The 5 Players Who Have Had Their Numbers Retired by the New York Jets

The New York Jets have seen a number of legendary players don the green and white over the franchise’s more than six-decade history. Along with inducting 21 former Jets greats into the franchise’s Ring of Honor, the Jets have retired the numbers of five select players. Let’s learn more about each of these Jets legends.

Joe Namath (12)

The greatest player in franchise history was fittingly the first to have his number retired by the franchise. For famously predicting a victory in the 1968-69 Super Bowl, then delivering on that promise by guiding the team to a shocking upset against the Johnny Unitas–led Baltimore Colts, Joe Namath will forever be a Jets legend.

Namath came to New York after playing college ball at the University of Alabama, where in his final year he guided the Crimson Tide to the 1964 national championship. He won the starting quarterback job in New York in his third game, then took home the 1965 Associated Press (AP) AFL Rookie of the Year honor.

In 1968, Namath led the Jets to an 11-3 regular season record, winning AP AFL Player of the Year and being named a unanimous All-Pro along the way. When in the runup to the matchup with the NFL champion Colts he was told his team was sure to lose, Namath guaranteed victory. By completing 17 of 28 passes and earning Super Bowl MVP honors, “Broadway Joe” ensured that prediction came true.

Don Maynard (13)

Don Maynard joined the Jets franchise in 1960, but his career blossomed in 1965 with the arrival of Namath. No longer forced to field errant passes from the team’s rotating squad of quarterbacks, Maynard proved to have perfect chemistry with Namath, and he became one of the league’s best receivers.

Maynard played his college ball at tiny Texas Western College, from which he was drafted by the New York Giants. He played with the franchise for one year before spending a season in the Canadian Football League. In 1960, he returned to New York and became the first signing of the AFL’s newest team, the Titans. When the franchise changed its name to the Jets in 1963, Maynard was one of the few original players remaining.

Maynard retired with the most catches and yards in NFL history, and he still holds franchise records in those two categories, as well as in touchdowns, today. The wideout was key in the Jets’ run to its only Super Bowl, catching six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s AFL Championship Game victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Joe Klecko (73)

Joe Klecko was an irreplaceable member of the vaunted “New York Sack Exchange” that terrorized opposing offenses during the 1980s. Able to line up at nose tackle, defensive tackle, or defensive end, Klecko showed remarkable versatility that kept opponents guessing. In fact, he’s the only player in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl at all three defensive-line positions.

Klecko was drafted by the Jets in 1977 out of Temple University, where he enjoyed a sterling collegiate career. He got off to a quick start in New York, setting the rookie record for sacks. He best statistical year came in 1981, when he recorded a league-best 20.5 sacks, good enough to be named Defensive Player of the Year by UPI. His performance helped lead the Jets to the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 1969.

Klecko spent 11 years with the Jets. He retired in 1988 after a final season with the Indianapolis Colts. In 2010, he was inducted as an inaugural member of the Jets Ring of Honor.

Curtis Martin (28)

Curtis Martin started his career with the rival Patriots. Acquired by the Jets ahead of the 1998 season, he spent the next eight years in New York. Although he won Rookie of the Year and made two Pro Bowls in New England, it’s the Jets franchise he’ll forever be most associated with.

Martin rushed for a 1,000-plus yards in first seven years in New York. In fact, his seventh year (2004) with the Jets was his finest. Despite being at an advanced age (31) for an NFL running back, Martin recorded a career-best 1,697 yards, a total that also led the league. He was named a first-team All-Pro for the second time in his career.

Martin was on pace for another 1,000-yard season in 2005 when a knee injury ended his year four games early. The injury also proved to be the end of his career—but what a career it was. With 14,101 career yards, Martin retired as the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history.

Dennis Byrd (90)

The only player on this list not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dennis Byrd excelled on the field as a member of the Jets. His bigger legacy, however, might be what he overcame off the field.

Byrd had recorded 27 sacks in his first three full seasons in New York when, during a 1992 game, he collided with a teammate while attempting to tackle Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Dave Krieg. Byrd broke a vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed.

Incredibly, within a year, Byrd was walking again. His inspiring story led the Jets to retire his number in 2012.