Johnny U and Me: The Man Behind the Golden Arm

by John Unitas Jr., Edward L. Brown, Raymond Berry (Foreword)

Johnny Unitas is widely considered the finest quarterback ever to play the game. Much has been written about his life, but for the first time, Unitas’s son, John, writes about his father and reveals information about his family and father’s career that has never before been brought to light. For anyone who holds an interest in either Unitas’s life or NFL history, John Unitas Jr.’s revealing and touching biography honoring the life and times of his father is a must-read. It sheds light on the character and convictions of the man who has lived on in NFL history, both on and off the field, offering clues to what made him the man and the player he was.

Genres: Sports, Football

368 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today’s book review is for “Johnny U And Me: The Man Behind The Golden Arm”, a memoir of a boy growing up as the son of Johnny Unitas – arguably one of (if not) THE greatest quarterbacks in National Football League (NFL) history. The author is his son – also named “Johnny Unitas”, Jr. The book is co-written by: Edward L. Brown. The book is very much a father / son story. The biography of the father and autobiography of the son. The book starts with the son receiving news of his father’s death and covers the years from the Depression era birth, life and post-death period of the father. Although based primarily on the author’s memories, the book claims to be also based on interviews with a large number of Johnny U. (Sr.) friends and teammates.

Full disclosure: Johnny Unitas and his primary receiver (Raymond Berry) were two of my football idols as a child when I was first discovering the sport of football. This was the late 1960s and I had lots of football players I was interested in.

So, is this book any good? Is it realistic in it’s narration and / or game depictions? Is it entertaining and / or interesting? And, finally, do I recommend this book? Yes to all of the above.

Any good: The book is told as a retrospective first-person narrative from the son’s perspective. The author purports to tell about the “man” and not just the “myth” of Johnny Unitas (Sr.). As such, there are a lot of pages bringing the “hero” down to earth and describing his father’s less than perfect life as a husband, a father and as a businessman. The book seeks to humanize the athlete and it does so without “really” getting too dark and / or dragging JU(Sr) in the gutter.

Realism, characters and historic depictions: The author prefaces each chapter around some particular sporting event (mostly NFL games) which are used to emphasize whatever point he is trying to make in the chapter. Sometimes, I found this to be a very tangential link, but more often than not, I enjoyed the tie-in as much as the remaining chapter because I continue to enjoy reading about some of the famous moments in sports (particularly NFL) history. As for realism, the descriptions of the long term physical toll the sport has on the participants was strikingly honest, without even getting to the issue of “CTE” (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

I imagine some (many) readers will find the book too negative (due to repetition) in its depiction of a dysfunctional family. Others may find devoting space to cover the second wife’s legal and business related machinations after JU(Sr)’s death to be uninteresting. I didn’t particularly find them that way. But, even for me, it was getting borderline towards the end. Mainly this was because there was buildup, but there was no summation of longer term results (family or legal). Pretty much just “we won, next topic”.

Entertaining / interesting: I found the book both entertaining and interesting. The football history stories were entertaining. All the family background stuff was “interesting”, but actually pretty uninformative. I don’t mind finding out my childhood “heroes” were actually “real” people with human failings. I find this makes them more, not less, interesting. The uninformative part was the unstated basic acknowledgement that we cannot (and can never) know which parts of another person’s life were really critical in their character formation. I’d argue that’s because most people can’t tell you this about themselves – let alone have their children try to do it after the principal has passed on. It’s also obvious the author doesn’t want to speak for any of his siblings who may or may not have different views / memories.

Final recommendation: Moderate to strong recommendation. This book is about the son (“And Me”), more than the father (the Golden Arm). I wish it had been the other way around. Probably too emotionally cathartic (touchy-feely) for the average sports reader, but I found it to be a fairly quick read, I did enjoy it, and it did nothing to disturb my childhood recollections of the father.
Disclaimer: I purchased this book at normal / full price (for a used book in “good” condition) through Amazon and no compensation has been provided to me by anyone for my opinions in this review.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living near Baltimore, the name Johnny Unitas is one of the most legendary ones out there. The Colts haven't been in Baltimore for nearly 40 years, and it has been nearly 50 years since Unitas last took a snap for the team. Yet, he is still a legend in the city. This work by his son attempts to offer insight into not just the player, but also the man. It is part football history, part sports book and part memoir, as the author recounts the life of John Unitas. It is not always positive, but Unitas' life was not always positive. There is much to learn, but in reading this, it does make you wonder if there is a better, neutral biography about the man.

[Graham Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not everyone would like this book, but it was important for me to read it, and not just because I like the Colts. I think it's important to see past the mythology of a sports hero and know who they really are. Some parts of Unitas's story are good cautionary tales for me as a husband and father. I'm glad John Jr wrote this.

[Mike Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Book

This work was an introspective look at Johnny Unitas’s life from the view of his son. The book was coauthored. Usually the bio of a sport star or celebrity is 99% image and accomplishments. This book talks about accomplishments, but also shows the human and family side of Johnny U equally. A very good read.

[Aaron Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know a lot about it John Unitas. This book explained a lot try thanks to his son John Unitas Jr. This was a good book.

[Mark Bunch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book written by the son. O.k. but is cry session about being a son of a famous man. Does take out some hero worship we have for Johnny U- I grew up respecting him. He was Mr QB when i was 7 to 10 years old. Black High Tops Cleats and a flat top haircut. Move the ball. move the damn ball. He has arm, a two minute drill, and personal toughness. His son just reminds us he fucked up sometimes like all of us. He was human.