Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Bart Starr dead at 85
Legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr has passed away in Alabama.
The death Sunday of Bart Starr, the legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback, was met with headlines befitting his Hall of Fame football career. But he was much more than a great football player.
Starr, who was 85 when he died, was an obscure 17th round draft pick out of the University of Alabama in 1956. He went on to lead the Packers to 82 victories, including six division titles and five NFL championships, along with wins in the first two Super Bowls of the modern football era.
In the midst of Starr’s unlikely rise and for decades afterward, the quarterback continuously gave the credit to his coach in Green Bay – the man of near mythological sports stature, Vince Lombardi.
BART STARR, LEGENDARY 1960'S GREEN BAY PACKERS QUARTERBACK, DIES AT 85
“I owe my football life to Coach Lombardi,” Starr said. “He developed me, motivated me, stayed with me, built my confidence.”
Asked at the time of his meteoric rise for the secret to his football success, the son of a World War II veteran downplayed his athletic talents, saying: “One thing I've got in my favor is that I never had the natural ability that the others did.”
That wasn’t just false humility, either. From beginning to end, Starr’s life was marked by a belief that wins only came from hard work. Most importantly, though, Starr didn’t only measure success by victories on the gridiron.
A man of deep Christian faith, the quarterback turned commentator and NFL head coach wasn’t shy about sharing his priorities in life.
“Like most kids,” he once wrote, “I idolized one sports figure or another. However, Jesus was the ultimate role model for me. Regardless of the success I have experienced, if my life does not exhibit God’s love, it becomes less meaningful.”
A man of deep Christian faith, the quarterback turned commentator and NFL head coach wasn’t shy about sharing his priorities in life.
In an age of oversized egos and misplaced priorities, Starr’s words fall like a soft rain on a warm summer’s day.
He put principled actions behind his words, helping in 1965 to fund and start the Rawhide Boys Ranch, a non-profit faith-based residential care and outpatient mental health services facility “dedicated to helping at-risk youth and their families lead healthy, responsible lives.”
In a statement upon his death, Starr’s family said: "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."
Humility, which Starr possessed in spades, is not only in short supply these days, it’s often misunderstood. From politicians to pundits and the boardroom to the Little League ballfield, I get the sense the trait is viewed as something akin to passivity – a negative characteristic denoting weakness.
In other words, humble people may be nice – but nice guys often finish last.
Just this past weekend, a friend with whom I help coach my son’s baseball team asked the opposing manager if it was his son on the mound, who at the time was throwing a good game against our squad.
“What do you think?” he responded tartly, adding, “He’s been recruited since he was 11 – and he’s also a great drummer, just like his dad.”
Clearly, humility isn’t this guy’s strong suit. An inning later the boy was unceremoniously removed from the game after our team began to lengthen its lead.
Bart Starr was very familiar with Jesus’ longest and famous recorded lesson, otherwise known as “The Sermon on the Mount.” Speaking to both His followers and curious onlookers, Jesus stated: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
In modern parlance, meekness is perceived even more negatively than humility. But taken in its intended biblical context, meekness isn’t defined as weakness – it’s actually strength brought under control.
Meekness is wanting the right thing for the right reasons rather than having to be right. It’s a quiet confidence – a steely resolve and steadfastness that lasts long after the hype and headlines fizzle.
Lest anyone think Starr allowed himself to be rolled, the story is told of the quarterback once addressing his dissatisfaction with a contract offer after the 1962 season. Stepping into Lombardi’s office, Starr got straight to the point.
“Coach,” Starr said, “a couple of years ago I'd have signed just about anything you gave me. But now you've taught me to be more aggressive and self‐assertive, and you've given me more confidence.”
He received the desired raise.
Eight years later, on September 7, 1970, Starr, along with the royalty of NFL football, sat inside New York City’s famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral of the legendary Lombardi.
New York Archbishop Cardinal Terence Cooke remarked that the Bible often speaks of life in athletic terms.
“St. Paul preached the virtues of the athlete – a strong sense of responsibility and integrity, of dedication and teamwork, exemplary conduct and good example, respect for every human being rooted in a firm belief in God‐given values and principles and an unwavering adherence to the ultimate goal,” the cardinal said.
He concluded: “And how important it is for us to have the dynamic Christian spirit of Vince Lombardi in meeting the challenge of our day. How important it is for us today to live these virtues of the athlete in our lives. How important it is for us to teach these virtues by our example, as Vince Lombardi did, to the youth of today who are the men and women of the future.”
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What was said of Lombardi then can be said of Bart Starr now. His long and eventful life has drawn to a close, his journey complete. Most importantly, though, it ends well – not unlike his many victories on the gridiron and the ultimate and eternal one that meant the most to him.
I don’t know what Bart Starr’s last words were, but the apostle Paul’s declaration comes to mind: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
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