Carson Beck knows Johnny Unitas is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but admits he doesn’t know much more than that. Unitas was assigned No. 19 when he signed with the Colts in 1956 and went on to become the most famous No. 19 in NFL history.
Beck was assigned the same number after the Cardinals made the quarterback a third-round pick in April.
“I looked and thought, ‘There are no numbers between 1 and 19 except 19. Oh no,'” Beck told Darren Urban of azcardinals.com. “All my friends started making fun of me. Not many quarterbacks have 19. So in my head I need to turn it into a positive thing, ‘OK, let’s make it my own.'”
Beck wanted No. 11 when he arrived at Georgia, but Stetson Bennett already had it. He was assigned 15. When he transferred to the University of Miami, Beck got to wear 11.
Then, the Cardinals drafted him, and Beck said he knew Larry Fitzgerald wore No. 11. He thought, “Somebody’s jersey will probably be getting retired here shortly, so I don’t think 11 is a good option.”
So, Beck will wear 19 and try to make it his own.
