With his trademark crewcut, drooping shoulders and crooked legs, Johnny Unitas hardly looked like the typical quarterback.

Looks, however, can be deceiving.

Unitas, a Hall of Fame player who broke nearly every NFL passing record and won three championships with the Baltimore Colts during his 18-year career, died Wednesday at 69.

"I first saw him when he was a rookie. Here was this bowlegged guy out there," former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson said. "But you could tell right away that he really knew the game."

Unitas had a heart attack while working out at a physical therapy center in suburban Timonium, said Vivienne Stearns-Elliott, a spokeswoman for St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson.

Unitas was the Most Valuable Player in 1964 and 1967 and played in 10 Pro Bowls. He led Baltimore to the NFL championship in 1958 and 1959 and the Super Bowl in 1970.

A pure dropback passer with an uncanny knack for making the big play, Unitas was the first to throw for 40,000 yards. He now ranks seventh, surpassed by a group of quarterbacks who played under rules that make passing easier.

Unitas was one of the few quarterbacks who called his own plays, an ability traced to his knack for reading an opponent's defense and spotting a weakness, then calling a play to take advantage.

John Mackey, the Colts' tight end during the Unitas years, once said of his teammate, "It's like being in a huddle with God."

Unitas retired after the 1973 season with 22 NFL records, among them marks for most passes attempted and completed, most yards gained passing, most touchdown passes and most seasons leading the league in TD passes.

"Johnny Unitas will always be a legendary name in NFL history," commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. "One of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, he epitomized the position with his leadership skills and his ability to perform under pressure."

Unitas completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. He completed at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games, a record no one has come close to breaking.

On the NFL's 50th anniversary in 1969, Unitas was voted the greatest quarterback of all time. He also was selected at quarterback for the NFL's All-Time team in 2000 by the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.

Unitas was never flamboyant or boastful. Yet No. 19 always got the job done.

"A man never gets to this station in life without being helped, aided, shoved, pushed and prodded to do better," Unitas said at his induction into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1979. "I want to be honest with you: The players I played with and the coaches I had ... they are directly responsible for my being here. I want you all to remember that. I always will."

Drafted out of Louisville in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955, Unitas hitchhiked home after being cut before the opener.

The Colts signed him the following season after getting tipped to his ability in a most unusual way: A letter from a fan informed the team Unitas deserved a chance.

"I always accused Johnny of writing it," former Colts coach Weeb Ewbank joked.

Unitas became a backup quarterback and made his debut in the fourth game of the 1956 season. His first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Unitas then fumbled on his next two possessions.

Fortunately, the Colts' other backup had decided to go to law school, and Unitas led Baltimore past the Green Bay Packers 28-21. A week later, he led the Colts to an upset win over the Cleveland Browns and earned himself a job.

Unitas' brightest moment probably came in the 1958 championship against the New York Giants, a match still viewed by many as "the greatest football game ever played."

In the last 90 seconds, Unitas completed four passes, taking the Colts to the 20-yard line to tie the game on a field goal. He then engineered an 80-yard drive for the winning touchdown in overtime.

"The first playoff ever to go to sudden death ... you can't have much more drama than that," Unitas recalled.

Unitas played his final season for the San Diego Chargers yet remained revered in Baltimore long after his retirement. He often watched Baltimore Ravens games from the sideline after professional football returned to the city, and always received cheers when his face was displayed on the scoreboard.

"When you think of Baltimore, you think of Johnny Unitas," Ravens senior vice president of football operations Ozzie Newsome said.

Unitas' survivors include his wife, Sandra; six sons and two daughters.