When you think of the Jets' improbable Super Bowl III win over the Colts, the first name most people think of is Joe Namath.
Leading up to the game, the Jets quarterback guaranteed an upset victory over the Colts, who were favored to win by 18 points when the game kicked off on Jan. 12, 1969.
Namath, who threw for 206 yards and no touchdowns, would end up being named Super Bowl MVP in the Jets' 16-7 win, but he probably wasn't the most valuable player on the field for New York. That honor probably belongs to running back Matt Snell, who ran for 121 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Snell would play four more seasons for the Jets after the team's Super Bowl win, but ever since his retirement in 1972, he's kept his distance from the team, because apparently, he doesn't want anything to do with them.
The former Jets running back was approached by the New York Post this week and he was not interested in talking about the team.
"I have nothing to say about them," Snell said.
A former teammate says that Snell just doesn't like the Jets.
"He's not too beholden to the Jets," former Jets tight end Pete Lammons said. "I haven't talked to him in a long time, but the last time I did, he was just a little put out with the Jets and how they handled his deal."
According to the Post, that "deal" involves a situation where the Jets promised Snell a job after his retirement in 1972, but they never ended up hiring him.
These days, the fourth-leading running back in Jets history doesn't want to be honored by the team for his individual accomplishments or for the part he played in the team's Super Bowl III win.
"I'm not interested in being honored," Snell said.
The 74-year-old pointed out that a lot of fans these days probably don't even know who he is.
"Fans today with all of their instant everything, they don't know who I am," Snell said.
The Jets are playing the Colts this week for the 72nd time. Snell was involved in the very first meeting in the series, which came in Super Bowl III.
