Why is it when great quarterbacks of the past comes up, few name Bart Starr?? Of course when talk of the 1960’s Green Bay Packers comes up, first we think of Vince Lombardi. Then we think of their signature play in the power sweep and their ferocious defense. Yet the glue that not only held everything together but made big play after big play in championship competition was quarterback Bart Starr.

The MVP of Super Bowl I and II and we never hear him among the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks is insane. The Packers were more than running to daylight as this video attests.

He carved up the Dallas Cowboys in the ’66 NFL Title Game with 4 TD passes which was 1 off the championship record of Sid Luckman in 1943. We wouldn’t see it equaled in a Super Bowl for another 13 years.

While Starr studied Johnny Unitas in his quest to become a better QB, Starr certainly mimicked Johnny U’s last minute 1958 NFL Title drive with his Ice Bowl drive in ’67. Starr mainly hit his backs Chuck Mercein and Donny Anderson to move the Packers before scoring the winning TD himself.

Yet once you think about it Starr’s drive in The Ice Bowl looks a lot like Joe Montana‘s to end Super Bowl XXIII when he kept throwing underneath to Roger Craig.

Bart Starr, at the time, was the only quarterback to take his team to 5 NFL championships. Amazingly it took another 49 years to get to Tom Brady winning his 5th in Super Bowl LI.

What’s interesting is we’re only talking about all time greats measuring up to Starr. He was one of the all time greats and needs to be remembered as one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history.

Would have loved to have met him.

RIP Bart Starr