 Starr in the 1960s | |||||||||||||||
| No. 15 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1934-01-09)January 9, 1934 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | May 26, 2019(2019-05-26) (aged 85) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Sidney Lanier (Montgomery, Alabama) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Alabama (1952–1955) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1956: 17th round, 200th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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Operations | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Executive profile atPro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||
Bryan Bartlett Starr (January 9, 1934[1] – May 26, 2019) was an American professionalfootballquarterback and head coach for theGreen Bay Packers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theAlabama Crimson Tide, and was selected in the 17th round of the1956 NFL draft by the Packers, for whom he played for 16 seasons until1971. Starr is the only quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to three consecutiveleague championships (1965–1967). He led his team to victories in the first twoSuper Bowls:I andII.[2] As the Packers' head coach, he was less successful, compiling a 52–76–3 (.408) record from1975 through1983.
Starr was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the first two Super Bowls[2] and during his career earned fourPro Bowl selections. He won theleague MVP (MVP) award in 1966.[3] He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame and thePackers Hall of Fame in 1977. Starr has the third highest postseasonpasser rating (104.8), afterBaker Mayfield (105.6) andPatrick Mahomes (105.4),[4] of any quarterback in NFL history and a postseason record of 9–1.[2] His careercompletion percentage of 57.4 was an NFL best when he retired in 1972.[5] For 32 years (through the 2003 season), Starr also held the Packers' franchise record for games played (196).[5]
Starr was born and raised inMontgomery, Alabama to parents Benjamin Bryan Starr (1910–1985), a labor foreman with the state highway department, and Lula (Tucker) Starr (1916–1995).[6] Starr's early life was marked by hardships. Shortly after the start ofWorld War II, his father's reserve unit was activated and in 1942 he was deployed to thePacific Theater.[7] He was first in theU.S. Army but transferred to theU.S. Air Force[2] for his military career.[8]
Starr had a younger brother, Hilton E. "Bubba" Starr.[9] In 1946, Bubba stepped on a dog bone while playing in the yard and three days later died oftetanus.[10][11] Starr's relationship with his father deteriorated after Hilton's death.[12] He was anintroverted child who rarely showed his emotions and his father pushed Starr to develop more of a mean streak.[13]
Starr attendedSidney Lanier High School in Montgomery,[14] and tried out for the football team in his sophomore year, but decided to quit after two weeks. His father gave him the option of playing football or working in the family garden; Starr chose to return to the football field.[15]
In his junior year, the starting quarterback broke his leg and Starr became the starter.[16] He led Lanier to an undefeated season. In his senior season, Starr was named all-state andAll-American, and received college scholarship offers from universities across the country.[17] He seriously considered theUniversity of Kentucky, coached byBear Bryant, where his idol, quarterbackBabe Parilli, played.[18] Starr's high school sweetheart, Cherry Louise Morton, was planning to attendAuburn and Starr wished to attend a college close to her.[19][20] Starr changed his mind and committed to theUniversity of Alabama.[21]
During Starr’s freshman year at Alabama, theSoutheastern Conference allowed freshmen to play varsity football.[22] Starr did not start for Alabama as a freshman, but he did play enough minutes to earn a varsity letter. His high point of the season came in quarterback relief in theOrange Bowl, when he completed 8 of 12 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown against Syracuse.[23]
Starr entered his sophomore year as Alabama's startingquarterback,safety andpunter. His punting average of 41.4 yards per kick ranked second in the nation in 1953, behindZeke Bratkowski.[24] Alabama recorded a 6–2–3 record and lost in theCotton Bowl toRice by a score of 28–6. Starr completed 59 of 119 passes for 870 yards, with eight touchdowns that season.
In May 1954, Starr eloped with Cherry Morton.[2] The couple chose to keep their marriage a secret. Colleges often revoked the scholarships of married athletes in the 1950s, believing their focus should remain on sports.[25] Cherry remained inJackson, Alabama, while Starr returned to the University of Alabama.[25]
That summer, Starr suffered a severe back injury during ahazing incident for his initiation into the A Club. He covered up the cause by fabricating a story about being hurt while punting a football. He rarely played during his junior year due to the injury. The back injury disqualified him later from military service, and would occasionally bother him the rest of his football career. After a disappointing season of 4–5–2,Harold Drew was replaced byJennings B. Whitworth as coach of Alabama.[26]
Whitworth conducted a youth movement at Alabama for the 1955 season and only two seniors started for the team. Supposedly healed from the back injury, Starr rarely played in his senior season. Starr's decision to play football for Alabama rather than for Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky did not sit well with Bryant, and four years later as head coach of theBlue–Gray Football Classic in 1955, Bryant hardly let Bart play at all.[27]
Johnny Dee, the basketball coach at Alabama, was a friend ofJack Vainisi, the personnel director of theGreen Bay Packers. Dee recommended Starr as a prospect to Vainisi.[28] The Packers were convinced that Starr had the ability to succeed in the NFL and would learn quickly.[29] In the 17th round of the1956 NFL draft, Starr was selected by the Packers, with the 200th overall pick.[30][31]
Starr spent the summer of 1956 living with his in-laws and throwing footballs through a tire in their backyard in order to prepare for hisrookie season.[32] The Packers offered $6,500 (equivalent to $57,000 in 2024) to sign Starr and he accepted, with the added condition, requested by Starr, that he receive $1,000 up front.[33]
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Starr began as a backup toTobin Rote in1956 and split time withBabe Parilli until1959,Vince Lombardi's first year as Packers coach. In that season, Lombardi pulled starterLamar McHan in favor of Starr, and he held the starting job henceforth. The following season, the Packers advanced to the1960 NFL Championship Game, but lost to thePhiladelphia Eagles in Lombardi's only post-season loss as a head coach.
The1961 season was Starr's first season as a full-time starting quarterback for the Packers, throwing for over 2,400 yards and 16 touchdown passes, leading the Packers to an 11–3 record and a return to theNFL Championship Game, this time against theNew York Giants. Starr threw for 164 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 37–0 Packers victory. Starr and the Packers continued their success in1962, going 13–1. Even though Starr was not the focal point of the Packers' offense, with the running duo ofJim Taylor andPaul Hornung, he still provided a solid passing attack, throwing for a career-high 2,438 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the league with a completion percentage of 62.5. The Packers repeated as NFL champions, beating theGiants again in theNFL Championship Game, 16–7. While not as impressive with his passing in these earlier years of his career, Starr was responsible for calling plays on the Packers' offense (which was then the norm),[34] proving to be an effective strategist on offense.
In 1963, the Packers fell short of qualifying for their fourth consecutive NFL Championship Game appearance, with injuries to Starr keeping him from finishing a few games. Even so, Starr still threw for 1,855 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 1964, with Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung struggling to continue their strong running game, Starr started to become more of the focus of the Packers' offensive attack. Vince Lombardi would help this shift by acquiring more capable pass catchers to the offense, trading for receiverCarroll Dale to join withBoyd Dowler andMax McGee, replacing tight endRon Kramer withMarv Fleming, and drafting more pass-catching running backs inElijah Pitts andDonny Anderson. With these new offensive weapons, Starr would put up his best passing seasons from 1964 to 1969. In1964, despite the Packers only going 8–5–1, Starr threw for 2,144 yards, 15 touchdown passes, and only 4 interceptions. He led the league with a 97.1 passer rating.
In1965, the Packers went 10–3–1, led by Starr's 2,055 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes, a career-high. The Packers and their Western Conference foe, theBaltimore Colts, finished the season with identical records, so the two teams met in a playoff game to determine the division winner. Starr was knocked out of the game after the first play when he suffered a rib injury from a hard hit, but the Packers managed to win in overtime, 13–10, led by Starr's backup,Zeke Bratkowski. Starr came back and started the1965 NFL Championship Game against theCleveland Browns. On a sloppy Lambeau field, the Packers went back to their classic backfield tandem of Taylor and Hornung, with the pair running for over 200 yards. Starr threw for only 147 yards, but that included a 47-yard touchdown pass to Carroll Dale in a 23–12 Packers victory.
In1966, Starr had arguably the best season of his career, throwing for 2,257 yards, 14 touchdown passes, and only 3 interceptions. He led the NFL with a completion percentage of 62.2 and a 105 passer rating, while leading the Packers to a dominating 12–2 record. Starr would be named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by theAssociated Press (AP),[35] the Sporting News,[36] theNewspaper Enterprise Association (NEA),[37][38] and theUPI[39] In theNFL Championship Game against theDallas Cowboys, Starr had his best postseason performance, throwing for 304 yards and 4 touchdown passes, leading the Packers to a 34–27 victory, and the right to represent the NFL in the first everSuper Bowl, against the AFL championKansas City Chiefs. Starr had another solid game against the Chiefs, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns, both toMax McGee, in a decisive 35–10 Packers win. Starr was named the first-ever Super Bowl MVP for his performance.
1967 was a down year for Starr, especially when compared to his previous three seasons. Bothered by a hand injury for much of the season, Starr threw for only 1,823 yards and 9 touchdowns, with a career-high 17 interceptions thrown. Helped in large part by their defense, the Packers still finished 9–4–1, which was good enough for the Packers to reach the postseason. In the divisional playoff against theLos Angeles Rams, Starr was back in form, throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown pass in a 28–7 Packers triumph. This victory would set the stage for the infamousIce Bowl against theDallas Cowboys in the1967 NFL Championship Game. At the end of the game, down by 3 points, the ball in the Packers' possession just inside the Cowboys' 1-yard line with 16 seconds left, during the Packers' final timeout, Starr consulted with Lombardi on the sideline and suggested a basic wedge play ― with a twist. Instead of handing off toChuck Mercein as the play dictated (and unbeknownst to his teammates), Starr suggested running it in himself. Having enough of the bitterly cold weather, Lombardi said, "Then do it, and let's get the hell out of here!" Starr almost broke down in laughter as he ran back to the huddle, but held his composure. The quarterback sneak play worked and the Packers went on to beat the Cowboys 21–17.[2] Even in the cold conditions, Starr was still able to throw for 191 yards in the Ice Bowl, with two touchdown passes to Boyd Dowler.
At theOrange Bowl inMiami, the Packers defeated theAFL championOakland Raiders 33–14 inSuper Bowl II, Lombardi's final game as head coach of the Packers.[40] Starr won his second consecutive Super Bowl MVP award for his performance, where he threw for 202 yards and a touchdown pass, a 62-yard strike to Boyd Dowler. The1967 Packers remain the only team to win athird consecutive NFL title since the playoff system was instituted in1933.
Starr had originally planned to retire after the second Super Bowl win in January 1968, but without a clear successor and a new head coach, he stayed on. After Lombardi's departure, Starr continued to be a productive quarterback under new Packers coachPhil Bengtson, though injuries hampered him. Starr threw for 15 touchdown passes in1968, leading the NFL once again in completion percentage (63.7) and passer rating (104.3). Starr struggled to stay healthy again in1969, but still once again led the league with a 62.2 completion percentage and an 89.9 passer rating, though he only threw for 9 touchdowns and 1,161 yards. Starr was able to stay healthy for most of the entire1970 season, but his age was showing, throwing for only 1,645 yards and 8 touchdowns, the last touchdown passes of his career. In an attempt to prolong his career, Starr had surgeries on his long-ailing throwing arm in July and August 1971.[41][42][43][44] This nearly ended Starr's life, as the initial surgery was botched, nearly causing Starr to bleed to death. The surgeries ended up damaging the nerves in Starr's right arm, causing him to struggle to even grip a football, and while he stayed on the Packers' roster for the entire1971 season, he only played in three games, usually with a glove on his throwing hand to try to regain his grip on the ball. In February1972 Starr was set for one last year. He participated in the team's spring camp in Arizona in April,[45][46] but his throwing shoulder and arm were no longer effective.[47] Starr announced his retirement in July 1972 at age 38.[48][49]
Starr's playing career ended with the1971 season, having posted the fourth-best career passer rating of 80.5 (first at the time wasOtto Graham with 86.6).[50]
Immediately following his retirement as a player, Starr served as the Packers' quarterbacks coach and called plays in1972 under head coachDan Devine, when the Packers won the NFC Central division title at 10–4 withScott Hunter under center.[51] He pursued business interests and was then a broadcaster forCBS for two seasons. When Devine left forNotre Dame after the1974 season, Starr was hired as head coach of the Packers on Christmas Eve.[52][53][54] Upon taking the job, he recognized the long odds of a Hall of Fame player becoming a successful head coach.[55] Initially given a three-year contract,[53] he led the Packers for nine years, the first five as his own general manager.[56]
His regular season record was a disappointing 52–76–2 (.408), with a playoff record of 1–1. Posting a 5–3–1 record in the strike-shortened season of1982, Starr's Packers made their first playoff appearance in ten years (and their last for another 11 years). They defeated theSt. Louis Cardinals 41–16 in the expanded wild card round of 16 teams on January 8, 1983–their first home playoff game since 1967. However, they then lost to theDallas Cowboys 37–26 in the divisional round the following week. He tallied only three other non-losing seasons as Packers coach. After a disappointing 8–8 finish the following year, Starr was dismissed in favor of his former teammateForrest Gregg, who previously led theCincinnati Bengals toSuper Bowl XVI in the1981 season and had coached theCleveland Browns prior to that.[57]
On January 13, 1984, Starr was named the head coach of theArizona Firebirds, a proposed expansion team for the NFL inPhoenix. The NFL never granted the would-be ownership group of the Firebirds a team (Phoenix would get theCardinals in 1988).[58][59]
Starr was voted to the NFL Pro Bowl four times. He was voted NFL Most Valuable Player by both AP and UPI in 1966, and was chosen Super Bowl MVP in 1966 and 1967. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.[60]
He is one of six Green Bay Packers to have had his number(15) retired by the team. The others areTony Canadeo(3),Don Hutson(14),Ray Nitschke(66),Reggie White(92), andBrett Favre(4).[61]
On October 17, 1970, PresidentRichard Nixon spoke at a testimonial reception honoring Bart Starr in theBrown County Veterans Memorial Arena inGreen Bay, Wisconsin. "We honor him as a very great practitioner of his profession, the proud profession of professional football," Nixon said. "And as we honor him for that, we honor him not only for his technical skill but, as I've indicated, also for something that is just as important: his leadership qualities, his character, his moral fiber ... But I think the best way that I can present Bart Starr to his friends is to say very simply that the sixties will be described as the decade in which football became the number one sport in America, in which the Packers were the number one team, and Bart Starr was proudly the number one Packer."[62]
In 1973, Starr received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[63]
In 1977, Starr was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[64] He was then elected to theWisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1989, he was inducted into theNational High School Hall of Fame.[65]
Starr has an NFL award named after him. TheAthletes in Action/Bart Starr Award is given annually, by a panel of judges, to an NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.[66]
There is a Bart Starr Street inSan Antonio, Texas.[67]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post-season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| GB | 1975 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3rd in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1976 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 4th in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1977 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4th in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1978 | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 2nd in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1979 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1980 | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 5th in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1981 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| GB | 1982 | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 3rd in NFC | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toDallas Cowboys inNFC Second Round Game |
| GB | 1983 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in NFC Central | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 52 | 76 | 3 | .408 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |||
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| APNFL MVP | |
| Super Bowl MVP | |
| Won theNFL championship | |
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Underline | Incomplete data |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fum | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | |||
| 1956 | GB | 9 | 1 | 0–1 | 24 | 44 | 54.5 | 325 | 7.4 | 39 | 2 | 3 | 65.1 | 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 14 | 0 | — | — | 0 |
| 1957 | GB | 12 | 11 | 3–8 | 117 | 215 | 54.4 | 1,489 | 6.9 | 77 | 8 | 10 | 69.3 | 31 | 98 | 3.1 | 16 | 3 | — | — | 4 |
| 1958 | GB | 12 | 7 | 0–6–1 | 78 | 157 | 49.7 | 875 | 5.6 | 55 | 3 | 12 | 41.2 | 25 | 113 | 4.5 | 20 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| 1959 | GB | 12 | 5 | 4–1 | 70 | 134 | 52.2 | 972 | 7.3 | 44 | 6 | 7 | 69.0 | 16 | 83 | 5.2 | 39 | 0 | — | — | 2 |
| 1960 | GB | 12 | 8 | 4–4 | 98 | 172 | 57.0 | 1,358 | 7.9 | 91 | 4 | 8 | 70.8 | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 78 | 3 |
| 1961 | GB | 14 | 14 | 11–3 | 172 | 295 | 58.3 | 2,418 | 8.2 | 78 | 16 | 16 | 80.3 | 12 | 56 | 4.7 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 138 | 8 |
| 1962 | GB | 14 | 14 | 13–1 | 178 | 285 | 62.5 | 2,438 | 8.6 | 83 | 12 | 9 | 90.7 | 21 | 72 | 3.4 | 18 | 1 | 30 | 286 | 8 |
| 1963 | GB | 13 | 10 | 8–1–1 | 132 | 244 | 54.1 | 1,855 | 7.6 | 53 | 15 | 10 | 82.3 | 13 | 116 | 8.9 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 109 | 5 |
| 1964 | GB | 14 | 14 | 8–5–1 | 163 | 272 | 59.9 | 2,144 | 7.9 | 73 | 15 | 4 | 97.1 | 24 | 165 | 6.9 | 28 | 3 | 43 | 332 | 7 |
| 1965 | GB | 14 | 14 | 10–3–1 | 140 | 251 | 55.8 | 2,055 | 8.2 | 77 | 16 | 9 | 89.0 | 18 | 169 | 9.4 | 38 | 1 | 34 | 303 | 2 |
| 1966 | GB | 14 | 13 | 11–2 | 166 | 251 | 66.1 | 2,257 | 9.0 | 83 | 14 | 3 | 108.3 | 21 | 104 | 5.0 | 21 | 2 | 26 | 183 | 7 |
| 1967 | GB | 14 | 12 | 8–3–1 | 115 | 210 | 54.8 | 1,823 | 8.7 | 84 | 9 | 17 | 64.4 | 21 | 90 | 4.3 | 23 | 0 | 34 | 322 | 3 |
| 1968 | GB | 12 | 9 | 4–5 | 109 | 171 | 63.7 | 1,617 | 9.5 | 63 | 15 | 8 | 104.3 | 11 | 62 | 5.6 | 15 | 1 | 29 | 261 | 2 |
| 1969 | GB | 12 | 9 | 4–5 | 92 | 148 | 62.2 | 1,161 | 7.8 | 51 | 9 | 6 | 89.9 | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 18 | 4 | 24 | 217 | 4 |
| 1970 | GB | 14 | 13 | 6–7 | 140 | 255 | 54.9 | 1,645 | 6.5 | 65 | 8 | 13 | 63.9 | 12 | 62 | 5.2 | 15 | 1 | 29 | 252 | 6 |
| 1971 | GB | 4 | 3 | 0–2–1 | 24 | 45 | 53.3 | 286 | 6.4 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 45.2 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 64 | 1 |
| Career | 196 | 157 | 94–57–6 | 1,808 | 3,149 | 57.4 | 24,718 | 7.8 | 91 | 152 | 138 | 80.5 | 247 | 1,308 | 5.3 | 39 | 15 | 288 | 2,545 | 64 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fum | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | |||
| 1960 | GB | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 21 | 34 | 61.8 | 178 | 5.2 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 85.2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | GB | 1 | 1 | 1–0 | 10 | 17 | 58.8 | 164 | 9.6 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 130.9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | GB | 1 | 1 | 1–0 | 9 | 21 | 42.9 | 85 | 4.0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 54.7 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| 1965 | GB | 2 | 2 | 2–0 | 11 | 19 | 57.9 | 157 | 8.3 | 47 | 1 | 1 | 80.4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
| 1966 | GB | 2 | 2 | 2–0 | 35 | 51 | 68.6 | 554 | 10.9 | 51 | 6 | 1 | 135.6 | 2 | –1 | –0.5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 61 | 0 |
| 1967 | GB | 3 | 3 | 3–0 | 44 | 71 | 62.0 | 615 | 8.7 | 62 | 4 | 1 | 102.7 | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 117 | 1 |
| Career | 10 | 10 | 9–1 | 130 | 213 | 61.0 | 1,753 | 8.2 | 62 | 15 | 3 | 104.8 | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | 14 | 1 | 24 | 207 | 1 | |
Vince Lombardi's tenure as head coach of the Packers was marked by thesmashmouth offense. Lombardi's extensive use of thePackers sweep did not allow for high volume passing. Due to this, Starr typically assumed the role of game manager and did not generate the volume statistics of his contemporaries in more pass-heavy offenses, such asJohnny Unitas andSonny Jurgensen. Despite lacking in volume, Starr was remarkably efficient during his tenure with the Packers, leading the NFL inpasser rating four times (1964, 1966, 1968, 1969) andcompletion percentage four times (1962, 1966, 1968, 1969).[68] Starr was also an exceptional playoff quarterback, completing 61% of his passes, throwing just 3 interceptions, and recording a 104.8 passer rating in ten career playoff games.[69]
Starr and his wife Cherry were married for more than 60 years.[70] They had two sons, of whom the younger, Bret, is deceased (1988, age 24, drug overdose),[71][72][2] and three granddaughters.[73][74][75]
In 1965, Starr and his wife Cherry helped co-foundRawhide Boys Ranch inNew London, Wisconsin, a facility designed to help at-risk and troubled boys throughout the state ofWisconsin.[2] Starr even donated the Corvette he received as MVP of Super Bowl II to help Rawhide during their early years.[76] He was affiliated with Rawhide Boys Ranch until his death. As of 2019, Cherry and Bart Jr. are still spokespersons for Rawhide and are in communication with Rawhide on a frequent basis.[77]
In 1971, Starr and his wife Cherry helped start theVince Lombardi Cancer Foundation raising funds for cancer research and care in honor of his late coach, Vince Lombardi. They were active at all their events throughout the years. He and Cherry launched theStarr Children's Fund within the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation to continue their legacy of work supporting pediatric cancer research and care.
During his latter years, Starr suffered a number of physical ailments, includingischemic stroke,hemorrhagic stroke, a mild heart attack, seizures, and a broken hip.[78][79] In June 2015, Starr's family reported that he was undergoingstem-cell therapy in aclinical trial.[80] He managed to attend a ceremony atLambeau Field on November 26, 2015, retiring QBBrett Favre's jersey number,[81] and a fall 2017 reunion of the Ice Bowl Packers.[2] AtSuper Bowl 50 in February 2016, the NFL held a pregame ceremony honoring the MVPs of all 49 Super Bowls. Although he wished to attend, Starr was not well enough to travel to the game and instead sent a videotaped greeting from home.[82]
Starr died at the age of 85 on Sunday, May 26, 2019, inBirmingham, Alabama after a period of failing health caused by a serious stroke he suffered in 2014.[83][2][84]
…football Hall of Fame member Bart Starr in 1934
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