1969 was the greatest year in the history of New York Sports, hands down. The New York Jets, led by their megastar quarterback Joe Namath, did the impossible by upsetting the 19-point favorite Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Later that year, the Knicks, buoyed by such stars as Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere, would become the NBA champions, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers won sported Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
But it was the summer in-between those two great accomplishments that stirred the imagination of New Yorkers – and the sports world.