Packer fans across the nation had reason to mourn this weekend, and not just because the Green and Gold had its bye week.
No, the reason for such a downtrodden group of Packer faithful is the sudden and tragic death of Packer legend Max McGee at the age of 75.
For anyone without a wide-range of football knowledge, McGee is best known for breaking curfew the night before Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs and showing up to the game hung-over.
But due to an injury to starting wide out Boyd Dowler, McGee was forced to play, and went on to score the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, a 37-yard strike from quarterback Bart Starr.
The catch has since been cemented into Packer history, as McGee reached behind him with his right hand and made a one-handed catch, and then proceeded to burn the Chiefs’ defense the rest of the way.
“That’s the kind of plays he would make; he was always ready to make big plays,” former tight end and roommate Ron Kramer said in an article from the Seattle Times. “That’s indicative of a mentally strong, alert, brilliant person because you always have to be ready both physically and mentally to play the game of football. That’s what Vince Lombardi always promoted.”
While it is doubtful that Lombardi would have endorsed being out all night before the biggest game at that point in football history, it is obvious that McGee was the kind of player Lombardi loved, even though he would never show it.
McGee would go on to finish the game with seven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers’ 35-10 victory. If not for Bart Starr, McGee would have easily been MVP of the game, a game in which he never expected to play.
After graduating from Tulane, McGee was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 1954 draft. He served in the Air Force for two years and then rejoined the Packers from 1957-67. He finished with 345 receptions for 6,346 yards and 50 touchdowns.
McGee would later serve as a color commentator for radio broadcasts of Packer football games, and held that position from 1979-98. He won the Wisconsin “Sportscaster of the Year” an unprecedented 10 times over that span. I, personally, loved listening to his broadcasts.
In 1999, McGee founded the Max McGee National Research Center for juvenile Diabetes at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. He was also a major partner in developing the popular Chi-Chi’s chain of Mexican restaurants. McGee also owned Edina, Minn.’s Original Pancake House, where he would visit on a regular basis.
These are just a few of the accomplishments of a great man who contributed far more than he ever asked for.
While it is sad that it takes a situation like this to look back on how great some former athletes were, it is still refreshing to see how much one man contributed in today’s age when athletes only seem to care about shoe deals or touchdown celebrations.
Max McGee was a Packer legend both on and off the field, and will always be remembered that way by this fan, and hopefully by you too.
To share your favorite Max McGee story with Nate, e-mail him at ncarey@dailycardinal.com.
