Bart Starr, the legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback of the 1960s, dies at age 85

The legendary Green Bay Green Packers quarterback, Bart Starr, died Sunday at the age of 85, according to the team.

The Packers announced that Starr, one of the catalysts of Vince Lombardi's powerful team in the 1960s, had died in Birmingham, Alaska, citing his family.

He was in poor health since his stroke in 2014.

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"We are sad to see the death of our husband, father, grandfather and friend, Bart Starr," said a family member in a statement.

Starr's "is beaten with courage and determination" after a severe stroke in September 2014, but "his last illness was too hard to defeat," said one of his family members.

"Although he's probably still known for his success as a Packers quarterback for 16 years, his true legacy will always be the respectful way in which he treated every person he's encountered, his humble behavior." and his generous spirit, "reads a statement.

The Packers selected Starr from the University of Alabama with the 200th pick in the 1956 draft. He led Green Bay to six division titles, five NFL championships and a win in the first two Super Bowls. Until the arrival of Brett Favre, Starr was considered the best packer of all time. The team withdrew its No. 15 jersey in 1973, making him the third player to receive this honor. Four years later, he was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

After losing the NFL title in 1960 when they first entered the playoffs, the Packers never lost another playoff game under Starr (9-0), including the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland Raiders in the first two Super Bowls.

Starr's academic career was not very remarkable and it was not until the arrival of Lombardi in Green Bay in 1959 that Starr, living according to his motto "Desire and dedication are everything" , began to flourish.

Lombardi appreciated Starr's mechanics, the strength of his arms and above all his decision-making abilities. Under the leadership of Lombardi, Starr has become one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

"If you work more than anyone, you will beat him while he has more talent than you," Starr said. He credited Lombardi for showing him "that by working hard and using my mind, I could overcome my weakness to the point of becoming one of the best."

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The status of the quarterback as a Packers icon has been put to the test by his difficulties as the team's head coach. In nine seasons from 1975 to 1983, he has won only 41% of his games, or 53-77-3, including 1-1 in the playoffs, which is part of three decades of uselessness that followed the glory years.

After football, Starr became a successful businessman in Birmingham, Alabama, not far from his home town of Montgomery, where he was born on January 9, 1934.

Starr has been a selection four times at the Pro Bowl and twice at All-Pro. He won the NFL titles in 1961, with 62, 65, 67 and 68. He was the NFL's most valuable player in 1966 and was named to the 1960s squad. He was also named player par excellence of the first two Super Bowls. Starr also has an NFL award that bears his name, awarded annually to an excellent player

But the room for which he was most famous was a race.

On December 31, 1967, in the NFL Championship, Starr entered the end zone behind guard Jerry Kramer and center Ken Bowman 16 seconds from the end to allow the Packers to win the 21-17 game against the Dallas Cowboys . "

"We all have the ability to focus and focus in a unique way when we are called to do it," Starr said on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the match. "That's exactly what I did that day, and I think it was the same thing for the Cowboys, let's face it, they were obviously not used to something like that. yet it was the team that was ramping up and coming back in the second half and was able to win it. "

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Two weeks later, under the Miami sun, the Packers defeated the AFL 33-14 champions Raiders in Lombardi's final game as head coach of the Packers.

When Starr retired after the 1971 season, his career completion percentage of 57.4 was higher in the NFL, which counts a lot of run-ins, and his passer-by score, 80.5 , was the second best to date, behind Otto Graham. Starr replaced Dan Devine as head coach of the Packers in 1975 and would be replaced by former teammate Forrest Gregg in 1984 after failing to lead the franchise to the kind of success that he experienced as a player.

In 1965, Starr and his wife Cherry participated in the founding of the Rawhide Boys Ranch in New London, Wisconsin, in an institution designed to help boys at risk and in trouble in the state. The couple was the victim of a tragedy in 1988, when their son Brett died at age 24 from a cocaine addiction. They also had another son, Bart Jr.

"His love for all of humanity is well known and his affection for the residents of Alabama and Wisconsin has filled him with gratitude," says the family release. "He had hoped to make a last trip to Green Bay to watch the Packers this fall, but he will always be there in spirit."

Associated Press contributed to this report.