Bart Starr might be the most interesting man in Packers history
We’ve arrived at the final edition of Ask Jon Anything for 2024, and the questions, as always, deliver in a big way. This time we’re touching on Packers history, Christmas, Lord of the Rings, and book recommendations. Let’s dive right in!
Janelle - If you could travel back in time to meet any Packers person would you want to go back and have a conversation with them, who would it be?
Getting as specific as possible, I’d choose the 1975 edition of Bart Starr. He’d have been in his first year as the Packers’ head coach and just four years removed from the end of his playing career. I think it’s the perfect bridge point to talk about his experiences and how he would hope to use them going forward.
Really, Bart Starr would probably be my choice at just about any point. I think he’s a fascinating figure in Packers history. Reading through When Pride Still Mattered in 2023 and early 2024, the characterization of Starr as Lombardi’s “good son” hit hard with me. Playing that role has to carry a lot of pressure. He not only had to be a great player (one that Lombardi always kind of wanted to replace), but he had to take the brunt of Lombardi’s criticism as the on-field play caller. He was a mediator between Lombardi’s wrath and the morale of the team, and he navigated that role well.
But I’d also have been interested to hear about Starr’s perspective on his failure as a head coach. Starr achieved about as much as any player could hope to achieve on the field. He was a league MVP, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, a five-time NFL champion, a four-time Pro Bowler, and a whole bunch of other things that speak to his success as a player. As a coach…well, it wasn’t pretty. He broke .500 just once, clocking an 8-7-1 record in 1978. He led the Packers to the playoffs just once. He was, in short, a miserable head coach.
How do you deal with that after reaching the peak of that so many times as a player? I’d have been very interested to hear.
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