Paul Hornung

Hornung was never the same again after his return from the suspension. He struggled particularly making his kicks. He had lost his timing and missed 26 of 38 field goal attempts in 1964. Lombardi replaced him with another kicker to allow Hornung to concentrate on his rushing. He suffered a string of injuries though that kept him on the bench, including a pinched nerve in his neck that would eventually end his career. He had one last brilliant flash of glory in 1965 against the Colts when he ran for sixty-one yards, caught two passes for 115 yards, and scored five touchdowns. The win put the Packers in a tie for first place with the Colts. Green Bay went all the way and won the NFL championship again.

He sat out much of the 1966 season, including Super Bowl I, because of his hurt neck. At the end of the season, Lombardi, thinking no team would want an injured player, put Hornung's name on the list of Green Bay players available for the expansion draft. He had figured wrong. The New Orleans Saints grabbed Hornung. Lombardi was mortified, but Hornung was prepared to go to New Orleans to play. Unfortunately, a medical examination revealed that the nerve injury in his neck was more serious than first thought. When doctors told him that continued play could result in paralysis, Hornung retired. As it was, the injury resulted in the loss of much of the use of Hornung's right arm.

After his retirement Paul Hornung became a sports broadcaster, in particular covering Notre Dame and other college games. He invested his football earnings well in a number of real estate ventures in Louisville. The man-about-town, who, when an angry Vince Lombardi demanded whether he wanted to be a football player or a playboy, answered "A playboy!" got married once in 1967, divorced, and married again in 1980.

An All-Pro and MVP, Paul Hornung rushed for 3,711 yards and fifty touchdowns in his nine seasons with the Packers. He had 130 pass receptions for 383 yards. As kicker, he hit 190 of 194 extra points and sixty-six of 140 field goals. Paul Hornung was the heart and soul of the Green Bay Packers in the early 1960s. He was voted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1975, to the NFF College Hall of Fame in 1985, and to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.