R. I. P. Bart Starr
A true legend. Grew up a Lions fan and I hated him at the time, but grew to respect him.
I’m old enough to remember when the Lions were a consistently good team in the early ‘60s, but the damn Packers played the same role for the Lions that the Yankees did for the Tigers: the roadblock getting in the way of the playoffs.*
In ‘62 the Lions went 11-3 but still finished 2 games behind Starr and the Packers. The fact that Starr was an Alabama grad meant I formed my hatred of the Crimson Tide at an early age.
*In ‘61 the Tigers won 101 games but still finished 8 games behind the damn Yankees.
I've hated the Packers as long as I can remember. However, I have a friend who grew up in Green Bay. He tells me stories of him and his friends walking to school in the morning when a wood panel station wagon would pull up, driven by Bart Starr. He'd offer them a ride to school as he was in his way in to practice. Lots of respect for a star who acted like an average Joe.
What a great QB and man we have lost. Much respect for the man, the legend that Bart Starr was and always will be.
RIP, Mr. Starr
Talk about game manager. Bart Starr was the The BEST.
RIP 15
So strange. I was literally just thinking about him and the Ice Bowl earlier this week while working in my kitchen. I often get football thoughts while in the kitchen for some reason
Starr and Jerry Kramer had noticed during film sessions prior to the Ice Bowl, that Jethro Pugh the DT of the Cowboys had a tendency to get off the ball high...so they suggested to Lombardi that they put in the "wedge play" for short yardage or goal line to get under Pugh. Lombardi did not like to be interrupted during film sessions, so when Kramer said "excuse me coach..." to let him know what he had seen, Lombardi was annoyed but listened to him and decided to put the play in to the game plan. It turned out to be the winning play, as the sun set on the Frozen Tundra of Laaambooo Field.
Thank goodness for NFL Films. RIP Bart Starr.
Starr was supposed to hand the ball to Chuck Mercein, but he knew that he had a better chance of just taking it in by himself. This is why Mercein jumps through the hole with his hands in the air, to show the officials that he was not assisting Starr's movement, which would have been a penalty at that time.
And thank goodness for "Instant Replay" - the name of Kramer's book, that was a replay of that season and a special meaning because instant replay was kind of a brand new thing at the time and an OL being the TV hero was definitely a new thing in the immediate aftermath of that game.
My first football book.
John Facenda of NFL films is the voice of God.
When Ron Kramer was with the packers, I was a boy, but my summer camp counselor had been friends with him at Michigan, and my cabin got to take a truck trip (bunch of kids in the back of a truck, as crazy as it sounds today) and took the Lake Michigan ferry to Milwaukee to see the Packers work out at training camp.
I got to meet Kramer and Starr, among others. We were treated to lunch at the players’ training table. We all sat there wide-eyed. The players couldn’t have been nicer, teased us about whether we were going to play them after lunch, etc, Bart Starr among them.
I’ll never forget that. So I was a Bart Starr/Packers fan. Sorry to hear he’s gone.
A true Legend. 5 time champion. R.I.P.
One of the all time greats. You didn’t have to be a Packer fan to admire him.
Ron Kramer made him a great qb.
s/
He was long retired by the time I was born, but (as you can tell from my username) he was a legend for me my whole life. RIP.
Also a wonderful human being.
Lost my Grandparents earlier this year. They attended the Ice Bowl and instilled Packers fanhood in me despite my growing up in the Detroit area. Also had the pleasure of sharing a fist bump with Bart Starr while tailgating a few years ago. I know they're enjoying the big packer party in heaven now. RIP.
One of those football names that will live forever
Always a joy to watch you play Bart, RIP
I was blessed to meet him a couple of times. He and his wife would come into the restaurant I worked at in Birmingham occasionally. Very gracious, kind, and classy man. One time we were involved in a charity auction and they came in, we asked if he’d sign a couple of footballs for the auction, which he did and without thinking twice gave us his number to reach him if we needed more signed or anything else he could help with. First class individual!!
Back in the 70s both the Packers and Vikings were Lion killers! You could always expect a loss playing these two division rivals. I can remember Starr's last few years as the GB QB when I started getting interested in the lions in 1970. Almost every NFL fan has fond memories of their teams glory years, except for the Lions and Browns!
Not true, you just have to be old enough to remember the 50’s when the Browns and Lions were dominant teams, or even into the 60’s for the Browns. Granted, you have to be a little older to remember that far back.
Great player and greater man.