Green Bay Packers: Ranking the top five draft picks of all-time
Bart Starr: Top Green Bay Packers draft pick of all-time
When the Green Bay Packers selected Bart Starr with the 200th pick of the 1956 NFL Draft little did Packers fans, coaches and management realize what they had in store for them for the next 16 seasons.
First of all, as a 17th-rounder, the odds were already stacked against Starr. It wasn’t until his sixth season that Starr worked his way permanently into the starting lineup. From that time on, championships were nearly annually earned by the Packers under the guidance of Starr at quarterback.
Sure, he had an incredible supporting cast (including 10 other hall-of-famers), but playing quarterback – a position that was fast developing into a different form in the 1960s – was one of the more difficult jobs on the field. Starr handled that responsibility as a true leader of men.
In 196 games with the Packers, Starr started 157 of them and posted a career record of 94-57-6. He completed 1,808 passes on 3,149 attempts (57.4 percent), for 24,718 yards. He also threw 152 touchdowns during his 16 years in the league.
But Starr’s importance in Green Bay went beyond his playing days. Not only did he serve as the team’s head coach (which brought its own disappointments), but even more importantly, Starr has served as a Packers ambassador for decades, building up the Packers’ image across the league while doing so.
There may be quarterbacks who have played for the Packers who have better stats and played with more flash, but Starr was a winner – plain and simple. His five league championships, including the first two Super Bowls (where he was also those games’ MVP), were tops in the league for QBs until Tom Brady tied him with this year’s Super Bowl win.
Starr’s legacy continues to stand the test of time – that’s why he’s our top draft pick in franchise history.
Here are Starr’s accomplishments, per Wikipedia:
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Bart Starr’s career statistics, courtesy of
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