Hornung, Paul V.
Football
b. Dec. 23, 1935, Louisville, KY
A fullback as a sophomore at Notre Dame, Hornung was moved to quarterback in 1955 and was a consensus All-American. As a senior in 1956, he became the only player ever to win the Heisman Trophy with a losing team. And, ironically, he wasn't a consensus All-American that season.
Although he was a fair passer, his strengths were running the ball in the split T offense and place-kicking. When he joined the Green Bay Packers as the bonus draft choice in 1957, the team didn't know quite what to do with him. He saw playing time at quarterback, halfback, fullback, and even tight end until Vince Lombardi took over the team and made him the starting left halfback in 1959.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hornung responded with a sensational season in 1960, scoring 176 points on 15 touchdowns, 41 extra points, and 15 field goals. Set in just 12 games, that's an NFL record that has survived the increases to 14-game and 16-game season. Hornung rushed for 671 yards and also threw two touchdown passes on the halfback option that year.
He was in the army in 1961 but was able to get weekend leave to play on Sunday while missing practice. He again led the league in scoring with 146 points. In Green Bay's 37-0 victory over the New York Giants in the NFL championship game, Hornung set a record by scoring 19 points. He won the Bert Bell Trophy as the league's player of the year.
Hornung missed much of the 1962 season with injuries. On April 17, 1963, he and Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions were suspended indefinitely for betting on games and associating with undesirable persons. The suspension was lifted in 1964, when Hornung came back with 107 points. However, recurring injuries in 1965 and 1966 forced his retirement.
Known as a money player who got better as the goal line got closer, Hornung made contributions that can't be measured entirely in statistics. He and fullback Jim Taylor blocked exceptionally well for one another.
In his 9 seasons, Hornung rushed 893 times for 3,711 yards, a 4.2 average, and scored 50 touchdowns. He caught 130 passes for 1,480 yards, an 11.4 average, and 12 touchdowns, and scored a total of 760 points on 62 touchdowns, 190 extra points, and 66 field goals. He also threw 5 touchdown passes.