R.I.P. Paul Hornung

Paul Hornung, who won the 1956 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for Notre Dame, and went on to play on four NFL championship teams with the Vince Lombardi era Green Bay Packers, died on November 13th, 2020 at age 84. Hornung was a fullback for the Packers in his first two seasons in Green Bay (1957 and ’58) but was converted into a halfback after Lombardi arrived in 1959. His best seasons then followed.

Hornung rushed for 50 touchdowns and had another dozen touchdown receptions (the NFL played 12 game seasons until 1961 and then increased to 14 for the rest of his career). He also had five touchdowns passes on the halfback option. He shared the backfield with fullback Jim Taylor, and the combination of the two was devastating to the opposing defenses. Hornung was also the Packers’ placekicker for much of his career, and led the league in scoring for three years (1959-61). He scored 19 points in the 1961 NFL Championship Game, a record that stood until James White of the New England Patriots scored 20 in Super Bowl LI following the 2016 season. Hornung was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1961 as well.

Hornung and the Detroit Lions’ Alex Karras were suspended for the 1963 season for gambling on NFL games. Although he played through the 1966 season, his last hurrah came in 1965. In a game on December 12th against the Baltimore Colts, Hornung rushed 15 times for 63 yards and three touchdowns, and caught two passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers’ 42-27 victory. In the NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns in ’65, Hornung rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on a wet, snowy, and muddy Lambeau Field in Green Bay’s 23-12 victory. Here’s a highlight reel of that game:

Hornung is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. He’s the fourth Hall of Fame Lombardi Era Packer to die in 2020, joining Willie Wood, Willie Davis, and Herb Adderley.