Herb Adderly obit

Herb Adderley, Packers legend and Hall of Fame CB, passes away at age 81

 

He was not on the list.

Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Herb Adderley passed away Friday at the age of 81.

Adderley, considered an all-time great at his position, is one of four players history to win six NFL championships (1961, '62, '65, '66, '67, '71).

Adderley was an integral part of the Green Bay Packers' glorious run through the 1960s. A product of Michigan State University, Adderley entered the NFL as a first-round pick (No. 12 overall) for the Packers in the 1961 NFL Draft and went on to play in all five of Vince Lombardi's championship teams in Green Bay, two of which were Super Bowls I and II. Adderley played in Green Bay through 1969 before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys, where he went on to win Super Bowl VI before retiring after the '72 season.

Over the course of a 12-year career, Adderley was named first-team All-Pro four times, named to the Pro Bowl five times and was a member of the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team. Adderley's career ended with 48 interceptions, which ranked 13th all-time upon his retirement.

Adderley was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

"The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Herb Adderley," Pro Football Hall of Fame president & CEO David Baker said. "He was a great player and an even greater man. Herb left an indelible mark on the Game and was respected tremendously by players and personnel across the league. Our thoughts and prayers are with Herb's wife, Brenda, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Herb's memory."

Along with the Patriots' Tom Brady, and two Packer teammates, offensive linemen Fuzzy Thurston (Colts) and Forrest Gregg (Cowboys), Adderley is one of only four players in pro football history to play on six world championship teams. However, in a revised edition of Instant Replay, a memoir by Packer teammate Jerry Kramer, Adderley is quoted as saying, "I'm the only man with a Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl ring who doesn't wear it. I'm a Green Bay Packer."

Adderley admired Packer head coach Vince Lombardi, but not Tom Landry of the Cowboys. His trade to Dallas in 1970, after a holdout and two weeks before the start of regular season, was due to a strained relationship with Lombardi's successor, Phil Bengtson, in his third and final year as Packer head coach. Adderley stated the Bengtson kept him off the Pro Bowl team in 1969 and requested to be traded. A year after his induction in Canton, Adderley became a member of the Packer Hall of Fame in 1981. 

Adderley recorded 39 interceptions in his nine seasons with the Packers. He held the Green Bay records for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career (seven, tied with Darren Sharper, broken by Charles Woodson), and holds the record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in one season (three, in 1965).

Adderley started for the Packers from 1961–69, then played three seasons (1970–72) with the Dallas Cowboys under coach Tom Landry. While with the Packers, he won rings for five NFL championships and wins in the first two Super Bowls. Adderley was a factor in the Super Bowl II win over the Oakland Raiders, intercepting a pass by Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica in the fourth quarter and returning it 60 yards for a touchdown to put the game away. It was the first Super Bowl touchdown scored on an intercepted pass. After being traded to the Cowboys in 1970, Adderley became a vital cog in its "Doomsday Defense," assisting the Cowboys to a Super Bowl appearance in V and a win in VI.  

 

Some of his notable teammates were: 

Bart Starr, Lew Carpenter, Paul Hornung, Tom Moore, Elijah Pitts, Jim Taylor, Ron Kramer, Max McGee, Boyd Dowler, Jim Ringo, Jerry Kramer, Willie Davis, Ray Nitschke, Emlen Tunnell, Willie Wood, Fuzzy Thurston, Forrest Gregg, Zeke Bratkowski, Henry Jordan, Dave Robinson, Bill Curry, Carroll Dale, Bob Brown, Fred Carr, Bob Jeter, Charlie Waters, Craig Morton, Roger Staubach, Dan Reeves, Duane Thomas, Mike Ditka, Bob Hayes, Bob Lilly, Rayfield Wright, Mel Renfro, Cliff Harris, Ralph Neely, Chuck Howley, Lee Roy Jordan, Mike Clark, Calvin Hill, Lance Alworth, Jethro Pugh and Robert Newhouse.