The legendary Minnesota Vikings quarterback gave his thoughts on the legacy of Bart Starr after the recent news of his passing.
During their first few years as a franchise, the Minnesota Vikings struggled to defeat the Green Bay Packers, who were led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Bart Starr at the time.
In his first 12 starts against the Vikings from 1961 to 1967, Starr led the Packers to victories on 10 different occasions. During this 12-game stretch, the Green Bay quarterback threw a total of 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Starr went on to lead the Packers to two Super Bowl wins and he was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
Sadly, the former Green Bay quarterback passed away on Sunday at the age of 85. His family released a statement that revealed the cause of his death was due to an illness that, “was just too much to overcome.”
After news of his passing began to spread, a number of current and former NFL players and coaches took to social media to send their well wishes to Starr’s family and to also express their appreciation for what he was able to do during his career out on the football field.
Former Minnesota quarterback Fran Tarkenton was one of these former players who shared a video on Sunday to give some of his thoughts on the passing of Starr. Tarkenton faced the legendary Packers signal-caller a number of times during his tenure in the league and Starr clearly left a great impression on him.
Today is a sad day. Bart Starr was truly one of the greatest, both as a quarterback and as a man. He deserves so much of the credit for five @packers championships. Bart, you were a special player and man, and you will be greatly missed by all of us. @nfl @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/AqbJCRWHSj
— Francis Tarkenton (@Fran_Tarkenton) May 26, 2019
The former Vikings quarterback was impressed with not only with Starr’s abilities on the field, but with his attitude off of the field as well. Even as a rival, Tarkenton is able to recognize how talented of a player the former Green Bay quarterback once was.
The Packers have been extremely lucky to have guys like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers lead their franchise to Super Bowl wins over the years. But before them, Starr was the one who helped Green Bay earn their “Titletown” nickname.