Packer great the first player to spearhead a modern-era dynasty
Football lost a legend late last month when former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr passed away over the Memorial Day weekend. He was 85 when he died on May 26.
Starr, a University of Alabama product, was the first quarterback to lead a franchise on a modern dynastical run. When Starr entered the National Football League, though, no one could’ve predicted his stellar run in the league’s smallest city. He was a 17th-round pick in the 1956 NFL Draft and went No. 200 overall to the Packers.
He played in Green Bay under legendary hard-nosed coach Vince Lombardi, and the duo took the Packers to the league’s promised land. Together, they won five NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls.
Starr was a two-time Super Bowl MVP and a four-time Pro Bowler. He won NFL championships in 1961, 1962 and 1965 before winning Super Bowls over the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders in 1966 and 1967, respectively. He was the league MVP and a First Team All-Pro in 1966. He also was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for his efforts during the entirety of the ‘60s.
At a time in which rushing was favored to the passing game, Starr still threw 152 touchdown passes in an illustrious career for which he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. He’s also a member of the Packers Hall of Fame and one of six Green Bay players to have his number retired by the franchise, alongside those of Brett Favre, Reggie White, Ray Nitschke, Don Hutson and Tony Canadeo.
In college, Starr played for the Crimson Tide under Harold Drew and Jennings B. Whitworth. As a sophomore in Tuscaloosa, he proved his dynamism, starting at quarterback, safety and punter.
After his playing career, Starr served as Green Bay’s quarterback coach in 1972. He then ascended to the level of head coach, lasting in that post from 1975 to 1983 and going 52-76-3. He was fired from that job, however, which all but ended his long-term professional relationship with the Packers. Regardless, he continued to be a beloved figure in Green Bay.
Starr was the first player to guide a dynasty, paving the way in the ‘60s for Terry Bradshaw in the ‘70s, Joe Montana in the ‘80s, Troy Aikman and Steve Young in the ‘90s and Tom Brady (2002-present).
Starr was a man of exemplary character, and an award bearing his name was established in 1989 to celebrate players exhibiting high moral fabric both on and off the field of play. Past winners of the honor include Benjamin Watson, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
