Saying Goodbye to Baltimore Colts Legend John Mackey

Friends, teammates and relatives gathered Saturday morning at to say goodbye to Hall of Fame Colts tight end and to celebrate his legacy as a pioneering union leader. 

Mackey died last month at age 69 in Baltimore following a.

Mackey’s career as an outstanding professional football player can be easily measured in championships and statistics, but the impact of Mackey’s contribution as a person dedicated to helping others can not be so easily tallied. But judging by the top NFL personalities who attended his ceremony, his impact will resonate for generations to come.

“John loved Baltimore, the fans, and especially the children,” said his wife Sylvia. “He was a wonderful husband and a fantastic father.”

During the memorial service—which included reflections from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and former players Bill Curry, Floyd Little and Ed Garvey—Mackey was praised for his dominant athletic ability on the field and his leadership skills off it.

Rev. Joe Ehrmann, a former Colts defensive lineman, shared celebrant duties and set the tone by calling Mackey a “change agent” who “used his gifts to make the world a better place.”

“There is no one player who made a greater impact on the NFL. He made the NFL a better place for players and their families,” said Goodell, who was a Colt fan in the early 1960s growing up in the Washington D.C. area.

Mackey transformed the role of tight end as both a blocker and a receiver capable of scoring touchdowns. He was the first president of the NFL Player’s Association. And, through his struggle with dementia, he helped raise awareness among current and retired players about the residual effects of playing football.

His wife wrote a letter to the NFL about her husband’s condition and was instrumental in pushing for passage of “The 88 Plan," which provides benefits including institutional care for players suffering from Alzheimer’s.

As a player for the Colts from 1963 to 1971, Mackey revolutionized the position by stretching the field with his speed, running over defenders and scoring touchdowns.

“He was the greatest player at his position of all time and the greatest leader I have ever known,” said Curry, a former Colt teammate.

Curry remembered how Mackey welcomed him and his wife, a frightened young white couple from Green Bay, to Baltimore in 1967 by inviting them into their home.

“They loved us unconditionally,” he said. “It was the first time that an African-American family had invited us into their home.”

Clad in his NFL Hall of Fame jacket, former Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little talked about a 50-year relationship with Mackey that began at Syracuse University. He read the letter that Mackey wrote on his behalf that helped get him into the Hall of Fame. Mackey wrote, “Little runs with a special grace like Gale Sayers” and encouraged the Hall to “do what’s right.”

“Thank you, John for standing up for me,” Little said.

Former Player’s Association Director Ed Garvey spoke about how Mackey handled a linebacker on the New York Jets who wasn’t paying his union dues.

“Mackey blocked him four straight times,” he said. “The plays were on the other side of the field and the linebacker asks, ‘Why do you keep hitting me?’ 'Pay your dues,' Mackey told him. 'Okay, okay,' the player said."

Smith said that when the players union completed the recent collective bargaining agreement to end the work stoppage, they signed a number “88” Colt Jersey for their offices as a tribute to leadership and their commitment to fight as a team.

“He had strong hands and muscles on the field and he was soft enough to rock a baby to sleep,” said Rev. Elijah Mackey, his brother.

Mackey’s tenacity as a player may have contributed to his Alzheimer’s condition.

“He would not try to elude tacklers, he would run through them, or over them and he relished it,” said Baltimore Colt fan Jim Smith.

Baltimoreans remember a cold winter afternoon in late January of 1971 when it looked like the Cowboys were going to win Super Bowl V.  They had a 6-0 lead and the momentum when Johnny Unitas dropped back to pass. The ball went through receiver Eddie Hinton’s hands and grazed the fingers of defensive back Mel Renfro before ending up in Mackey’s grasp for a 75-yard touchdown.

“He just looked up and the ball was there,” said former Colt Tom Matte. “Prior to that, we were thinking, it’s 1969 all over again.”

“Just give me the ball” became one of Mackey’s favorite sayings.

Mackey's son, Kevin, talked about how his dad took him to 13 Super Bowls and to business meetings around the country. He relayed his father’s approach to managing people and how the janitor was as important as the chairman of the board.

He explained how his mother made sure that his dad was never without friends in the assisted living facility and how his two sisters each shared the role of taking care of their father.

“Dad was a bit of a rebel. He was in the 1992 Hall of Fame class with John Riggins, Lem Barney and Al Davis,” he said.

When the league wanted Mackey to receive his Hall of Fame ring in Indianapolis, he became outraged. He told them that he would rather obtain it in a bar in Baltimore over some steamed crabs and a cold beer.

Lenny Moore, Bruce Laird, Tony Linhart, Artie Donovan, Brig Owens, Ozzie Newsome and Matte were among some of the former players in attendance at Mackey's 1992 Hall of Fame induction—at Memorial Stadium.

“Everybody loved my dad and I loved him too,” said Kevin Mackey.