From the Packers:
It is with deep sadness that we announce Green Bay Packers legend Bart Starr has passed away at age 85.
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RIP Bart. I wish I could have seen you as a player (other than highlights) and not just a coach/community guy.
One of the smartest players to ever play the game. You' ll be missed. RIP Bart
The first Packer player I ever knew the name of. The world was a better place with him in it.
RIP. The first professional athlete I ever had a poster of on my bedroom wall as a teenager. Great player, even better human being.
Memorial Day weekend. Bart did everything better than most.
You were an exceptional man Bart Starr. You will never be forgotten. RIP Bart.
All-time DURABLE heady Field General in the day of QB HEAD HUNTERS. Played when men were men and women were men. It was an honor to have you as my hero, Mr. Starr. Very very sad. RIP
Heartbroken, but what a life well lived. Godspeed and rest in paradise good sir.
Became a Packer fan at 5 years old because of Bart Starr, RIP Bart, such a classy guy..
Very nice piece from Packers.com
Great player and an even better person. Still has the highest postseason passer rating and a 9-1 record.
RIP
I have a post card with Bart on the front side and his autograph on the back. My sister got it for me when she worked at St. Nobert in the summer of 1967. I don't care what anybody says, he was a better QB than Unitas. RIP Bart.
The first game I truly watched from beginning to end was the Icebowl. I became a Packer fan because of that game. Bart Starr was my hero. I am saddened today. RIP Bart. You are a legend.
He's one of very few that I especially don't want to pass on. Hits me pretty hard.
RIP Bart. I wish I could be stuck during those times the football stage was yours.
A gentleman, a legend, a Packer. RIP, Mr. Starr.
A true gentleman and a great leader of men. Prayers for his family.
Helluva life. Thanks for being a part of sports history Bart. I'm sure you died a happy man.
A true American hero.
We need more Bart Starr's.
During his life in Green Bay, he never, ever passed a hitchhiker he didn't pick up.
Always liked that about him. Thanks for the rides Bart!
I was a wee lad at my Grany's house, possibly doing things I could get by with there and not at home....
I picked up the phone and dialed 0 for the Operator. When she answered, I asked for Bart Starr's phone number. She gently chuckled and replied she didn't have that information, but she would connect me with directory assistance in Green Bay. Just a moment, please....
It remains a favorite memory to this day, but when I think about it, I'm impressed that a random phone operator in Tulsa, OK would know who Bart Starr was!
Just shows how popular he was at that time.
Rest in peace sir.
I have a couple of letters that I received in response to letters I sent to Bart back in the days when he was HC and GM.
Naturally Forrest Gregg went first, ready to protect Bart lest any troubles ensue.
Was it Jerry Kramer who said that Bart was a perfect gentleman but on the football field he would rip your heart out?
RIP Bart.
Bart Starr was the epitome of class. He was the kind of man we should aspire to be. I will miss him tremendously. RIP, Bart.
I liked every post on this thread. Who knows if the Packers would have won without him in the Lombardi era, but you got to think Vince saw something in him and it most definitely paid off. Continued and reset the standard for our favorite football team. One word comes to mind:
RESPECT
Bart Starr was the most kind, thoughtful and classiest person you could ever know. I consider myself extremely lucky to have called him friend and to have been mentioned in the same breath. Deanna and I are praying for Cherry and the Starr family. #RIPBartStarr
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) May 26, 2019
Bart Starr is a legend in so many ways! I am so sad to hear this news today. I remember first meeting him my rookie year at the Lombardi golf classic. He always had time for everyone and made everyone around him better. Praying for Cherry and their family on this sad day. https://t.co/kSDVQTEXJ4
— Mason Crosby (@crosbykicks2) May 26, 2019
Adios to a true hero to millions of football fans!
Championship after Championship, thats all Bart Starr knew, he was Joe Montana, before Joe Montana. Starr was that good , outstanding leader, tremendous accuracy, excellent play-caller, clutch performer. 9-1 post-season record, 15 to 3 touchdown to interception ratio. Mind you that was in the 60's before the West coast offense, you set up the pass, by running the ball, not the other way around. Every time a Vince Lombardi - Packer passes away it leaves a chunk of sadness from anyone who had the privilege of growing up a Packer fan in Wisconsin during the 60's.
An excerpt from the Lombardi documentary on the final play of the Ice Bowl. Hearing Bart's laugh brought a rare smile on an otherwise dark day.
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I became a Packers fan after reading a Sports Illustrated article about the Eagles beating the Packers in the 1960 championship game. When the game was played I was an Eagles fan because of Tommy MacDonald, then my favorite player.
And he was a star of that game.
There were two unusual names in the article that especially intrigued me: Ringo and Starr. The British invasion was yet to happen, but for whatever reason, I just kept reading the article. And that was it. The names did it. I became a Packers fan.
1960 championship game:
Our official video tribute to the great @packers Bart Starr pic.twitter.com/471rqlHe7L
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) May 27, 2019
Fun looking at those old clips of Bart throwing to Ron Kramer and Marv Fleming.
A rare human being to have such humility, class, and time for fans and still be a superstar. As Kramer says, "You run out of adjectives for him; you run out of superlatives." I wish more of today's players would emulate Starr's demeanor.
