Herb Adderley, 81, cornerback great with 6 NFL titles, dies

Herb Adderley, the Hall of Fame cornerback who joined the NFL as a running back and became part of a record six championship teams with the Packers and Cowboys, has died. He was 81.

His death was confirmed by the team Friday, with no details given. Nasir Adderley, a safety for the Los Angeles Chargers, tweeted that his cousin was a “unique soul who has had such an incredible influence on my life.”

Herb Adderley played in four of the first six Super Bowls and won five NFL championships with Green Bay and one with Dallas during his 12-year career.

But he was always a Packer at heart.

“I’m the only man with a Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl ring who doesn’t wear it. I’m a Green Bay Packer,” Adderley said in the book “Distant Replay,” a memoir by former Packers teammate Jerry Kramer.

Along with former teammates Fuzzy Thurston and Forrest Gregg, Adderley is one of four players in pro football history to play on six championship teams. Tom Brady is the other. Adderley was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Bart Starr, the Hall of Fame quarterback and a former Packers teammate, once called Adderley the “greatest cornerback to ever play the game.”

Born on June 8, 1939, in Philadelphia, Adderley was a three-sport star in high school.

He excelled at running back at Michigan State and was the 12th pick overall of the 1961 draft.

Adderley came to training camp expecting to compete for a starting job against future Hall of Fame running backs Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung.

Midway through the season, Packers coach Vince Lombardi switched Adderley to defense to replace injured starter Hank Gremminger.

The move paid immediate dividends.

Adderley’s speed and instincts made him a quick learner in his new position, which helped propel him into a stalwart of Green Bay’s secondary. Adderley intercepted 48 passes, returning them for 1,046 yards and seven touchdowns for his career.

“Herb Adderley simply wouldn’t let me get to the outside,” Hall of Fame receiver Tommy McDonald once said. “He’d just beat me up, force me to turn underneath routes all the time. … Other guys tried the same tactic, but he was the only one tough enough and fast enough to get it done.”

Associated Press file photo Hall of Fame cornerback Herb Adderley has died. He was 81. His death was confirmed Friday on Twitter by nephew Nasir Adderley, a safety for the Los Angeles Chargers. Adderley played on six NFL title teams over a 12-year career with Green Bay and Dallas.