Bart Starr: A legacy bigger than football

Bart Starr, legendary Green Bay Packer quarterback passed away Sunday at the age of 85. Starr; born Bryan Bartlett Starr on January 9th, 1934 in Birmingham Alabama, played QB for Green Bay from 1956-’71. Starr was a 17th round draft choice (200th pick overall) for the Green Bay Packers in 1956.

Head coach Vince Lombardi; while studying film of Starr at Alabama, ended up becoming enamored with Bart’s arm strength, his on-field mechanics, but mostly, his decision-making ability in pressure situations. Under Lombardi’s guidance, Starr gained the confidence to become one of the NFL’s greatest on-field leaders.

Four years after he was drafted, Starr ended up leading Green Bay to the Western Division championship, the first of many tastes of success for Starr and the Packers. From 1960-’67, Bart’s record as QB was a mesmerizing 62-24-4. The Packers ended up winning six divisional, five NFL, & the first two Super Bowl championships under the leadership of Starr. He is only one of two quarterbacks in NFL history to have won three consecutive NFL championships.

Although Starr seemed to receive minimal recognition for the team’s success due to the hall of fame talent surrounding him, knowledgeable football fans knew who and what exactly was making the Packers run as effectively as they did. He was the quintessential quarterback for his team. Because it was mostly a balanced offensive attack that he led, Starr’s passes were very limited in games. In fact, he never threw 300 total passes in one season. This may have aided in the misconception that he was simply an average thrower of the football, when in fact it was quite the contrary.

Starr once held several NFL passing records, including the lifetime record of a 57.4% completion percentage over a 16-year span. He also led the league in passing three times during his illustrious career — despite being on a run-first team. His passing stats weren’t great all-time (1808-3149, 24,718 yards, 152 touchdowns, 138 interceptions), but in an era with quarterbacks such as Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Fran Tarkington; they were good enough. Regardless of the QBs that competed with him, nobody won as he did.

Bart was at his best in his 10 postseason appearances. After their first title loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960, the Packers never lost another playoff game under Starr as well as never ended up losing a playoff game at home. His 9-1 record still stands as the best all-time postseason record in NFL history as well as his 104.8 postseason passer rating. He threw 15 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions during that run. He ended up winning MVP honors in both Super Bowls I and II. He also was a 4× Pro Bowler, a 1× All-Pro, as well as a member of the All-Decade team of the 1960s. His most iconic game, however, came on December 31st of 1967. Nicknamed: “The Ice Bowl”, the Dallas Cowboys faced the Green Bay Packers at frigid Lambeau Field with temperatures as low as -15 degrees along with a wind chill of -48 degrees. Starr would end up leading the Packers on a game-winning drive that culminated with him sneaking the ball into the end zone with less than 20 seconds remaining. That would end up deciding the game while also giving the Packers their third straight NFL championship, a feat that since has not been met nor surpassed. This was by far the most iconic game in Starr’s career and ended up being of the greatest games in NFL history.

Once his playing career ended, Starr held many non-player roles in the NFL including quarterbacks coach, general manager and head coach for the Green Bay Packers. He was the head coach from 1975-’83. He was also a broadcaster for CBS in his later years.

The former QB was very determined to help others. He and his wife Cherry helped co-found the Rawhide Boys Ranch. It offers residential care as well as outpatient mental health services dedicated to helping at-risk youth and their families lead healthy, responsible lives. Rawhide has redirected the lives of thousands of youth that have either lived on their residential campus or received services through their many different outpatient counseling clinics.

As a man of dedicated faith, Starr along with the NFL founded one of the premier events during the Super Bowl. Since 1989, a breakfast event awarded the Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award, which is given to the NFL Player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community. Current Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers received the award after his MVP season in 2014.

Above all else, Bart Starr will be remembered most for his kindness and compassion for others. He was a man of true integrity and ended up capturing the hearts of thousands in both Wisconsin and Alabama. He will always be my favorite all-time Packer player. He epitomized what it meant to be a leader in the NFL and in life. Bart inspired many others including myself to treat people how they would want to be treated and to treat them with kindness, compassion, and respect. He will always be remembered and will never be forgotten. He indeed left a legacy bigger than football. My thoughts are with Cherry and the entire Starr family. Rest in peace, Bart.

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