MONTGOMERY, Ala (WIAT) — Friends, family and fans of legendary football player Bart Starr will gather Sunday at Samford University to say their goodbyes.
931 National Street in Montgomery is where it all started for Bart Starr, his childhood home. Starr began his football career at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery.
“Most people know Bart Starr from being a great professional quarterback, they don’t know him for being a collegiate and a high school quarterback,” John Longshore said.
Radio sports host John Longshore remembering Starr as the athlete he was.
“Bart was a better pro quarterback than any other level of quarterback he ever played, he just excelled in the NFL,” John Longshore said.
Longshore says Starr loved his fans and the state of Alabama.
“If it was a picture or an autograph he was always willing to accommodate,” Longshore said.
Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange says the city has produced some pretty important people to the world.
“They may live in Birmingham, in Atalanta or Detroit or another place, but their roots, their character, their up bring was through the values of Montgomery,” Strange said.
Starr’s picture hangs inside of Cramton Bowl. Each year, a lucky player gets the award that bears his name.
“It was named for him and has been presented a number of times to athletes that have been from Montgomery,” Strange said.
Starr died back in May at the age of 85.
