Green Bay Packers
Paul Hornung in the NFL
In 1957, the Green Bay Packers selected Paul Hornung with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, beginning his nine-year professional career with the franchise. His NFL career got off to a slow start as he split time between fullback and quarterback under two different head coaches. That changed in 1959, when Vince Lombardi became Green Bay’s head coach and moved Hornung to starting halfback.
Hornung quickly became one of the most important players on the Packers’ championship teams of the 1960s. A dynamic offensive threat and exceptional scorer, he earned a reputation as a player who could make the big play when his team needed it most.
In nine NFL seasons, Hornung scored 760 points on 62 touchdowns, 190 extra points and 66 field goals. He rushed for 3,711 yards, caught 1,480 yards worth of passes and completed 24 of 55 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns, with just four interceptions. He also returned 10 kickoffs for 248 yards and was regarded as an outstanding blocker and effective passer on the halfback option.
Hornung reached the height of his career from 1959-61, leading the NFL in scoring in each of those three seasons. In 1960, he set an NFL record with 176 points, scoring 15 touchdowns, kicking 15 field goals and converting 41 extra points. The record stood for nearly 46 years.
Hornung was named the 1961 NFL Most Valuable Player after rushing for 597 yards and scoring 146 points, including eight touchdowns. That season, he also served in the U.S. Army, fulfilling his military obligation through his Notre Dame ROTC commitment. He received weekend passes to play in Packers games, and President John F. Kennedy helped arrange Christmas leave that allowed Hornung to participate in the 1961 NFL Championship Game.
Hornung responded with one of the most memorable performances of his career, scoring a championship-game record 19 points on four touchdowns and a field goal as Green Bay defeated the New York Giants 37-0.
In 1965, Hornung scored five touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts and later scored the clinching touchdown in the NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns.
Hornung was a member of four NFL championship teams, helping the Packers win NFL titles in 1961, 1962 and 1965, as well as Super Bowl I in 1967. He was on the Packers’ Super Bowl I roster but did not play because of a pinched nerve in his neck. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the first pick in the 1967 expansion draft but never played for the franchise because of injury.
Hornung’s accomplishments earned him induction into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 1975, College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. He is among the select group of players chosen first overall in the NFL Draft who later earned election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Known throughout his career as the “Golden Boy,” Hornung also was an accomplished author. His books include Golden Boy (2004) and Lombardi and Me: Players, Coaches, and Colleagues Talk about the Man and the Myth (2006).