John Mackey (American football)

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = John Mackey

| image = John mackey press photo 1972.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Mackey in a press photo of 1972

| number = 88, 89

| position = Tight end

| birth_date = {{birth date|1941|9|24}}

| birth_place = Roosevelt, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2011|7|6|1941|9|24}}

| death_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

| high_school = Hempstead High School (NY)

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 224

| college = Syracuse (1960–1962)

| draftyear = 1963

| draftround = 2

| draftpick = 19

| afldraftyear = 1963

| afldraftround = 5

| afldraftpick = 35

| pastteams = * Baltimore Colts ({{nfly|1963}}–{{nfly|1971}})

San Diego Chargers ({{nfly|1972}})

| highlights = * Super Bowl champion (V)

| statlabel1 = Receptions

| statvalue1 = 331

| statlabel2 = Receiving yards

| statvalue2 = 5,236

| statlabel4 = Receiving touchdowns

| statvalue4 = 38

| pfr = M/MackJo00

| HOF = john-mackey

}}

John Mackey (September 24, 1941 – July 6, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers. He was born in Roosevelt, New York{{cite web |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07/07/nfl-hall-of-famer-long-island-native-john-mackey-dies-at-69/ |title=John Mackey, NFL Hall Of Famer And Long Island Native, Dies At 69 |date=July 7, 2001 |work=CBS New York |access-date=March 26, 2013}} and attended Syracuse University. He was the first president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) following the AFL-NFL merger, serving from 1970 to 1973. Mackey was also a major reason the NFLPA created the "88 Plan", which financially supports ex-players who required living assistance in later years.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Mackey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, the second pure tight end elected and is widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends ever.{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=J.P. |title=25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History |url=https://athlonsports.com/nfl/25-greatest-tight-ends-nfl-history |website=Athlon Sports |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809220024/https://athlonsports.com/nfl/25-greatest-tight-ends-nfl-history |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |date=June 21, 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Fragoza |first1=James |title=13 greatest tight ends of all time from Tony Gonzalez to Jackie Smith |url=https://www.profootballnetwork.com/ranking-top-tight-ends-in-nfl-history/ |website=Pro Football Network |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809220404/https://www.profootballnetwork.com/ranking-top-tight-ends-in-nfl-history/ |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |date=October 24, 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Brandt |first1=Gil |title=Gil Brandt's 14 greatest NFL tight ends of all time |url=https://www.nfl.com/photos/gil-brandt-s-14-greatest-nfl-tight-ends-of-all-time-0ap3000000816049 |website=NFL.com |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809220320/https://www.nfl.com/photos/gil-brandt-s-14-greatest-nfl-tight-ends-of-all-time-0ap3000000816049 |archive-date=August 9, 2022}}

College career

Mackey played three seasons at Syracuse University (1960–1962), alternating between the running back, tight end, and wide receiver position. His first two seasons were on the same team as Ernie Davis, the 1961 Heisman Trophy winner. Mackey caught a total of 27 passes for 481 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also rushing for 259 yards and 4 more scores.{{cite web| url = https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/john-mackey-2.html| title = John Mackey College Stats {{!}} College Football at Sports-Reference.com}} As a Junior, he set a school record with 321 receiving yards, and caught 4 passes in Syracuse's 15–14 win over the University of Miami in the 1961 Liberty Bowl.{{cite web| url = https://cuse.com/news/2011/7/7/FB_0707110503.aspx| title = Orange Legend John Mackey Passes Away - Syracuse University Athletics}} In Mackey's three seasons, Syracuse had a 20–10 record and won the Liberty Bowl each year.{{cite web| url = https://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2011/07/syracuse_great_john_mackey_and.html| title = Syracuse great John Mackey and wife, Sylvia, paid a heavy price for football glory - syracuse.com}} In addition to playing football at Syracuse he was also a member of the basketball & lacrosse teams.{{cite web |title=John Mackey College Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/john-mackey-1.html |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |access-date=11 November 2024 |language=en}}

Professional career

Mackey was drafted by the Baltimore Colts with the 19th pick in the second round of the 1963 NFL draft. As a rookie, he averaged over 20 yards per catch, scored seven touchdowns, and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. He also returned 9 kickoffs for 271 yards, an average of 30 yards per return.{{cite web| url = https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MackJo00.htm| title = John Mackey Stats {{!}} Pro-Football-Reference.com| website = Pro-Football-Reference.com}}

He went on to play a total of 10 NFL seasons as tight end, and became known for his size and speed.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=6745011 |title=Hall of Famer John Mackey dies |date=July 7, 2011 |work=ESPN.com |access-date=March 12, 2013}} Mackey played his first nine seasons with the Colts. After losing his starting role to Tom Mitchell entering the 1972 regular season, he requested to be traded. Colts general manager Joe Thomas placed him on the team's retired list instead, prompting Mackey to demand being put on waivers. He was not claimed by any team in an attempt by franchise owners to blackball him for having been the president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). He eventually signed with the San Diego Chargers on September 18, 1972, after being contacted by the team's defensive backs coach Willie Wood hours after clearing waivers.{{cite web| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/19/archives/john-mackeys-week.html| title = Anderson, Dave. "Sports of The Times: John Mackey's Week," The New York Times, Tuesday, September 19, 1972.| website = The New York Times}} Retrieved October 22, 2020 He retired as an active player at the end of the 1972 season.{{cite magazine |author=Dick Friedman |date=July 18, 2011 |title=He Gave His All. Make It Matter |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1188165/index.htm |access-date=March 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502003841/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1188165/index.htm |archive-date=2014-05-02}} Although a knee injury forced him into early retirement, Mackey only missed one game in his whole career.

During his 10 seasons in the NFL, Mackey scored 38 touchdowns and caught 331 passes for 5,236 yards. He also rushed 19 times for 127 yards. His career yards per catch average of 15.8 is currently the second-highest total among all Hall of Fame tight ends, trailing only Jackie Smith.{{cite web| url = https://athlonsports.com/nfl/25-greatest-tight-ends-nfl-history| title = 25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History - AthlonSports.com {{!}} Expert Predictions, Picks, and Previews}}

=Super Bowl V=

Mackey played in Super Bowl V on January 17, 1971. He was involved in a famous game-changing play where he caught a record-setting 75-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Johnny Unitas after the ball was deflected twice, once by fellow Colts player Eddie Hinton and once by opposing Dallas Cowboys defenseman Mel Renfro. Baltimore won the game 16–13, following a 32-yard field goal by Jim O'Brien with five seconds left.{{cite web |title=John Mackey |url=https://www.profootballhof.com/players/john-mackey/ |access-date=March 25, 2013 |work=profootballhof.com |publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame}}

=Honors=

During his playing career, Mackey played in five Pro Bowls, including in his rookie season. He was also named All-NFL three times. In 1992, Mackey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, becoming only the second pure tight end to be awarded this honor. In 2019, he was one of five tight ends included in the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.{{Cite web |title=NFL 100 |url=https://www.nfl.com/100/all-time-team/roster |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}} In 1969, Mackey was selected as the to the NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.{{Cite news |date=September 7, 1969 |title=Unitas QBs NFL Team |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune-nfl-50th-anniversary-t/48315094/ |work=Tampa Tribune |pages=34}}

Mackey has been included in several lists of great NFL players. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Mackey at 48 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Football Players."{{cite news |title=PRO FOOTBALL: NOTEBOOK; The Best From 1 to 100, And Subject to Debate |author=Mike Freeman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/01/sports/pro-football-notebook-the-best-from-1-to-100-and-subject-to-debate.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 1, 1999 |access-date=March 25, 2013}} He also placed at number 42 on the NFL Network's list of the "Top 100 Football Players" in 2010.{{cite news |title=Photos: 100 Greatest NFL Players of All Time |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-viral-greatest-nfl-players-pg,0,2022718.photogallery |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=March 25, 2013}} In 2021, The Athletic listed him as the 81st greatest player ever.{{Cite news |last=Zrebiec |first=Jeff |title=NFL 100: At No. 81, John Mackey 'changed the game of football' on the field and off |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2688448/2021/07/18/nfl-100-at-no-81-john-mackey-changed-the-game-on-the-field-and-off-of-it/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

In 2001, the John Mackey Award was established by the Nassau County Sports Commission. The award is given yearly to the top college tight end.{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.johnmackeyaward.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122011218/http://www.johnmackeyaward.org/ |archive-date=2013-01-22 |access-date=March 25, 2013 |work=johnmackeyaward.org |publisher=Nassau County Sports Commission}} On September 15, 2007, Mackey's alma mater, Syracuse University, retired number 88 in his honor.

On September 27, 2017, Mackey was installed, posthumously, into the Nassau County High School Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete. His widow, Sylvia, accepted the honor on his behalf. This was the third class of the Hall of fame, which is housed in the renovated Nassau County Veterans' Memorial Coliseum.

NFL career statistics

rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2"\| Team ! colspan="2"\| Games ! colspan="5"\| Receiving ! colspan="5"\| Rushing ! rowspan="2"\| Fum
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1963	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 35 \|\| 726 \|\| 20.7 \|\| 61 \|\| 7 \|\| 1 \|\| 3 \|\| 3.0 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 2
1964	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 22 \|\| 406 \|\| 18.5 \|\| 62 \|\| 2 \|\| 1 \|\| -1 \|\| -1.0 \|\| -1 \|\| 0 \|\| 1
1965	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 40 \|\| 814 \|\| 20.4 \|\| 68 \|\| 7 \|\| 1 \|\| 7 \|\| 7.0 \|\| 7 \|\| 0 \|\| 2
1966	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 50 \|\| 829 \|\| 16.6 \|\| 89 \|\| 9 \|\| 1 \|\| -6 \|\| -6.0 \|\| -6 \|\| 0 \|\| 0
1967	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 55 \|\| 686 \|\| 12.5 \|\| 34 \|\| 3 \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| 1
1968	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 45 \|\| 644 \|\| 14.3 \|\| 45 \|\| 5 \|\| 10 \|\| 103 \|\| 10.3 \|\| 33 \|\| 0 \|\| 1
1969	BAL \| 14 \|\| 14 \|\| 34 \|\| 443 \|\| 13.0 \|\| 52 \|\| 2 \|\| 2 \|\| 3 \|\| 1.5 \|\| 7 \|\| 0 \|\| 1
1970	BAL \| 14 \|\| 11 \|\| 28 \|\| 435 \|\| 15.5 \|\| 54 \|\| 3 \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| 1
1971	BAL \| 14 \|\| 5 \|\| 11 \|\| 143 \|\| 13.0 \|\| 28 \|\| 0 \|\| 3 \|\| 18 \|\| 6.0 \|\| 9 \|\| 0 \|\| 1
1972	SD \| 13 \|\| 4 \|\| 11 \|\| 110 \|\| 10.0 \|\| 21 \|\| 0 \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| — \|\| 1
colspan="2"\| Career	139	118	331	5,236	15.8	89	38	19	127	6.7	33	0	11

Post-playing career

=NFL Players Association presidency=

In 1970, Mackey became the first president of the National Football League Players Association following the merger of the National Football League and the American Football League.{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Matthew |year=2006 |title=Despite His Antics, T.O. Has a Valid Point: Why NFL Players Deserve a Bigger Piece of the Pie |journal=Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=425–464 |url=http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/mslj/vol13/iss2/6 |access-date=March 22, 2013}} Although the NFL and AFL each had a candidate for president in mind, Mackey emerged as the leader both sides could agree on.{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2011-03-03-nfl-labor-disputes-timeline_N.htm |title=Timeline of NFL labor disputes |author=Jarrett Bell |date=March 12, 2011 |work=USA Today |access-date=March 22, 2013}} Mackey held the position of president until September 1973.{{cite news |title=Mackey Quits Players Post |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6SErAAAAIBAJ&pg=4031%2C3037702 |work=Schenectady Gazette |date=September 13, 1973 |access-date=March 22, 2013}}

In his first year as president, Mackey organized a strike following a lockout by owners, with NFL players seeking additional pension contributions and insurance benefits, as well as higher pre- and post-season pay. The strike resulted in increased fringe benefits for NFL players totalling more than $12 million.{{cite news |title=The Year of the Strike |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttoDAAAAMBAJ&q=nfl+strike+1970&pg=PA143 |work=Ebony |date=November 1970 |publisher = Johnson Publishing Company|access-date=March 22, 2013}} According to former teammate Ordell Braase, Mackey "had a vision for that job, which was more than just putting in time and keeping the natives calm. You don't get anything unless you really rattle the cage." In 1972, Mackey became the lead plaintiff in a court action which led to the overturning of the so-called "Rozelle Rule," which limited a player's ability to act as a free agent. In 1976, the Rozelle Rule was ruled to violate antitrust laws in Mackey v. NFL.{{cite journal |last1=Novick |first1=David |year=1975 |title=The Legality of the Rozelle Rule and Related Practices in the National Football League |journal=Fordham Urban Law Journal |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=581–596 |publisher=The Berkeley Electronic Press |url=http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=ulj |access-date=March 22, 2013}}{{cite court |litigants=John Mackey et al. v. National Football League |vol=407 F.Supp. 1000 |court=United States District Court, D. Minnesota, Fourth Division |date=1975 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6030170695174121295&q=Mackey+v.+nfl |access-date=March 25, 2013 }}{{cite book |author=Mark Conrad |title=The Business of Sports: A Primer for Journalists |year=2010 |isbn=978-0415876537 |publisher=Routledge |page=149 }}

=Post-career health problems=

Several years after retiring from the NFL, Mackey began experiencing symptoms of dementia. In one incident at an airport checkpoint,{{when|date=November 2022}} Mackey refused to remove his Super Bowl and Hall of Fame rings at the metal detector. When a guard insisted he take them off, Mackey bolted through the checkpoint. It took four guards to subdue him. "I'm just so thankful they didn't shoot him because they had no idea about his mental condition," His wife Sylvia said after the incident. "They easily could have mistaken him for being a bomb-toting terrorist."{{cite web| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/sports/football/john-mackey-was-defined-by-greatness-and-illness.html| title = John Mackey Was Defined by Greatness and Illness - The New York Times| website = The New York Times}}

Mackey's condition worsened, and his family was forced to put him into a full-time assisted living facility.{{when|date=November 2022}}{{cite web |url=http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/thrown_for_a_loss_retired_players_sue_claim_nfl_hid_brain_damage_info/ |title=Thrown for a Loss: Retired Players Sue, Claim NFL Hid Brain Damage Info |author=John Gibeaut |date=November 1, 2011 |work=ABA Journal |access-date=March 12, 2013}} Although Mackey received a small pension, it was not sufficient to cover the costs of his care, leading his wife Sylvia to contact NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Once made aware of the problem, Tagliabue and NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw responded with the "88 plan" in February 2007.{{cite book |author=Stanley H. Teitelbaum |title=Athletes Who Indulge Their Dark Side: Sex, Drugs, and Cover-Ups |year=2010 |isbn=978-1469962771 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=88 }}{{cite news |title=Congress questions NFL record-keeping on disabled players |author=Peter Keating |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3139465 |work=ESPN The Magazine |date=December 4, 2007 |access-date=March 19, 2013}}{{cite news |title=Wives United by Husbands' Post-N.F.L. Trauma |author=Alan Schwarz |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9a03e6d81131f937a25750c0a9619c8b63 |work=The New York Times |date=March 14, 2007 |access-date=March 21, 2013}} Named for Mackey's jersey number, the plan provides $88,000 per year for nursing home care and up to $50,000 annually for adult day care for former NFL players, including Mackey, having dementia or Alzheimer's.{{cite web |author=James M Klatell |date=February 11, 2009 |title=John Mackey: From The NFL To Dementia |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-mackey-from-the-nfl-to-dementia/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025042655/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/28/eveningnews/main2738666.shtml |archive-date=2012-10-25 |access-date=March 12, 2013 |url-status=live |work=CBS News}} Mackey died July 6, 2011, at the age of 69. It was revealed by a study by Boston University on his brain that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.{{cite news |author=Fainaru, Steve and Mark Fainaru-Wada |title=Study: New cases of CTE in players |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8697286/boston-university-researchers-discover-28-new-cases-chronic-brain-damage-deceased-football-players |website=ESPN.com |date=December 3, 2012 |access-date=September 22, 2019}} He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) |website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= The New York Times |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}