Originally published Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:00 AM

People in Sports | Joe Namath

Joe Namath: "Broadway Joe," 64, received his diploma Saturday from the University of Alabama, where he quarterbacked the Crimson Tide to...

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PORFIRIO SOLORZANO / AP

Joe Namath, right, receives his diploma from Dr. Robert Olin at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday.

Joe Namath: "Broadway Joe," 64, received his diploma Saturday from the University of Alabama, where he quarterbacked the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1964 but left school to become one of pro football's biggest stars.

Now 42 years later, the Pro Football Hall of Famer received his diploma from Dr. Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, among 900 graduates at Coleman Coliseum.

Namath completed a 30-hour program over the last five years to earn a bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies.

"It was fun, but it was hard," Namath said at a Friday news conference. "I had a very difficult time getting myself to sit down and spend the time [studying]."

Known for his electric smile and shaggy hair, Namath delivered on his famous guarantee that the AFL's New York Jets would beat the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts in pro football's 1969 title game — better known now as Super Bowl III.

But Namath said he always regretted not finishing his degree, particularly because of a promise to his mother.

"It was a hole in my being, an empty spot," he said, "because I did tell someone I would finish."

The Associated Press

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