Joe Namath knows how to spin a yarn.

The NFL legend sat down with Fox broadcaster Joe Buck and shared stories of his days in Tuscaloosa as an Alabama quarterback under Paul “Bear” Bryant.

During an appearance on “Undeniable with Joe Buck,” Namath shared a comical reason he decided to play for the Crimson Tide.

“I was semi-shocked even getting there, first of all,” Namath told a gathered audience. “Folks, when I got home from school, there was a guy sitting in the living room, talking to my mother. His name was (then-Alabama assistant coach) Howard Schnellenberger, who happened to be the great football coach.”

He said introductions were made, and his mother went upstairs and returned with a big suitcase.

“She gave me a $5 bill and said, ‘Take him,’” Namath said. “‘Honey, you go into college.’ Here you go in Alabama.”

He said, at the time, he didn’t know anything about Alabama football.

“I had watched them play Penn State and Liberty Bowl the year before. And I liked Alabama because they had dark headgear. I liked their look.”

One of the most celebrated Alabama quarterbacks in history picked the Tide because of the color of the headgear.

It almost didn’t happen. Penn State, Ohio State, Maryland and Notre Dame were all aiming for Namath, who “fell in love with Maryland.” However, he didn’t make the grades for Maryland. He was skeptical about Notre Dame because he didn’t see any girls on a visit.

“I didn’t know anything about coach Bryant at the time,” Naman, who played at Alabama from 1962 to 1964, recalled. “That’s how lucky I was. I didn’t know anything about one of the greatest teachers to walk the earth.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.