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The Super Bowl is the NFL’s greatest stage, and players who earn the right to compete in it usually go out of their way to make sure they’re prepared for The Big Game. However, that was not the case with Max McGee, a Packers player who overcame a hangover on his way to emerging as a hero.
On January 15, 1967, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers faced off in what was officially known as the first-ever “AFL–NFL World Championship Game”—a contest that is now referred to as Super Bowl I.
The Packers headed into the showdown at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as 14-point favorites thanks in no small part to the prowess of Bart Starr, who was just one of 11 players on the Green Bay roster who’d ultimately be inducted into the Hall of Fame (all of whom were helmed by the legendary Vince Lombardi).
Max McGee was not among that group, and most people expected the 33-year-old veteran (who was drafted by the Packers in 1954) to be a non-factor when you consider he’d hauled in a grand total of four passes while serving as a backup for the majority of the regular season.
That apparently included McGee himself, as he decided to let loose the night before The Big Game got underway only to find himself living a bit of a nightmare thanks to the hangover he was greeted with the following day.
Max McGee overcame a hangover to help the Packers win the first Super Bowl
Super Bowl I just so happens to be the game that spawned the legendary picture of Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson smoking a cigarette in the locker room at halftime while clad in his full uniform, so it’s safe to say players back then took a slightly different approach to their health compared to guys nowadays.
With that said, the potential downsides of ripping a dart (at least in the short term) pale in comparison to the issues you’re going to end up facing if you decide to help yourself to a steady stream of adult beverages during a night that ends with you watching the sun rise when you’re scheduled to take part in a football game later that evening.
Lombardi didn’t want his players to end up in that situation, and as McGee recalled while reflecting on his experience, the skipper announced he’d be imposing a $5,000 fine for anyone who violated the 11 P.M. curfew that was put in place before the Super Bowl.
However, that wasn’t enough to dissuade McGee from sneaking out of the team hotel and linking up with a couple of female flight attendants he’d previously crossed paths with at the bar in the lobby of the venue where the Packers were staying. He ended up getting back at around 6:30 A.M., and while he attempted to sneak in some sleep, he was still in pretty rough shape by the time he reported for duty.
McGee had spent the majority of the season serving as a backup for Boyd Dowler, and he had no reason to believe that would change in the Super Bowl. He went out of his way to ask his teammate to avoid getting hurt while making it clear he was in pretty rough shape prior to the game, but sadly, Dowler (who was already dealing with shoulder issues) was unable to comply with that request.
It took a grand total of three plays for Dowler to head to the sidelines after injuring his shoulder during a block, and McGee was quickly informed he needed to fill the void. He couldn’t find his helmet and was forced to borrow an oversized one from a lineman before trotting out onto the gridiron to face the music.
McGee dropped the first past Starr threw his way, but he made up for it later in the drive with a one-handed snag he took to the house to score the first touchdown in Super Bowl history. He’d score his second in the third quarter to give the Packers an 18-point lead, and when everything was said and done, he hauled in seven receptions for 183 yards to help his squad walk away with the 35-10 victory.
Starr was ultimately named MVP, but part of me thinks more people would’ve voted for McGee if they’d been aware of the adversity he was forced to overcome.