Johnny Unitas is arguably responsible for professional football being as popular as it is today. Prior to the media spectacle that was Johnny Unitas there rarely was a quarterback that garnered the attention of a celebrity like Unitas did. On top of his drawing personality, Unitas was also the quintessential blueprint for the modern-day quarterback, his pocket precision, laser for an arm, and ability to read defenses caused trouble for many defensive coordinators and game planners. The Pittsburgh-bred athlete attended the University of Louisville from 1951 to 1954. Despite only weighing 145lbs during his freshman season, Unitas led the Cardinals to a 5-5 record as a freshman. After the university de-emphasized sports and Unitas was forced to take a square dancing class an elective, the Cardinals went 7-18 during Unitas' tenure with the team.
Despite Unitas lackluster collegiate football career, he was selected 102nd overall in the ninth round of the 1955 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was cut from the team before the season started. In 1956, Johnny Unitas joined the Baltimore Colts where in his NFL debut he went 0-2 and threw one interception. It wasn't until 1957, Unitas picked up steam throwing an NFL-high 2,550 yards for 24 touchdowns. After establishing his confidence, Unitas led the Baltimore Colts to three NFL Championships (1958, 1959, and 1968), a Super Bowl victory (Super Bowl V), became a 10x Pro Bowler, and 3x NFL MVP. Unitas led the league in passing touchdowns for four consecutive seasons (1957-1960) and held the record for most consecutive games with a passing touchdown for 52 years before Drew Brees broke it in 2012. Sadly, Johnny Unitas passed away at just 69-years-old in September 2002 after suffering a heart attack. Never to be forgotten and always remembered, Johnny U.
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."