34 Facts About Paul Hornung

1.

Paul Hornung played on teams that won four NFL titles and the first Super Bowl.

2.

Paul Hornung is the first Heisman Trophy winner to be selected as the first overall selection in the NFL Draft, play pro football, win the NFL most valuable player award, and be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.

3.

Paul Hornung was an excellent all-around college athlete at Notre Dame, where he played basketball in addition to football.

4.

Paul Hornung was the son of Paul Vernon Hornung Sr.

5.

Paul Hornung was an outstanding athlete at Flaget High School in Louisville, and lettered all four years in football, basketball, and baseball.

6.

Paul Hornung was recruited by Bear Bryant at Kentucky in nearby Lexington, but chose to attend Notre Dame instead.

7.

Paul Hornung finished fourth in the nation in total offense with 1,215 yards and six touchdowns.

8.

Paul Hornung played defense, led in passes broken up, and was second in interceptions and tackles made.

9.

Paul Hornung played basketball during his sophomore year at Notre Dame.

10.

Paul Hornung has said that he attended Notre Dame in part for the opportunity to play basketball, and that he was asked not to continue playing in order to help keep his grades up.

11.

At the 1957 College All Star game in August in Chicago, Paul Hornung had a famous match race with Abe Woodson.

12.

Paul Hornung was taken by the Green Bay Packers, with whom he went on to win four league championships, including the first Super Bowl in January 1967.

13.

Paul Hornung passed for two additional touchdowns, which did not add to his point-scoring total.

14.

In 1961, Paul Hornung set the scoring record in an NFL championship game with 19 points.

15.

Paul Hornung was voted the league's Most Valuable Player in 1961 and was chosen as an All-Pro twice and named to the Pro Bowl twice.

16.

Paul Hornung is one of only nine players to have won both the Heisman Trophy and the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.

17.

Paul Hornung is the only one to ever make a 50+ yard fair catch kick which came in 1964 on September 13, at the end of the first half of the opener against rival Chicago.

18.

Paul Hornung was selected in the expansion draft by the New Orleans Saints, who later traded for Paul Hornung's backfield mate at Green Bay, Jim Taylor.

19.

Paul Hornung never suited up for the Saints, as the neck injury forced him to retire during training camp.

20.

Paul Hornung holds the record for most games with 30+ points, the most games with 25+ points, and the most games with 13 points in a season.

21.

Paul Hornung holds the dubious distinction of having missed an NFL record 26 field goals in a season, doing so in 1964.

22.

Paul Hornung was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

23.

Also, the "Paul Hornung Award" is given out annually to the state of Kentucky's top high school player.

24.

Paul Hornung was obliged to serve in the US Army and he was called to active duty during the 1961 season, but he was able to get weekend passes to play on Sundays.

25.

Paul Hornung was awarded a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, but the car's fair market value was not included on his tax returns for either 1961 or 1962.

26.

Forthright in admitting to his mistake, Paul Hornung's image went relatively untarnished, and in 1964 his suspension, and Karras's, were re-evaluated by the league and both were reinstated in March.

27.

In exchange for Lombardi's efforts, Paul Hornung agreed not to have anything to do with gambling, to stay out of Las Vegas and to even forgo attending the Kentucky Derby which he had done annually.

28.

Paul Hornung was employed as a color analyst on Minnesota Vikings radio broadcasts from 1970 to 1974, as well as TVS WFL telecasts in 1974, CBS NFL telecasts from 1975 to 1979, and ABC Radio USFL broadcasts from 1983 to 1985.

29.

Paul Hornung worked as a sideline reporter for CBS' coverage of Super Bowl XII.

30.

Paul Hornung did college play-by-play for TigerVision, LSU's pay-per-view broadcasts in 1982 with ex-Green Bay Packers teammate Jim Taylor.

31.

Paul Hornung performed color commentary for games on College Football on TBS in the early 1980s.

32.

Paul Hornung had a horse on the 2013 Road to the Kentucky Derby by the name of Titletown Five, trained by friend and hall of fame trainer D Wayne Lukas.

33.

Paul Hornung died from dementia on November 13,2020, at the age of 84, in Louisville, Kentucky.

34.

Paul Hornung was survived by his wife of 41 years, Angela Hornung.