Bart Starr

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Starr was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the first two Super Bowls and during his career earned four Pro Bowl selections. He won the league MVP award in 1966. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Packers Hall of Fame in 1977. His postseason passer rating of 104.8 remains one of the highest in NFL history, though updated rankings now place him behind several modern quarterbacks. He posted a postseason record of 9–1. His career completion percentage of 57.4 was an NFL best when he retired in 1972. For 32 years (through the 2003 season), Starr also held the Packers' franchise record for games played (196).

In Their Own Story

The wind howled across frozen Lambeau Field, carrying snow that stung like needles against exposed skin. The temperature had dropped so low that the turf was hard as concrete and the players' breath hung in the air like smoke from a chimney. Inside the huddle, the noise of the crowd was muffled by the cold and the sheer weight of the moment. Bart Starr looked at his teammates, their faces red and chapped, eyes wide with exhaustion. He didn't shout. He simply adjusted his helmet, his voice steady despite the biting wind that threatened to steal it away. 'We're going in,' he said, his gaze locking onto the goal line just yards ahead. There was no panic in his eyes, only a cold, calculated clarity. As the team broke the huddle and lined up for the final play of the Ice Bowl, Starr felt the familiar surge of focus that had carried him through five championships. He took the snap, the world narrowing down to the yard line, and drove forward into the wall of defenders, pushing through the pile to score the winning touchdown.

Reader's Guide

Starr was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama to parents Benjamin Bryan Starr (1910–1985), a labor foreman with the state highway department, and Lula (Tucker) Starr (1916–1995). Starr's early life was marked by hardships. Shortly after the start of World War II, his father's reserve unit was activated and in 1942 he was deployed to the Pacific Theater. He was first in the U.S. Army but transferred to the U.S. Army Air Forces for his military career. Starr had a younger brother, Hilton E. 'Bubba' Starr. In 1946, Bubba stepped on a dog bone while playing in the yard and three days later died of tetanus. Starr's relationship with his father deteriorated after Hilton's death. He was an introverted child who rarely showed his emotions and his father pushed Starr to develop more of a mean streak. Starr attended Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, 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. In his junior year, the starting quarterback broke his leg and Starr became the starter. He led Lanier to an undefeated season. In his senior season, Starr was named all-state and All-American, and received college scholarship offers from universities across the country. He seriously considered the University of Kentucky, coached by Bear Bryant, where his idol, quarterback Babe Parilli, played. Starr's high school sweetheart, Cherry Louise Morton, was planning to attend Auburn and Starr wished to attend a college close to her. Starr changed his mind and committed to the University of Alabama. During Starr’s freshman year at Alabama, the Southeastern Conference allowed freshmen to play varsity football. 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 the Orange Bowl, when he completed 8 of 12 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown against Syracuse. Starr entered his sophomore year as Alabama's starting quarterback, safety and punter. His punting average of 41.4 yards per kick ranked second in the nation in 1953, behind Zeke Bratkowski. Alabama recorded a 6–2–3 record and lost in the Cotton Bowl to Rice by a score of 28–6. Starr completed 59 of 119 passes for 870 yards, with eight tou

Did You Know?

• Starr is the only quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to three consecutive league championships (1965–1967).
• He was named MVP of the first two Super Bowls.
• His career completion percentage of 57.4 was an NFL best when he retired in 1972.
• Starr held the Packers' franchise record for games played (196) for 32 years through the 2003 season.