John Brockington, a former All-Pro fullback and member of the Green Bay Packers’ Hall of Fame, has gave up the ghost Friday at the age of 74.
Brockington earned All-Pro honors in 1971 whilst additionally successful Offensive Rookie of the Year after dashing for 1,105 yards and averaging 5.1 yards in keeping with lift. A Pro Bowler every of his first 3 seasons with the Packers, Brockington scored a career-high 8 dashing touchdowns in 1972. Brockington ran for a career-high 1,144 yards in 1973. He completed his Packers profession with over 5,000 dashing yards and 30 dashing touchdowns.
“The Packers family was saddened to hear about the passing of John,” Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. “One of the great runners of his era, John was an exciting player to watch with his powerful running style. Fans enthusiastically welcomed John back to Lambeau Field over the years, fondly remembering the 1972 division championship as well as the bright spots he provided in the less-successful seasons.
“I loved getting to understand John throughout his go back visits to Green Bay and a great deal revered his paintings in strengthen of organ donation in the course of the John Brockington Foundation. He leaves a good looking legacy.
“We extend our condolences to his wife, Diane, and his family and friends.”
Brockington, who completed his NFL profession with the Chiefs, loved a standout profession at Ohio State that ended in him being the No. 9 total select within the 1971 NFL Draft. His 1,142 dashing yards and 17 dashing touchdowns throughout the 1970 season had been each faculty data at the time. Brockington’s luck that season helped Ohio State file an undefeated common season.
After faculty, Brockington then took his abilities to Green Bay, the place he was the primary participant in NFL historical past to begin his profession with 3 directly 1,000-yard dashing seasons. He used to be inducted into the Packers’ Hall of Fame in 1984.
“John Brockington was the toughest, hardest hitting running back that I knew,” former Packers offensive lineman Bill Lueck stated of Brockington. “We used to joke, ‘Nobody wants to be the first guy to make contact with John Brockington.’
“He used to be a beast. Nobody sought after to take on him. He’d run over the primary man. That used to be his recreation. But he used to be elusive additionally. That’s what made him this sort of unhealthy working again. He would possibly run over you the primary play, and the following play you might be all tensed up and in a position for this primary collision, and he’d put a transfer on you. You by no means knew what used to be coming: A transfer or run over you.”
As Murphy alluded to in his commentary, Brockington created his foundation after receiving a kidney transplant from his long run spouse, Diane. The basis’s challenge is to “create a culture in which organ donation is commonplace; to provide financial and resource support for those donating, awaiting, and/or receiving organs; and to promote health education to minority communities who are disproportionately represented on the transplant waiting list.”
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is certainly one of a number of notable athletes who have served as champions for Brockington’s basis.
“Had I never been transplanted, this would have never happened,” Brockington stated about his basis during a 2016 interview. “I’d never thought about it. I never knew about this kind of thing.”
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