Paul Hornung, one of the National Football League’s most famous early stars, has passed away of dememtia, at the age of 84 according to the Associated Press on Friday. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Hornung is known to be the first NFL MVP to have also won the Heisman Trophy during his collegiate career.
Hornung, who was the first overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft, won the Heisman Trophy with the University of Notre Dame as their quarterback in 1956. He then went on to be the most valuable player in the National Football League as a running back (at the time known as a halfback) with the Green Bay Packers in 1961.
While in the NFL, Hornung played nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers from 1957 to 1962, and then again from 1964 to 1966. The reason why Hornung did not play the 1963 NFL season is because he was suspended a full year for gambling according to Pro Football Reference.
In 104 regular season games, Hornung had 893 rushes for 3711 yards and 50 touchdowns. He also had 130 catches for 1480 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hornung also made 66 of 140 field goals in his NFL career.
Hornung, who was nicknamed Golden Boy, was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1959 and 1960. In 1960, and 1961, Hornung was also a first-team all-pro. In the 1960 season, he led the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns.
Hornung was part of the Packers team that won Super Bowl I over the Kansas City Chiefs, even though he did not play in the game. He did however have more of an active role on the Packers teams that won the 1961, 1962 and 1965 NFL Championships. In 1986, Hornung was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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