Episode 9: Joe Namath

On the ninth episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his Pro Football Hall of Fame brother and New York Jets legend Joe Namath (03:45 – 55:25). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) to talk about a big few days for Morten, both for his alma mater and his personal life! Morten breaks down Michigan State’s huge upset victory over #13 Michigan, and let’s just say he’s a very proud Spartan after that performance (01:42). Morten then talks about participating in his very first U.S. Presidential Election on Tuesday, as he became a U.S. citizen last year (02:18).We then move to our interview with Joe, where he discusses a wide array of topics: remaining safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic (04:56); growing up in the blue collar suburbs of Pittsburgh (05:22); how lucky he was to work and play for the original ownership group of the New York Jets (07:19); Sonny Werblin negotiating contracts with him at Ronald Regan’s house before he was a politician (08:44); being star-struck when meeting Rocky Marciano and actor Pat O’Brien on a U.S.O. tour in Vietnam (09:36); talking about his famous guarantee ahead of Super Bowl III (10:55); the origin of the “Broadway Joe” nickname (11:43); how little players were paid during his era, and what he thinks about the Patrick Mahomes contract (14:26); his thoughts on the 0-8 Jets and why he thinks Adam Gase should keep his job as head coach (16:32); why he thinks Trevor Lawrence would be a great fit for the Jets, and why no one would pass on him at #1 in the NFL Draft (20:54); insight into why Eli Manning didn’t want to play in San Diego (22:15); leaving the Jets to play for the Los Angeles Rams in his final season (24:18); why he chose to retire and head into “show business” (28:05); hanging out with Elvis Presley in Las Vegas (29:15); how he became friends with Mickey Mantle (30:54); meeting Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, and what Frank’s nickname was for Joe (34:26); how he became friends with Muhammad Ali (35:17); dealing with adversity in the public light (37:35); the impact Paul “Bear” Bryant had on his life while playing college football at Alabama (39:16); his thoughts on the amazing success of Nick Saban at Alabama, and why Saban didn’t have similar success in the NFL (42:28); him and Morten talking about their favorite Kenny Stabler stories (46:16); the story behind his famous fur coat (50:04); and why philanthropy is so important to him (52:45).Then, TommyFreezePops is joined by Kevin Rogers for his weekly check-in with the experts from VegasInsider.com (57:05 – 01:05:49). Are the 2020 Jets going to be the next team in NFL history to go 0-16? Kevin tells us why he doesn’t think so (58:18). Plus, the guys take a look at the powerhouse Seahawks heading to Buffalo to take on the 6-2 Bills (59:36), Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens looking for a bounce back against a strong Colts defense in Indianapolis (01:00:53), and the Steelers looking to remain undefeated as they had to Dallas to take on the beat-up Cowboys (01:02:58).Finally, we close things out with Morten’s “Game Winner” – a weekly segment where Morten monologues his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, he writes a letter to his friend Broadway Joe, reflecting on his incredible career and legacy (01:05:49).