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Long before Deion Sanders split time between NFL and Major League Baseball, Paul Hornung accomplished the ultimate double duty: serving in the Army during the week and dressing for the 1961 Green Bay Packers on a leave. -pass weekend.
Football lost one of its true ancestors Friday morning when Paul Vernon Hornung died in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., At age 84, after a long battle with dementia. He becomes the second Super Bowls I and II starter to die in the past two weeks, the fourth this year and the eighth in the past 24 months.
Hornung was an athlete, a military man, a champion, a ladies’ man, a player, a broadcaster, a philanthropist – a wide range of activities, of course – but his versatility will be remembered most of all. in the sport.
Born December 23, 1935 in Louisville, Hornung became a three-sport athlete at Flaget High School in baseball, basketball and football. He excelled in basketball – the Kentucky High School Athletic Association gave him a record 31 points in the Louisville invitational tournament as a senior in 1953 – but loved to play football above all else. He rejected a scholarship offer from legendary trainer Paul “Bear” Bryant to attend his home public school, the University of Kentucky, in favor of an offer from Notre Dame. Never the general athlete, he played a season of Notre Dame basketball, in his sophomore, in the middle of his football career.
Nicknamed the “Golden Boy” during his years at Notre Dame for his curly blonde hair, Hornung’s beauty and success with the legendary Fighting Irish of 1954-1956 combined to bring him a level of stardom that few athletes academics of that time could hope to achieve. .
It did not come instantly, however.
Freshmen didn’t play by the rules until 1972, and Hornung’s sophomore didn’t propel him to stardom. As a junior in 1955, however, he got a starting role as quarterback in offense and safety in defense, as well as kicking tasks he had started taking on the year before. While this kind of versatility is unheard of in modern football, it didn’t necessarily distinguish Hornung in the 1950s, when two-way performers were rife under rules that greatly limited substitutions.
But Hornung excelled in any role and brought a talent to play winning football. According to an archival account from Notre Dame of a 17-14 victory over Iowa in 1955, Hornung was blown off the field by Fighting Irish fans after throwing a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, then contributed to a stoppage of the defense, and finally launched a winning field basket.
As a senior in 1956, Hornung’s play shone in every situation imaginable. He led the team by rushing, passing, scoring, kicking and punt returns, kicking, punting and as if that wasn’t enough he was the one of his best safe defenders. It was enough to make him the only Heisman Trophy winner to play for a losing team.
The Fighting Irish only finished 2-8 in 1956, with Hornung being the brightest bright spot in an otherwise forgettable season. He became the first Notre-Dame quarterback to exceed 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in a single game. He also notched one of two victories for Notre Dame in his last home game, counting for every point (three touchdowns, three PAT) in a 21-14 win over North Carolina in which he pitched. for 103 yards, rushed for 91, recorded an interception. on defense and punted for an average of 39 yards.
He graduated from Notre Dame with a business degree and was selected first in the 1957 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. The draft took place on November 27, 1956, four days before Hornung ended his college career with a road loss to USC.
Like his college career, Hornung’s professional career did not start in a storybook. He was a part-time fullback his first two years at Green Bay until the arrival in 1959 of coach Vince Lombardi, who immediately installed Hornung as the starting left half-back and introduced him to the legendary power sweep of the team.
Hornung had the speed and slash instinct for big plays on the sweep and his passing skills made him a threat to shoot up on a halfback option and shoot down passes. It was those skills on the perimeter that earned the Golden Boy his next nickname: Mr. Outside, a character in tandem with full-back Jim Taylor, known as Mr. Inside. He and Taylor formed a devastating duo to lead three Packers NFL Championships (1961, 1962, 1965) in the pre-Super Bowl era. Although Taylor has led the Packers in rushing yards for most of their years together, Hornung has always led the team in scoring with a talent known to be more effective near the goal line.
“In the middle of the field he is maybe only slightly better than an average baseball player, but inside the 20-yard line he is one of the tallest I have ever seen . He feels that goal line, “Lombardi wrote in his book” Run in the Light of Day. “
His peak efficiency years were from 1959 to 1961, during which time he led the NFL in scoring three times, was named All-Pro twice, went to two Pro Bowls and won an MVP of the NFL. His 176 points in 1960 broke an NFL record, a mark that lasted 46 years until LaDainian Tomlinson scored 186 for the San Diego Chargers in 2006. The NFL season lasted 12 games in the game. Hornung period; Tomlinson played in Game 16 and broke the score in Game 14 in San Diego.
In ’61, Hornung juggled an MVP season with active military service in the U.S. Army, and in the latter half of the season, played for the Packers on weekend passes. When Lombardi learned that the Berlin Wall crisis would keep Hornung on duty at Fort Riley, Kansas, for the NFL Championship game, he called President John F. Kennedy, who arranged time off for Hornung to play in the game. In a 37-0 win over the Giants, Hornung scored a touchdown and threw three field goals as the MVP of the game.
“Paul Hornung is not going to win the war on Sunday,” Kennedy reportedly said, “but the football fans in this country deserve the top two teams on the pitch that day.”
Hornung (along with Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras) was suspended for the 1963 season by NFL commissioner Pete Rozzelle for playing on NFL games, which Hornung admitted and for which he was deeply apologized.
During Hornung’s last season in the NFL in 1966, a pinched nerve hampered him for much of the season, and when the Packers secured a spot in Super Bowl I, he was entered but couldn’t. to play. Lombardi exposed Hornung to a post-season expansion draft, and he was selected by the New Orleans Saints but never played an NFL outside of Green Bay.
After learning from medics that continuing his football career with a pinched nerve in his neck could threaten his long-term quality of life, Hornung retired before the Saints could put him on the pitch, closing a historic career in a team like the do-it-all the stars of the best franchise in the league. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
“He could pass. He could run. He could kick. He could catch. He could block,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Doug Atkins. “They say, ‘Well, he couldn’t run as well as so-and-so. He couldn’t do that. ‘ I said, “Who the hell could do all these things?” He could run like hell and do these things in key situations. “
In retirement, Hornung went on to become a broadcaster, working as a radio color analyst for the Minnesota Vikings games in the early 1970s and finally for the CBS games in the late 1970s. He also worked as a secondary reporter for CBS at Super Bowl XII.
He has always had a soft spot for his hometown of Louisville, residing there in retirement. He was a benefactor and fundraiser for the Sister Visitor Center, a branch of the city’s Catholic Charities program that helps families in need with food, clothing, medical supplies and more. In 2010, the center expanded with a new building called the Paul Hornung Annex.
That same year, the Louisville Athletic Commission created the Paul Hornung Award, which is awarded annually to college football’s most versatile player. It has since become the targeted individual honor for college players around the world who are invited to play more than one position. His 10 winners include NFL stars such as Odell Beckham, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley, all of whom have excelled both on offense and on special teams at the college level. Playing both offense and defense isn’t as common in college as it was in Hornung’s days, but two that did – former first-round draft picks Jabrill Peppers Peppers and Shaq Thompson – also won the Hornung Award.
However, the college stars who win the Hornung Award are just the next crop, not the first, to go all out to have their name linked to his. Long before the award was created, so did the pros.
Jim Jensen, who has played multiple roles for some of Don Shula’s top Miami Dolphins teams.
Kordell Stewart, who earned the nickname Slash for his ability to rush, pass and receive with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sanders, whose Hall of Fame career as an elite cornerback and returning man also tried to receive.
Troy Brown, who was a wide receiver, returns specialist and ultimately cornerback for Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots.
Indeed, it cannot be said that Hornung was a pioneer as a multi-positional player as he came from an era full of them, and many with great versatility came before him. It is perhaps all the more remarkable that he stands out among them. Whether on his key role for an NFL dynasty, on a particular record, season or game, he will be remembered for a sprawling skill set that could deliver a run, throw, tackle, or kick. winning foot on demand.
Hornung is survived by his wife of 41 years, Angela Hornung.
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