upbringing in ethnic, integrated Beaver Falls, as well as his parents' devastating divorce, his street education, his legendary status as a high school athlete and his ne'er do well reputation. The book also details his complicated relationship with Bear Bryant at Alabama, a school he attended only after failing to make the test scores that would have sent him to the University of Maryland. Sorry, Terps.

It's all very well told and documented, with much of the subsequent story hinging, no pun intended, on the knee injury he suffered at Alabama in 1964. Kriegel makes clear that every snap of Namath's pro career must be considered in the light of the bad knees that took away his mobility and made it impossible for him to play without plenty of medical help and individual courage.

But as is true when considering the case of Mickey Mantle, whose career was drawing to a conclusion when Namath joined the New York Jets, one is left to wonder whether Namath might have extended his career or achieved more if he had cut down on his time at the bar and on the night club circuit. A good portion of the second half of the book is taken up with those nocturnal "exploits," his constant efforts to cash in on his notoriety, and the resentment his fame caused among some of his teammates. It also goes into his ill-fated marriage and post-career struggles with alcohol following his divorce.

This is more than a cut or two above the standard sports biography and will be especially interesting for those of us who grew up in Namath's lengthy media shadown, even if we weren't Jets fans (I'm in that group). A good read.
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Barry Sparks
5.0 out of 5 stars A rare athlete who was both talented and flamboyant
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2011
Verified Purchase
Author Mark Kreigel paints a thorough portrait of Joe Namath, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, in this interesting and well-written biography.

Namath, who signed for an unheard of $400,000 with the AFL New York Jets after playing for the University of Alabama, was both talented and flamboyant. He is credited with saving the New York Jets franchise, the AFL and eventually forcing the NFL and AFL to merge.

Namath was the rare athlete who was equally talented and flamboyant. Known for favoring blondes, consuming lots of booze and partying nightly, Namath blazed many trails, on and off the field. His "Broadway Joe" image wasn't a lie; it was the "amplification of his virtues, faults and peacock personality," according to author Kreigel. Namath was brash and refused to be regimented. He wasn't apologetic for his lifestyle, after all he was a bachelor.

Alabama coach Bear Bryant called Namath, "the best athlete I ever saw." Bryant, however, had to suspend Namath for the last three games of the regular season during his junior year for drinking. Namath didn't complain.

Kreigel does an excellent job of chronicling Namath's boyhood in western Pennsylvania and explaining the events and interviewing the people who shaped his personality and approach to the game.

The Jets always had two sets of rules--one for Joe and one for the rest of the team. Teammates, however, generally liked Namath and realized his value to the team and the league. The linemen protected him at all costs. Kreigel writes about how often lineman targeted Namath, hoping to hurt him and put him out of the game. Despite some brutal beatings, Namath never complained, and he never missed a game his first five-plus seasons with the Jets. He played in constant pain.

Namath will always be remembered for leading the Jets to an upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Most sportswriters (49 of 55 picked the Colts) thought the game was going to be a folly. The Colts were favored by 18 points. Namath, however, refused to believe the Colts were better. The 23-year-old quarterback called most of his plays at the line of scrimmage and dissected the Colts and Matt Snell battered their defense all day. While, Namath didn't throw a touchdown, he was voted the Super Bowl MVP.

Namath, known for his "gun-like arm, quick release and uncanny composure" was often underestimated for his intelligence on the field. He was a student of the game and a football genius.

If Namath's knees had been as sound as his throwing arm, there's no telling what he might have accomplished. He had the first of four knee operations when he was 21, prior to his NFL rookie season. At 21, he was described as having knees of a 70-year-old.

Namath played his final game for the Jets in 1977, and then finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams, mainly as a benchwarmer.

Kreigel spends considerable time writing about Namath's post-football life, which included a failed stint on Monday Night Football, acting, a marriage and a divorce, and being a devoted father to his two daughters.

If you're any kind of football fan, this excellent biography should be on your reading li
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Top reviews from other countries

Stuart macintyre
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for the NFL fanatic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 10, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great book found it interesting to read not only about Namith himself but what it was like to be a quarter back in that era and having read alot of NFl history books such as Americas game I still found it a valuable account of the game in that era
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Gigiath
4.0 out of 5 stars it was an interesting read, however there was a ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
it was an interesting read, however there was a lack of photos to keep u in tact with the different subjects.
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