Legendary Green Bay Packers QB Bart Starr, who led the team to five championships including their first two Super Bowls, dies aged 85
- Starr passed away in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, his family announced
- He had suffered a major stroke in 2014 and his health had been failing ever since
- A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Starr played for the Packers from 1956-1971
- First quarterback in history to win five National Football League championships, is one of only five NFL players to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards
- Had recently celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with his wife Cherry
Iconic former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr died on Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama.
Starr, who was 85, suffered a major stroke in 2014. His health had been failing in the years since.
The family of Starr released a statement through the Packers to announce the news.
'We are saddened to note the passing of our husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Bart Starr,' it reads.
Iconic former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr (pictured in 2006 following the Super Bowl XL game) died on Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 85 years old
Starr (pictured here during Super Bowl I in 1967) suffered a major stroke in 2014 and his health had been failing in the years since
'He battled with courage and determination to transcend the serious stroke he suffered in September 2014, but his most recent illness was too much to overcome.
'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.'
A Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Starr played for the Packers from 1956-1971 and led the team to five championships, including the first two Super Bowls - in which he was named MVP.
Starr led the league in passer rating five times in the 1960s and was named league MVP in 1966.
A Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Starr played for the Packers from 1956-1971 and led the team to five championships
He helped the Packers win the 1967 National Football League Championship Game (pictured), now considered one of the greatest games in NFL history due to its brutal conditions and the Packers' perseverance to win in the last 16 seconds
Starr played in 196 games, starting 157 of them, and had a 94-57-6 record as a starter. He is pictured here with legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and Packers player Don Chandler after Super Bowl I in 1968
He was the first quarterback in history to win five National Football League championships and is one of only five NFL players - Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw - to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards.
Starr played in 196 games, starting 157 of them, and had a 94-57-6 record as a starter.
He helped the Packers win the 1967 National Football League Championship Game, now considered one of the greatest games in NFL history due to its brutal conditions and the Packers' perseverance to win in the last 16 seconds.
The game has been nicknamed the 'Ice Bowl' due to the -15 F temperature and -48 F wind chill at Lambeau Field. Starr suffered frostbite on his fingers during the game.
Starr poses with his bust after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in July 1977
Starr had just recently celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with his wife Cherry (pictured together in 2012). The pair were high school sweethearts
Sixteen seconds were left on the clock and the Packers were trailing by three points on the 1-yard line when Starr asked coach Vince Lombardi if he could run a quarterback sneak.
Starr landed a touchdown, winning the game 21-17 and sending the Packers to Super Bowl II, which they would later win.
After retiring from the NFL, Starr coached the Packers from 1975-1983. The teams he coached never reached the heights of the teams he quarterbacked, finishing 52-76-3 in his tenure with just one playoff berth.
Thirty years later, he told an audience in Milwaukee that coaching was 'the greatest mistake I made in my life'.
Starr last visited Lambeau Field in 2017 to take part in the festivities commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the team's 1967 championship.
After retiring from the NFL, Starr coached the Packers from 1975-1983. He is pictured here in 2012 during a Packers and 49ers game
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy called Starr (pictured with former Packers quarterback Brett Favre in 2015) a 'champion on and off the field' who 'epitomized class and was beloved by generations of Packers fans'
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy called Starr a 'champion on and off the field' who 'epitomized class and was beloved by generations of Packers fans'.
'A clutch player who led his team to five NFL titles, Bart could still fill Lambeau Field with electricity decades later during his many visits. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Cherry and the entire Starr family,' he added.
Earlier this month, Starr had celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with his wife Cherry.
The pair had been high school sweethearts and had two children together, Bart Starr Jr and Bret, the latter of whom died from a drug overdose in 1988. He was 24.
Tributes poured in for Starr on Sunday from a number of NFL legends both past and present.
Tributes poured in for Starr on Sunday from a number of NFL legends past and present
'Bart Starr was the most kind, thoughtful and classiest person you could ever know. I consider myself extremely lucky to have called him friend and to have been mentioned in the same breath,' wrote former Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
'I only got to meet you a few times but each time you reminded me of what an impact you can have by just being good person,' wrote former Packers player John Kuhn. 'One of the nicest people I've been blessed to know and the epitome of what it means to be a professional athlete.'
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'You will be missed and forever remembered,' wrote Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
'I know how much you meant to the State of Wisconsin and @NFL all over the world! Heaven just got another great QB!'
