GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – “He was the golden boy!” said Packers team historian Cliff Christl.
Green Bay Packers legend Paul Hornung has died. But the legacy he leaves – is synonymous with Titletown, USA.
Paul Hornung, described by Vince Lombardi as “the greatest player I ever coached,” has passed away at age 84.
RIP, Golden Boy. https://t.co/jEFkgcGv9T
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 13, 2020
A Heisman Trophy winner on a losing team at Notre Dame. The #1 overall pick in 1957. And a leader of the Green Bay Packers team that won four NFL Titles and the first ever Super Bowl.
“He still holds the record for most touchdowns in a game most points in a game,” Christl said. “His statistics don’t translate to today’s game, because he didn’t have big rushing numbers for – he was called a half back or for what today would be a running back.”
Drafted in 1957, Hornung essentially disappeared for two years due to coaching issues and bad teams in Green Bay.
“Once Lombardi arrives, he not only becomes the star of the Packers – he’s one of the biggest stars in the NFL. I mean, he’s a celebrity,” Christl said. “The important thing was that he became a national celebrity. Something not many Packers had ever achieved. He might’ve been the first…I don’t know that any Packer, for example, that ever got any kind of endorsement opportunities or national commercials. To show you how different the times were, Hornung was featured prominently in Marlboro cigarette ads.”
Johnny “Blood” McNally built a bit of a reputation in the 1930s and Don Hutson gained some attention in the 1940s, but that was nothing compared to the gravitas of Hornung’s attraction.
When Vince Lombardi arrived in Green Bay in 1959, the first position he addressed wasn’t the quarterback. It was the left halfback position, which was the key for his famous power sweep that Lombardi saw success with while coaching in New York.
“Jim Taylor was the workhorse, but Hornung was the player Lombardi built his offense around. It wasn’t a quarterback when he first got here,” Christl explained. “So many have misconstrued this, that both Hornung and Taylor carried the ball on the power sweep. Incorrect! Paul Hornung, the halfback, was the ball carrier in the power sweep.”
Christl made it a point to add that Taylor would, occasionally, run on odd goal line sweep plays with Max McGee as the lead blocker. But again, that was pretty rare.
In 1961, the Packers took home a title. But from November through the end of the year, Hornung didn’t practice. He only played in games, because that was the only time the U.S. Army granted him leave to participate.
“You’ve got to remember – he was the MVP of the league that year and he didn’t practice from the midpoint of the season on. That’s how talented of an athlete the guy was. He was in the service,” Christl said.
As legend has it, Lombardi coerced his good friend John F. Kennedy to pull some strings for extended leave so Hornung could practice ahead of the championship game. Christl says there is some truth and some myth to whatever version of that story is out in the world nowadays.
Hornung set a record of 19 points in that game, serving as halfback and kicker – on one touchdown rushing, three field goals and four PATs in the Packers’ 37-0 win over the New York Giants. That record was broken by the Patriots’ James White in Super Bowl LI in 2017.
“Lombardi would scream at somebody who broke their leg if they weren’t ready to play in a week or two. And it seems to me that Hornung was the one exception to the rule that you’ve got to play hurt. He kind of saved him for big games because he knew how valuable he was,” Christl said. “He brought attention to Green Bay. He was the centerpiece of Lombardi’s offense. When Hornung retired, [Lombardi] called him ‘The greatest player I ever coached.’ He also retired his number 5.”
Christl believes Hornung would’ve been the only number Lombardi ever retired, even if he lived and stayed connected with the organization. Bart Starr might have been considered in that conversation, but Hornung was a special player for the coach.
However, that request to retire Hornung’s number has never come to fruition. General Managers Ron Wolf, Ted Thompson, and Brian Gutekunst have complied with Lombardi’s wishes – and haven’t issued the number 5 to any players. Forrest Gregg was the first to issue it, when he gave the number to Vince Ferragamo for the 1985 season.
Several stars from Green Bay’s glory days have died this year. Along with Hornung, defensive greats Willie Wood, Herb Adderley and Willie Davis also died. Bart Starr, the quarterback for those title teams, passed away in May 2019.
“Obviously the Packers have lost another legend,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “That’s four for the year with him, Adderley, Willie Wood and Willie Davis. Anytime you lose legends like that, it’s always a sad day. They’re a big reason why the Green Bay Packers are the Green Bay Packers.”
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