Remembering The Great Herb Adderley

Numbers, death (Kathy and I sang a Spinners’ hit walking down the street), numbers “up,” as now 3 greats from the Packers’ defensive unit, all of whom played on all 5 title teams under Vince Lombardi, have died in 2020.

The most recent is the great cornerback, Herb Adderley and only he, Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston, Forrest Gregg  and Tom Brady have played on as many as 6 NFL title teams.

Adderley played on the first of 5 Dallas Cowboys’ title teams in 1971 and the aforementioned 5 with the Green Bay Packers, under Vince Lombardi.

Mr. Lombardi praised Herb, as his best athlete. Similar to Willie Wood’s interception and return to the Chiefs’ 5, from where Elijah Pitts scored, to essentially break open Supe 1, Adderley’s interception touchdown return was a big play, in another Green Bay rout, this one, (33-14) vs the then Oakland Raiders, in the second NFL/AFL championship game/2nd Super Bowl.

Earlier this year, which has yielded far worse than “the willies,” we lost greats Willie Davis and Willie Wood.

That unfortunate turn leaves only the two men involved in the ’66 NFL Title game clinching play, vs Dallas, as 2 of the 11 still alive from the consensus starting defensive unit of the glory days Packers. (9 of 11, those numbers,— hopefully unlike in ’16, the poll numbers are right and we rid ourselves–there I wrote it— are dead).

Dave Robinson, who made the play, draping himself around Dallas quarterback, Don Meredith and Tom Brown, who had an interception on the play are still alive.

Somewhere Dick Schaap, who wrote about them and Ray Scott/Ted Moore, each of whom broadcast them, await Ray’s “familiar names most of them.”

That defensive unit, an immortal one, except as a good president whom “they” killed said–“we are all mortal.” Indeed we are, some of us great, Herb Adderley, one of that standing.