Bart Starr dead at 85

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Legendary quarterback Bart Starr dead at 85

Updated 11:25 AM; Today 10:51 AM

4-6 minutes

Sports

Bart Starr, a Montgomery native and Alabama alum, quarterbacked the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships. He died Sunday at age 85. (File photo)

By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

Bart Starr, a quarterback at Alabama in the 1950s who became a legend in the NFL, has died. He was 85.

Starr, a Montgomery native, had been in declining health since suffering a major stroke in 2014. His family released the following statement through the Green Bay Packers, the team he quarterbacked to five NFL championships in the 1960s:

“We are saddened to note the passing of our husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Bart Starr. He battled with courage and determination to transcend the serious stroke he suffered in September 2014, but his most recent illness was too much to overcome.

“While he may always be best known for his success as the Packers quarterback for 16 years, his true legacy will always be the respectful manner in which he treated every person he met, his humble demeanor, and his generous spirit.

“Or family wishes to thank the thousands of friends and fans who have enriched his life — and therefore our lives — for so many decades and especially during the past five years. Each letter, text, phone call, and personal visit inspired him and filled him with joy.

“His love for all of humanity is well known, and his affection toward the residents of Alabama and of Wisconsin filled him with gratitude. He had hoped to make one last trip to Green Bay to watch the Packers this fall, but he shall forever be there in spirit.”

Starr was a championship quarterback at Montgomery’s Sidney Lanier High School, but played at Alabama during a tumultuous time in the program’s history. The Crimson Tide went 10-2 and won the Orange Bowl during Starr’s freshman season of 1952, but slipped into mediocrity thereafter.

Alabama went 6-3-3 and lost in the Cotton Bowl during Starr’s sophomore year, then went 4-5-2 in 1954 and 0-10 his senior year. Starr was troubled by injuries throughout his college career, including a severe back injury suffered during a hazing incident — a fact not made public until a story written by AL.com’s Joseph Goodman in 2016.

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Because of his up-and-down college career, Starr lasted until the 17th round of the 1956 NFL draft, where the Packers selected him. He split time with Babe Parilli in Green Bay until the arrival in 1959 of coach Vince Lombardi, who quickly made Starr his starter.

The Starr-led Packers reached the playoffs for the first time in 15 years in 1959, then advanced to the NFL championship game the following year. They won championships in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967, capping the latter two seasons with victories in the first two Super Bowls.

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Starr was Most Valuable Player of both Super Bowls I & II, and posted a 9-1 playoff record, with 15 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. His most-famous moment came in the 1967 NFL championship game — known thereafter as the “Ice Bowl” — when he scored on a quarterback sneak in the final seconds to give Green Bay a 17-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Starr played through 1971, when he retired after 16 seasons and a 94-57-6 record. He was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1966 and was named to five Pro Bowls.

Starr had his No. 15 retired by the Packers, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. He returned to Green Bay as head coach in 1975, and coached the Packers through 1983.

Starr also had success in business, lending his name to a number of automobile dealerships throughout the state of Alabama. He was also involved in a number of charitable works, including the Rawhide Boys Ranch, the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation and the Starr Children’s fund.

Starr is survived by his wife Cherry, his high school sweetheart whom he married in 1954, son Bart Jr., and several grandchildren. A second son, Bret, died at age 24 in 1988.

[ChltteTiger 649]

May God hold you in his arms this very day Bart Starr. R.I.P.

[Mike4AU 1,739]

Bart was a top flight person!  RIP. 

[gr82be 14,423]

Bart Starr opened a Lincoln Mercury dealership in Hoover when I was a kid in the 70's. He signed a poster for me and I was hooked. I was fortunate to hear him speak at a dinner event several years later. Class act through and through. He is the reason I became a Green Bay Packers fan as a kid and always will be. 

[sandyclawedtiger 206]

I remember being 6 years old in Montgomery and the YMCA wouldn't let me play football until I was 7. My mother talked them into letting me play. Got home from school and she let me know I would get to play for the Seth Johnson Bees. Fell on the floor squalling. 

"I dont want to play for them. I want to play for the Green Bay Packers ".

He and daddy Ben have left a lasting impression on me and on the city of Montgomery. 

I actually got to play ball with him when I was 7 as many in my neighborhood did.

RIP Bart!

[weagl1 1,782]

Met him and his wife one time in Hoover.  Just a class guy all the way around.  I told him he was the first real legend I had ever met (it’s not every day you run into the MVP of the first two Super Bowls on an elevator in the mall).   He laughed and said “you are mighty kind.”  We only talked for a minute but you could tell he was a genuine down to earth type of guy.  RIP Bart!