You’d forgive even essentially the most diehard of NFL followers for not figuring out who Max McGee is.
However, in 1967, the wide-receiver – affected by a hangover – earned his spot in NFL historical past as he impressed his Green Bay Packers to their first Super Bowl success. It was the primary ever version of the Super Bowl that summer time, with the NFL champions taking over the AFC upstarts.
It was extra of a gimmick match – akin to the trendy day Pro Bowl. However, for legendary coach Vince Lombardi, successful was all the things, and he wished to ‘defend the honour of the league’.
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McGee was within the twilight of his profession – and he reportedly toyed with the thought of retirement the season beforehand. However, he had determined to proceed as a backup for the Packers, receiving a profession low three receptions all season.
He had no hope of enjoying a single snap in the course of the Super Bowl. McGee’s former team-mate Paul Hornung revealed to Sports Illustrated, McGee had snuck out the night earlier than the sport – anticipating Hornung to affix him.
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(Image: Sports Illustrated by way of Getty Images)
“He called and said, ‘I’ve got two girls, and yours is gorgeous,’ come out and have a couple of drinks with us.'” Hornung, who was weary of the $5,000 and was getting married later within the week, declined.
And so, alone with a few women, McGee partied into the evening, with Hornung subsequent listening to from him at 6:30am: “He called from the lobby and asked if they did a second check. I said, ‘No, you lucky b******, now get your ass up here.'”
McGee did not get a wink of sleep, and he rocked as much as the wide-receivers assembly with a pounding headache. Boyd Dowler joked: “We’re having our little assembly and Max says, ‘Whatever you do, do not go down immediately.’
(Image: Focus on Sport by way of Getty Images)
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“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ Max says, ‘I was out all night, and I had a few more drinks than I should have, and I didn’t get much sleep. So just don’t go down.'”
Dowler, nevertheless, had been enjoying the season with a dodgy shoulder – and it took only one hit to interrupt it. Lombardi, wanting alongside his bench, noticed the hungover McGee and referred to as him onto the gridiron.
McGee was so unprepared he was unable to search out his helmet, and he needed to borrow a linebackers. And it went from unhealthy to worse when he dropped his first catch.
(Image: Getty Images)
Amazingly, the celebs began to align for McGee. He caught one landing, after which one other, because the Packers began to run away with the sport.
When the Packers had been topped as the primary Super Bowl champions, McGee had seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns. “He had the game of his life,” joked Hornung.