Max McGee
Encyclopedia
William Max McGee was a professional football
wide receiver
who played for the Green Bay Packers
from 1954-67. He served as the team's punter
during a few years of his career. McGee may be best known for his performance during the first Super Bowl game. Prior to his NFL
career, he played college football
at Tulane
for the Green Wave
. He was selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 1954 NFL Draft
. He played his high school football in White Oak, Texas
. McGee was the first player in High School football history ever to rush for over 3,000 yards in a single season. He rushed for 3,048 his senior year as a White Oak Roughneck in 1949; it would take another 20 years before a High School player would throw the ball for over 3,000 yards in a single season. McGee died October 20, 2007.
yards while catching 36 passes for 614 yards and nine touchdown
s. He missed the next two seasons to serve as a pilot
in the U.S. Air Force
, but returned to become the Packers' leading receiver from 1958-62. McGee was one of the few bright spots on the 1958
Packers team, which finished the season with a league-low 1-10-1 record, worst in Packers history. During that season, he led the NFL in yards per catch average (23.2), punting yards (2,716) and net yards average (36.0).
After Vince Lombardi
took over as the team's head coach in 1959
, McGee helped the team to 6 NFL championship appearances, 5 NFL championship wins, and two Super Bowl
titles during the remaining years of his career. He was a Pro Bowl
selection during the 1961
season.
Despite reductions in playing time due to injuries and age, McGee's final two seasons would be the ones for which his career is best remembered. In the 1966
season, McGee caught only four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown as the Packers recorded a 12-2 record and advanced to Super Bowl I
against the Kansas City Chiefs
. Because McGee didn't expect to play in the game, he violated his team's curfew policy and spent the night before the Super Bowl out on the town. The next morning, he told starting receiver Boyd Dowler
, "I hope you don't get hurt. I'm not in very good shape," alluding to his hangover. Dowler went down with a separated shoulder on the Packers' second drive of the game, and McGee, who had to borrow a teammate's helmet because he had not brought his own out of the locker room, was put into the game. A few plays later, McGee made a one-handed reception of a pass from Bart Starr
, took off past Chiefs defender Fred Williamson
and ran 37 yards to score the first touchdown in Super Bowl history. By the end of the game, McGee had recorded seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns, assisting Green Bay to a 35-10 victory.
The following year
, he recorded a 35-yard reception in the third quarter of Super Bowl II
that set up a touchdown in the Packers 33-14 win over the Oakland Raiders
. McGee retired shortly after the game. He finished his 12-season career with 345 receptions for 6,346 yards and 12 carries for 121 yards. He scored 51 touchdowns (50 receiving and 1 fumble recovery). On special teams, he punted 256 times for 10,647 yards, an average of 41.6 yards per punt, and returned 4 kickoffs for 69 yards.
chain of Mexican restaurants with restaurateurs Mike Geselbracht and Marno McDermott.
McGee's ties to the Packers continued from 1979-98 when he served as the color commentator
for radio broadcasts of Packers football games. With droll wit and keen insights, McGee was extremely popular as a color commentator and was named Wisconsin "Sportscaster of the Year" an unprecedented ten times over his career — in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989.
McGee founded the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes in 1999 at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. He raised money for diabetes research.
On October 20, 2007, McGee died as a result of a fall from the roof of his home in Deephaven, Minnesota
while removing leaves from the roof with a leaf blower.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who played for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
from 1954-67. He served as the team's punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
during a few years of his career. McGee may be best known for his performance during the first Super Bowl game. Prior to his NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
career, he played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Tulane
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
for the Green Wave
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
. He was selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 1954 NFL Draft
1954 NFL Draft
The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
. He played his high school football in White Oak, Texas
White Oak, Texas
White Oak is a city in Gregg County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,469 at the 2010 census.-Geography:White Oak is located at ....
. McGee was the first player in High School football history ever to rush for over 3,000 yards in a single season. He rushed for 3,048 his senior year as a White Oak Roughneck in 1949; it would take another 20 years before a High School player would throw the ball for over 3,000 yards in a single season. McGee died October 20, 2007.
NFL career
In his rookie season, McGee led the NFL in puntingPunt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
yards while catching 36 passes for 614 yards and nine touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He missed the next two seasons to serve as a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, but returned to become the Packers' leading receiver from 1958-62. McGee was one of the few bright spots on the 1958
1958 NFL season
The 1958 NFL season was the 39th regular season of the National Football League.The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants, 23–17, in the first sudden-death overtime in an NFL Championship Game...
Packers team, which finished the season with a league-low 1-10-1 record, worst in Packers history. During that season, he led the NFL in yards per catch average (23.2), punting yards (2,716) and net yards average (36.0).
After Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
took over as the team's head coach in 1959
1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League. Tragedy struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack on October 11 at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play...
, McGee helped the team to 6 NFL championship appearances, 5 NFL championship wins, and two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
titles during the remaining years of his career. He was a Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection during the 1961
1961 NFL season
The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League. The schedule was also expanded from 12 games per...
season.
Despite reductions in playing time due to injuries and age, McGee's final two seasons would be the ones for which his career is best remembered. In the 1966
1966 NFL season
The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the season after which was played Super Bowl I, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, thus an odd number of teams...
season, McGee caught only four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown as the Packers recorded a 12-2 record and advanced to Super Bowl I
Super Bowl I
The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
against the Kansas City Chiefs
1966 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with the Chiefs' second AFL Championship and first since their relocation to Kansas City, Missouri. Instead of finishing the season with the AFL Championship win, the Chiefs were invited to play in the inaugural AFL-NFL World Championship Game, later known...
. Because McGee didn't expect to play in the game, he violated his team's curfew policy and spent the night before the Super Bowl out on the town. The next morning, he told starting receiver Boyd Dowler
Boyd Dowler
Boyd Hamilton Dowler is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played twelve seasons for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins from 1959 to 1971...
, "I hope you don't get hurt. I'm not in very good shape," alluding to his hangover. Dowler went down with a separated shoulder on the Packers' second drive of the game, and McGee, who had to borrow a teammate's helmet because he had not brought his own out of the locker room, was put into the game. A few plays later, McGee made a one-handed reception of a pass from Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
, took off past Chiefs defender Fred Williamson
Fred Williamson
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...
and ran 37 yards to score the first touchdown in Super Bowl history. By the end of the game, McGee had recorded seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns, assisting Green Bay to a 35-10 victory.
The following year
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
, he recorded a 35-yard reception in the third quarter of Super Bowl II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
that set up a touchdown in the Packers 33-14 win over the Oakland Raiders
1967 Oakland Raiders season
With only one game played during the AFL's opening week, the Raiders' season began on September 10, 1967, with a 51–0 wipeout of the Denver Broncos in front of a home crowd of just more than 25,000. Running back Hewritt Dixon caught one touchdown pass and ran for another. Warren Powers capped the...
. McGee retired shortly after the game. He finished his 12-season career with 345 receptions for 6,346 yards and 12 carries for 121 yards. He scored 51 touchdowns (50 receiving and 1 fumble recovery). On special teams, he punted 256 times for 10,647 yards, an average of 41.6 yards per punt, and returned 4 kickoffs for 69 yards.
Post NFL career
After retiring from football, he became a major partner in developing the popular Chi-Chi'sChi-Chi's
Chi-Chi's was a popular Mexican restaurant chain from 1975 to 2004. It ceased to exist within the United States following a 2003 Hepatitis A outbreak that began at one of its locations in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chi-Chi's is still in operation in Belgium, Luxembourg, United Arab...
chain of Mexican restaurants with restaurateurs Mike Geselbracht and Marno McDermott.
McGee's ties to the Packers continued from 1979-98 when he served as the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for radio broadcasts of Packers football games. With droll wit and keen insights, McGee was extremely popular as a color commentator and was named Wisconsin "Sportscaster of the Year" an unprecedented ten times over his career — in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989.
McGee founded the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes in 1999 at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. He raised money for diabetes research.
On October 20, 2007, McGee died as a result of a fall from the roof of his home in Deephaven, Minnesota
Deephaven, Minnesota
Deephaven is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. It is 16 miles from Minneapolis. The population was 3,642 at the 2010 Census, down from 3,853 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
while removing leaves from the roof with a leaf blower.
External links
- Database football.com - career stats - Max McGee
- Max McGee's football cards