Johnny Unitas had five children with his first wife, Dorothy Hoelle, and three with his second wife, Sandra Lemon.
John Constantine Unitas is a former NFL quarterback who had a glorious 18 seasons with the league.
His NFL began with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he spent most of his career playing for the Baltimore Colts.
Hailed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time, Unitas set many NFL records and was the Most Valuable Player three times in 1959, 1964, and 1967.
Johnny Unitas’ First Wife, Dorothy Hoelle, Was His High School Sweetheart!
NFL legend Johnny Unitas was married twice. His first wife was Dorothy Hoelle, and his second wife was Sandra Lemon.
Johnny rubbed elbows with Sandra in high school. They became lovely high school sweethearts after swiftly falling in love with one other.
Their young love deepened, blossoming into a beautiful marriage on November 20, 1954, when Unitas was just 21.
After exchanging vows and promising to stay together for eternity, the couple resided in Towson, Maryland, and had five children.
Johnny and his wife, Dorothy, built a beautiful family with their kids, Janice Ann Unitas-DeNittis, John C. Jr., Robert F., Christopher M., and Kenneth E. Unitas.
Even though the Unitas family looked happy from the outside, the couple could have faced many challenges in their marriage.
Johnny and Dorothy divorced one another, and the NFL legend moved on with his life, marrying again.
Sadly, Dorothy passed away on May 18, 2002. There is scarce public information about her, as she led a relatively private life.
Similarly, their children also lead a private life despite their successes.
On June 26, 1972, Johnny Unitas tied the knot with his second wife, Sandra Lemon.
While there is no public detail regarding how the couple met, they remained married until Johnny’s death.
They welcomed three children and lived happily in Baldwin. Despite having an illustrious NFL career, Johnny’s final years on Earth were challenging.
Unitas experienced many permanent physical disabilities since, in his playing days, heavy padding and other safety features were rare.
Unitas had both knees replaced after suffering an injury during a 1963 Bears game.
Because of an injury to his right arm and elbow sustained against the Dallas Cowboys in 1968, he could not pick up a fork to feed himself with his right hand later on.
Additionally, his fingers had been fractured several times over the years. Hence, he could not use the middle three fingers of his right hand.
He would painstakingly sign autographs with his thumb and little finger and play golf while fastening his hand to the club with a Velcro strip.
Due to his prosthetic knees, he could not participate in rigorous physical activity besides golf. In 1997, a five-hour arm operation proved unsuccessful.
Although he applied for league-financed disability benefits, the league denied him because he was getting a pension and had not sought disability before age 55.
Despite his hand being almost unusable, the league stated that he was not a permanently disabled person.
Shortly after his death, an editorial section called it “a sad commentary on a league that Unitas helped bring into the television age.” His mastery of the game drew several admirers to the sport and television.
Moreover, Unitas and his wife, Sandra, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991.
According to their court records, the couple owed creditors up to $3.2 million but had around $1.4 million in assets.
Despite all the financial and business failures and declining health, Sandra always stayed beside him and gave all her unwavering support and devotion until his last breath.
After The Legend’s Death, A Controversial Legal Battle Arose Within The Unitas Family, Severely Damaging Family Relations
However, upon the legend’s death, resentment spread within the Unitas family due to a financial and legal dispute.
In 2004, a legal dispute arose amongst the family members of late NFL quarterback Johnny Unitas over ownership of Unitas Management.
Unitas and his son, John Unitas Jr., founded the corporation to oversee licensing and sports-memorabilia transactions.
The issue pitted John Unitas Jr. against his second wife, Sandra Unitas, alongside his longstanding associates, accountant Howard Moffet and lawyer Charles Tatelbaum.
The three claimed that Johnny Unitas had transferred his 90% ownership of Unitas Management Corp. to them and his estate.
On the contrary, John Jr. asserted that his father had planned for his stepmother and father’s estate to get $125,000 from a life insurance policy while he would retain the remainder of the firm.
The controversy culminated in a lawsuit against John Unitas Jr., who denied mismanaging finances and defrauding the firm.
The issue brought intense animosity between the two families and sadness among Unitas’ acquaintances and former teammates.
Eventually, in March 2005, the Circuit Court issued an order granting John Jr. ownership and control of UMC.
The resolution included John Jr.’s consent not to dispute a 2003 deal his stepmother made about naming the football stadium at Towson University in his father’s honor.
He disclosed that the Unitas Management Corp. was consistently losing $250,000 each year during the judicial procedure.
Although he will not challenge the stadium naming, John Jr. elected not to extend a deal that allowed him to use his father’s name on university merchandise.
He explained there was a misunderstanding because his father attended the University of Louisville, not Towson.
In a separate deal, he agreed to let a horse farm use his father’s image in an ad during the Kentucky Derby.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Johnny Unitas was born during the Great Depression on May 7, 1933, in Pittsburgh to Francis J. Unitas and Helen Superfisky.
- His father passed away due to renal disease complicated by pneumonia when he was 5.
- Unitas held the record for most Pro Bowl appearances (10) by a quarterback until Brett Favre broke his record in 2009.
