Bart Starr, the gentlemanly quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s whose sneak won the famed "Ice Bowl" in 1967, has died. He was 85. The Packers announced Starr's death Sunday, citing his family, the AP reports. He had been in failing health since suffering two strokes and a heart attack in 2014. "While he may always be best known for his success as the Packers quarterback for 16 years, his true legacy will always be the respectful manner in which he treated every person he met, his humble demeanor and his generous spirit," Starr's family said in a statement. After football, Starr, became a successful businessman in Birmingham, Alabama, not far from his hometown of Montgomery, where he was born on Jan. 9, 1934.
The Packers selected Starr out of the University of Alabama with the 200th pick in the 1956 draft. He led Green Bay to six division titles, five NFL championships, and wins in the first two Super Bowls. After losing the 1960 NFL title game, the Packers never lost another playoff game under Starr, going 9-0. His college career wasn't stellar, and it wasn't until Lombardi's arrival in Green Bay in 1959 that Starr began to blossom. Lombardi liked Starr's mechanics, his arm strength, and especially his decision-making abilities. Starr credited Lombardi for showing him "that by working hard and using my mind, I could overcome my weakness to the point where I could be one of the best." The Packers retired Starr's No. 15 jersey, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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