Rich McGeorge obit

Former Packers Tight End Rich McGeorge Passes Away at the Age of 77

 

He was not on the list.

Former Green Bay Packers tight end Rich McGeorge passed away on Saturday at the age of 77. McGeorge played for the Packers for nine seasons and held the franchise record for most career catches by a tight end at the time of his retirement.

The Packers selected McGeorge with the 16th overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft out of Elon College. He was the focal point of Elon’s passing attack and was later inducted in the school’s Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. They later retired his number 85. In Green Bay, he wore number 81.

At 6’4” and 235 pounds, McGeorge had very good size for a tight end of that era. McGeorge didn’t start as a rookie and caught just two passes that season, although both of them went for touchdowns. In 1971, McGeorge became the starting tight end for the Packers and caught 27 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns. The 1972 season would be the only time the Packers made the playoffs during McGeorge’s tenure with the team, but he was injured in Week 2 and lost for the season. He caught two touchdown passes from Scott Hunter in the team’s Week 1 win over the Browns and two more in Week 2 before getting hurt.

McGeorge returned to action in 1973 and was named the Packers Offensive Player of the Year. In 1975, he caught a last-minute touchdown pass from quarterback John Hadl to lead the Packers to a 19-17 upset win over the Cowboys in Dallas. It was the first coaching win of Bart Starr’s nine-year tenure as Packers coach.

Over his career, McGeorge proved durable. He didn’t miss a game after 1972 and started every game but one. His best statistical season came in 1975 when 32 passes for 458 yards. He retired after the 1978 season, finishing his career with 175 catches for 2,370 yards and 15 touchdowns.

While those numbers don’t stand out by modern standards, the NFL was much more run oriented back then and the Packers lacked a quality quarterback. No Green Bay signal caller made the Pro Bowl during McGeorge’s career. Starting quarterbacks during his time with the team included Hunter, Jerry Tagge, Jim Del Gaizo, Hadl, Jack Concannon, Carlos Brown, Randy Johnson, and David Whitehurst. McGeorge saw the very end of Starr’s career as a quarterback and the beginning of Lynn Dickey’s tenure in Green Bay before he emerged as dangerous downfield thrower.

McGeorge was a good blocker and a determined runner after the catch. He took a lot of punishment during his time with the team and suffered through losing seasons in seven of his nine years in Green Bay.

His teammates certainly recognized his contributions to the team. Former Packers running back Larry Krause told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Rich was a real talented individual. I wish he was in the NFL today where the tight end is more involved in the passing game. Rich didn't get a lot of opportunities; with the way the game was then and the Packers' emphasis on running the ball. If we did throw, it was mainly to the wide outs.”

After his playing career ended, McGeorge went into coaching. He worked under Steve Spurrier at Duke and Florida, coaching both tight ends and the offensive line. He also coached in the USFL, the original XFL, and spent seven seasons under Don Shula with the Miami Dolphins from 1993-1999. He continued coaching until 2011 and truly enjoyed mentoring young football players.

Unfortunately, McGeorge has still not been inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. He certainly deserves that honor as one of the team’s most consistent players during a very difficult era. He was a good player on some mediocre teams. Who knows what he could have been with better quarterbacks throwing him the ball or an offense that emphasized the pass.

He played college football for the Elon Fightin' Christians and was selected by the Packers in the first round of the 1970 NFL draft.

He worked under Steve Spurrier at both Duke University and the University of Florida, and was his offensive coordinator with the Bandits. In addition, he worked as an assistant coach at North Carolina Central University and Shaw University. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012 for his college football career at Elon University.

 

Career history

Playing

Green Bay Packers (1970–1978)

Coaching

Duke (1981–1982)

Tight ends coach

Birmingham Stallions (1983–1984)

Wide receivers coach & tight ends coach

Tampa Bay Bandits (1985)

Offensive line coach

Duke (1987–1989)

Offensive line coach

Florida (1990–1992)

Offensive line coach

Miami Dolphins (1993–1995)

Tight ends coach & assistant offensive line coach

Miami Dolphins (1996–1999)

Assistant offensive line coach

Green Bay Packers (2000)

Assistant offensive line coach

Memphis Maniax (2001)

Assistant head coach & offensive coordinator

Duke (2002)

Offensive line coach

North Carolina Central (2003–2005)

Offensive line coach

Shaw (2006–2011)

Offensive line coach

Awards and highlights

3× First-team All-CIAC (1967–1969)

Career NFL statistics

Receptions       175

Receiving yards          2,370

Receiving touchdowns            13