The New York Jets‘ celebration of their lone Super Bowl victory took a somber turn on Wednesday, as the 53rd anniversary of the historic 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts came two days after the passing of Don Maynard.
New York’s most prolific receiver had no receptions in the final game but played a vital role in their trek to Miami. Maynard was second in the American Football League in receiving yards (1,297) and earned the game-winning yardage and scores in the Jets’ AFL Championship Game victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Despite his lack of a stat line in the fateful matchup with the Colts, Maynard referred to it as the greatest performance of his career, as Baltimore’s efforts to contain him allowed teammates like George Sauer (8 receptions, 133 yards) and Matt Snell (4 receptions, 40 yards) to get open and move the ball.