Legendary Packers QB Bart Starr has passed away at 85

It is a sad day for the Green Bay Packers football family. Bart Starr has died at the age of 85, passing away early Sunday morning.

Starr suffered a serious stroke in 2014, and has been struggling through various health complications since then. He did make a few visits to Green Bay in recent years, most recently in 2017.

Starr’s family released a heartfelt statement through the Packers. Here is an excerpt from that statement:

Our 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 of course the quarterback on the Packers’ teams of the 1960s, helping the team win five NFL championships and Super Bowls I and II. Starr earned MVP honors in both of the first two Super Bowls, Throwing for 452 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the two games. Starr also won the NFL MVP award for the 1966 season, in addition to earning first-team All-Pro honors that season.

In his career, Starr threw for 24,718 yards with 138 touchdowns and 91 interceptions, good for an 80.5 passer rating. However, he led the NFL in passer rating four times, including in that 1966 season when he had a truly remarkable (for the time) rating of 105.0, and he still holds the NFL’s record for best career postseason passer rating at 104.8. He also held the NFL’s career completion percentage record at the time that he retired. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Starr also coached the Packers for eight seasons from 1975 to 1983.

Still, Starr was an even better man than he was a football player, and he dedicated his post-football career to charitable work, starting organizations supporting at-risk youth as well as cancer research.

We at Acme Packing Company wish the entire Starr family peace and strength in light of Bart’s passing.