Max McGee Passes Away

Max McGee, who caught the first touchdown in Superbowl history, passed away yesterday at age 75.

He was on his roof with a leaf blower cleaning it off when he slipped and fell off (what was a 75 year old man doing on the roof?).

McGee was a story by himself - on the night before Superbowl I, McGee wasn't scheduled to play so he went out and got absolutely shitfaced. The next day, early in the first quarter, Vince Lombardi put him in, with one of the worst hangovers he'd ever had.

Of course, not long after entering the game, Bart Starr threw a pass to him that he caught one-handed in the end zone to go down in football history.

Now, I'm a Chicago boy born and bred, but I've spent enough time away from the U.S. that I've developed a liking for the Pack as well (as long as they aren't playing the Bears). This is a heresy that would get me tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail of I was still in Chi-town.

Being the Old Fart that I am, there's two jerseys I'd love to get - the Bears 51 and the Packers 66. these are Dick Butkus and Ray Nitchke, respectively. I just have to be careful where I wear them!

If you ever saw the movie "Hooper", it was Ray Nitchke who hit Burt Reynolds on the helmet and shattered it. And he would have had to pull his punch on that!