Bart Starr's Son Gives Update on Iconic Packers QB After Heart Attack, Strokes

Legendary Packers quarterback Bart Starr plans to be in attendance when Brett Favre's No. 4 is retired at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving.   

"He wants to walk out onto midfield and give Brett Favre a hug and tell him how much he loves and admires him," Bart Starr Jr. said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. "He wants to tell the same thing to all of you because you cannot imagine how strengthening it is getting all of your messages and all your well wishes. You have made a difference in his recovery and therefore in my mom's well-being also."

Starr Jr. was speaking at Saturday night's banquet honoring Favre's induction to the Packers Hall of Fame. His father, who suffered multiple strokes and a heart attack last year, was unable to attend as he undergoes stem-cell treatment to improve his condition.

Starr and his wife, Cherry, were able to congratulate Favre via a video message that played at Lambeau Field. Favre, who developed a special bond with the Starr family over his 16 seasons in Green Bay, said he hopes Starr will be healthy enough to make the trip.

"I have my fingers crossed that he'll be there for that ceremony," Favre said. "And Bart Jr. has promised me he's going to be here. We're getting him in tip-top shape, so I'm looking forward to that."

Favre owns every major Packers passing record, most of which he took from Starr. Current quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who controversially took Favre's job following his first retirement in 2008, has since moved past Starr in many of those categories. 

If Starr is able to make the trip, it should be a special torch-passing moment as the three best quarterbacks in franchise history—and three of the best in NFL history—are together in the same building.

 

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