Joe Namath’s appearance at Super Bowl XLVIII for the ceremonial coin toss drew a cascade of responses on social media, either ridiculing his unique choice of clothing or supporting it.
Unfortunately, the majority was wrong – the former Jets quarterback who predicted a huge upset in Super Bowl III wasn’t wearing a mink coat. It wasn’t chinchilla, either. And it wasn’t the same one he famously wore 40 years go.
He donned a zippered parker stroller, a coat of a length to just above the knee. The fur was coyote with Norwegian fox trim, New York furrier Marc Kaufman, who made the coat, told TulsaWorld.com.
Namath’s daughter sported a fur coat also. She wore a standard bomber jacket in American gray fox with a red fox collar.
Namath’s coat was not oversized, Kaufman said, but since coyote is bulky, it looks big. He also said, “it would have kept him warm if it was 5 [degrees],” Kaufman said.
The coat was requested for the event, Kaufman said. Namath clearly wanted to make a statement and bring back a little of that flash from his heyday — we should all be so cool at age 70.
“He just wanted to have something new that looked bright and sharp,” Kaufman said. “I think the white made the statement.”
The publicity has helped Kaufman’s business. He said he’s had at least 30 media inquiries, made some sales Monday morning, and “Inside Edition” was planning on a piece.
“It was very strong for fur,” he said of Namath’s appearance. “In life, you have opposition to everything. There are people who want to wear fur and there are those who don’t.”
