Green Bay Packers legend dies at 91

By Ross Kelly February 11, 2018 at 10:54am

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One of the oldest living members of the Green Bay Packers’ storied history has passed away.

John Martinkovic, who turned 91 on Super Bowl Sunday, died Thursday. Per the Packers, he passed away at a dementia care facility in Allouez, Wisconsin.

After graduating from Xavier University, Martinkovic was a sixth-round pick by the Washington Redskins in the 1951 draft. He was then traded to the Packers shortly thereafter, where he spent six of his seven NFL seasons.

“They had to get a map out because they didn’t know where Green Bay was,” Martinkovic’s oldest daughter, Amy, said of her parents’ reaction to the trade.

Martinkovic was a defensive end for Green Bay from 1951-56 and then played his final season with the New York Giants. He made three Pro Bowls, never missed a game in his career and was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.

“He was a very good defensive end,” former teammate and four-time Pro Bowl safety Bobby Dillon said in 2015. “He probably was more of a run guy than a pass rusher. He was a big, strong guy. He didn’t miss assignments. He was just a good player.”

Two-way players were still the norm during Martinkovic’s era, and while he didn’t play on offense, Martinkovic did contribute as a kick returner during his career. He also scored two touchdowns in his career, one on a blocked punt return and one on a fumble return.

Martinkovic played during a dark era in Green Bay Packers history as the team never had a winning season during his six years there. He played in the period right after Curly Lambeau left as head coach and just before Vince Lombardi took over.

But Martinkovic did get to play one year under Lombardi, who was an assistant coach with the New York Giants in 1957. Martinkovic was traded to New York for a third-round pick.

The Packers definitely got the better of that trade, because the pick they got in return was used on linebacker Ray Nitschke, who went to have a Hall of Fame career.

In the age of single-bar facemasks, Martinkovic has a famous war story of what it was like during this era.

“Baltimore came here, I think in 1953,” Martinkovic said in 2002. “That’s when we still had one bar on the helmet. I think it was the middle of the second quarter, (John) Huzvar, the fullback for Baltimore; I was rushing the passer and he hit me with the end of his elbow right under the bar and busted my lip and knocked me half out.

“They sat me on the end of the bench. Doc Atkinson looked at me and said, ‘John, it looks like you’ll need nine or 10 stitches.’ He looks in his Dopp Kit and says, ‘I don’t have any anesthetic.’ So he sews five stitches on the inside and four on the outside. (Gene) Ronzani comes over and says. ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘I feel like (crap).’ We went in at halftime and they put an ice pack on it. He says, ‘You think you can play?’ I said, ‘I’ll try.’ So I played the rest of the ballgame.”

After retiring following the 1957 season, Martinkovic returned to Green Bay where he lived until his death. According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, he worked at various car dealerships until he retired in 1992.

Martinkovic was a member of four halls of fame, including Badin High School, Butler County and Xavier University — all in Ohio — as well as the Packers Hall of Fame.

Seventeen of Martinkovic’s Packers teammates have also been inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame and three of them have gone into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Bart Starr.

A Green Bay Packer until his death, Martinkovic’s daughter Amy says he will be buried wearing his Packers tie.

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