Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr turns 79 today. I think Bart Starr has become the most underrated great quarterback in NFL history. Thirty years ago Starr would always be mentioned when the conversation was “Who is the greatest quarterback ever.” Now he is overlooked. I think what has happened is that in the past thirty years the NFL has become pass-happy. When you look at Starr’s stats they do not measure up to the quarterbacks of recent times. The game was a different game back in the 1960’s. You can’t judge quarterbacks before the rule changes in the NFL favored the passing game in the late 1970’s. The one stat that you can judge Bart Starr on is- 5 NFL Championships. He is the only quarterback who is in that class. Bart Starr was a leader, a field general. The Packers and everyone else in the NFL ran the ball a lot back then. There was no throwing the ball 50 times a game. Bart Starr could throw the ball when he needed to. I believe if he were around today he’d be right up there with the best in the game.

Bart Starr was my first sports hero. I think it was his name. I was 5ive or six years old, the Packers were winning Super Bowl’s I and II and Starr was the MVP in both those Super Bowls. Bart Starr-and the Green Bay Packers. That sounded appealing to me. In the early 1970’s I started collecting autographs. The first player whose autograph I tried to get was Bart Starr’s. I can still remember coming home from school and seeing something had arrived with the postmark of “Green Bay, Wisconsin” I can still picture the envelope it came in. I opened it up and there was an autographed photo of Bart Starr!!!

Bart Starr scored what is one of the most famous touchdown’s in NFL history. It wasn’t anything fancy. It was the famous quarterback sneak to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the Ice Bowl in 1967.

In ranking the great quarterbacks of all time I think it would be a mistake not having Bart Starr in the Top 10 of all time. I wouldn’t rank him at the top. I do think there were better quarterbacks but not many. The only quarterback from his time who was better was #19 Johnny Unitas. He is the greatest quarterback in Green Bay Packer history.  Favre has the impressive numbers but I think you judge a quarterback by what he does in the big games. Bart Starr 5ive NFL World Championships. That is the stat that I love.