Bart Starr was the consummate quarterback for the NFL during the 1960s. He ran the Green Bay Packers’ offense with mechanical precision, relying on Vince Lombardi’s “run to daylight” philosophy while sprinkling in pinpoint passing. He was simple, straightforward, and elegant.
The legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback died Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama, after several years of poor health. He was 85.
Starr led the Packers to five NFL championships and was the starting quarterback and most valuable player when the Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls. He also engineered arguably the most famous play in Packers history, a 1-yard quarterback sneak that gave Green Bay a 21-17 victory against the Dallas Cowboys in the “Ice Bowl” on Dec. 31, 1967.
“Thirty-one wedge and I’ll carry the ball,” Starr said in the huddle.
There were 13 seconds left when Starr stretched and landed in the end zone to clinch the Packers’ fifth NFL championship, thanks to a crushing block by guard Jerry Kramer.
“It was the most beautiful sight in the world, seeing Bart lying down next to me and seeing the referee in front of me, his arms over his head, signaling the touchdown,” Kramer wrote in Instant Replay, his diary of the 1967 season.
The legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback died Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama, after several years of poor health. He was 85.
Starr led the Packers to five NFL championships and was the starting quarterback and most valuable player when the Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls. He also engineered arguably the most famous play in Packers history, a 1-yard quarterback sneak that gave Green Bay a 21-17 victory against the Dallas Cowboys in the “Ice Bowl” on Dec. 31, 1967.
“Thirty-one wedge and I’ll carry the ball,” Starr said in the huddle.
There were 13 seconds left when Starr stretched and landed in the end zone to clinch the Packers’ fifth NFL championship, thanks to a crushing block by guard Jerry Kramer.
“It was the most beautiful sight in the world, seeing Bart lying down next to me and seeing the referee in front of me, his arms over his head, signaling the touchdown,” Kramer wrote in Instant Replay, his diary of the 1967 season.
Starr was drafted in the 17th round of the 1956 NFL draft, the 200th pick overall. He played for the Packers from 1956 to 1971 and threw for 24,718 yards and 152 touchdowns and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. The Packers retired his No. 15 uniform in November 1973.
Starr was a soft-spoken leader, but stern. In Instant Replay, Kramer said Starr raising his voice was a rare occasion.
When Starr was hit hard by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Lloyd Voss in a 1967 exhibition game, he turned to reserve tackle Steve Wright, who let Voss through, and let him have it.
“If I see that guy in here once more tonight, I’m not going to kick him in the can,” Starr said in the huddle. “I’m going to kick you in the can, right in front of 52,000 people.”
“For Bart, that was very strong talk,” Kramer wrote.
Starr came into his own in 1960, when he led the Packers to the NFL championship game, when Green Bay lost to Philadelphia. Starr then led Green Bay to NFL titles in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967.
Always the consummate pro, Starr was never flashy and did not have gaudy statistics, but he was consistent and rarely made a mistake.
Starr later served as Green Bay’s coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a 52-76-3 record. He was no Lombardi, but his will to win was just as intense. The Packers simply did not have the personnel during that nine-year stretch.
But it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
“The harder you work,” coach Vince Lombardi told his players when he took over in Green Bay in 1959,” the harder it is to surrender.”
That was Bart Starr’s credo.
Starr was a soft-spoken leader, but stern. In Instant Replay, Kramer said Starr raising his voice was a rare occasion.
When Starr was hit hard by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Lloyd Voss in a 1967 exhibition game, he turned to reserve tackle Steve Wright, who let Voss through, and let him have it.
“If I see that guy in here once more tonight, I’m not going to kick him in the can,” Starr said in the huddle. “I’m going to kick you in the can, right in front of 52,000 people.”
“For Bart, that was very strong talk,” Kramer wrote.
Starr came into his own in 1960, when he led the Packers to the NFL championship game, when Green Bay lost to Philadelphia. Starr then led Green Bay to NFL titles in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967.
Always the consummate pro, Starr was never flashy and did not have gaudy statistics, but he was consistent and rarely made a mistake.
Starr later served as Green Bay’s coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a 52-76-3 record. He was no Lombardi, but his will to win was just as intense. The Packers simply did not have the personnel during that nine-year stretch.
But it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
“The harder you work,” coach Vince Lombardi told his players when he took over in Green Bay in 1959,” the harder it is to surrender.”
That was Bart Starr’s credo.
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