Hello My Friends! This is a very bittersweet article to write. On one hand, you have the return of Koren Robinson. On the other hand, the tragedy of the death of Green Bay Packer wide receiver great Max McGee. I will start with Koren and save Max for later as you always save the best for last.
So, after one long year of rehabilitation wide receiver Koren Robinson is back with the Packers. In his news conference Robinson gave thanks to Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, and his teammates. He especially thanked Brett Favre for keeping in constant contact with him. Favre kept encouraging Koren to keep his spirits up and do everything in his power to meet and/or exceed the expectations of NFL commisioner Roger Goodell. Robinson understands that he is about to embark on his last shot at a NFL career. If he creates one more strike against him, he will banned from the NFL for life. No amount of lobbying from anybody in the NFL will get him back on the field.
If Robinson can quickly get in football shape and regain his previous "Seattle Seahawk" form that made him one of the best wide receivers in the game, Brett will have yet another weapon to unleash against enemy defenses. Good Luck Koren! You have a lot of people pulling for you.
Now on to the hardest part of this article, Max McGee died Saturday October 20 in a freak accident where he fell from the roof of his Minnesota home. This is not the most glorious way for a man of his stature to pass on. Paramedics arrived quickly but were unable to revive him. Max, who died at 75 , was an ALL-PRO receiver on the early Lombardi "Glory Days" teams. Max holds the distinction for being the first player in a Super Bowl to score a touchdown. A feat that was harder than we could have imagined considering he went out partying all night before the game because he didn't expect to play.
According to legend, Max didn't get back until 6:30 in the morning. A story that Max himself, as well as his best friend Paul Hornung, told well and told often. You see, Max was nearing the end of his playing days and was replaced as a starter by Boyd Dowler. Well as luck would have it, Dowler got hurt in the first quarter. Lombardi turned to the hung-over McGee and sent him in to take Dowler's place. Max responded by receiving 2 TD passes in Super Bowl I that helped teammate Bart Starr win his first Super Bowl MVP award.
Max went on to become a successful business man and for many years as the radio voice of the Packers with partner Jim Irvin. But most of all, for those of us who grew up watching Max play and hearing about his legendary off field antics, will remember that him was a true gentleman as well as one of the team's all time characters. He always talked to the Green Bay Packer fans no matter where he met them. He wasn't the most polished of play-by-play men but he brought a genuine feel and knowledge of the game to every Packer broadcast.
It was always a pleasure to see him interacting with all the other past Packer legends during alumni games at Lambeau. Not only the ones from his era,but he interacted with anyone who proudly wore the Packer "green and gold" uniform His passing will not only hit his former teammates hard, but will also hit all of us who proudly call themselves Packer fans. God speed Max!
