SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
He was without a doubt a bundle of versatility, one of the finest to ever take the football field, the “Golden Boy” of the Green Bay Packers who singular ability to to generate points as a runner, receiver, quarterback and kicker, helped turn the franchise
Into an NFL dynasty, died Friday at age 84.
Paul Hornung’s family confirmed his passing to the Louisville Sports Commission and to the professional football Hall of Fame.. Hornung, who suffered multiple concussions with the Packers, and in July of 2016 sued equipment manufacturer Riddell Inc., saying football helmets he wore during his pro career failed to protect him from brain injury, had been diagnosed with dementia, the lawsuit said.
On the field of play, he just played on despite various injury setbacks. Having won the Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1961 and played on four championships in 1961, ’62, ’65’ and ’66. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.
The versatile Hornung won the Heisman as a quarterback. But he switched to halfback in the pros and was one of the most dynamic NFL players while starring for Green Bay. Playing alongside numerous Hall of Famers, the blond, fun-loving Hornung was a favorite of legendary head coach Vince Lombardi, who thought of the young star as a son.
Lombardi once said: “In the middle of the field he may be only slightly better than an average ballplayer, but inside the 20-yard line he is one of the greatest I have every seen. He smells that goal line.”
Hornung was already with the Pack when Lombardi arrived in Green Bay in 1959. He was the initial pick of the 1957 college draft after winning the Heisman for a Fighting Irish team that won only two of 10 games. He teamed with bruising fullback Jim Taylor for one of the NFL’s greatest backfields. They were known for their unstoppable power sweeps led by elite guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston.
But Hornung was also a force as a passer, blocker, receiver and kicker. He finished his nine-year career with 760 points on 62 touchdowns, 66 field goals and 190 extra points. For three-straight seasons from 1959-61, he led the NFL in scoring. In 1960, he totaled 176 points, which stood as a record until LaDainian Tomlinson it broke 40 years later. Hornung would later point out that his record came in a dozen games while Tomlinson needed 16.
As great as he was on the gridiron, Hornung had other career problems. He and another one of the league’s top stars, lineman Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions, were suspended for 1963 by Commissioner Pete Roselle for betting on NFL tilts and associating with undesirable persons. Both returned to the NFL the following season.
But above everything, he will be remembered as one of the finest, most versatile football player in the history of the game. He did it all and is recognized as a football legend at both Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers.
RIP, Paul Hornung, you were quite the athlete and credit to the game.
