ESPN’s Darren Rovell brought former Packers receiver Max McGee to my attention Tuesday morning, and I’m sure glad he did.
Rovell tweeted out a photo of McGree on the cover of Sports Illustrated and a photo of a Chi Chi restaurant. He captioned the photos, “On cover of SI on this day in 1967: Packers backup WR Max McGee, who was so sure he wouldn’t play in Super Bowl I, he stayed out all night & came to the stadium with a hangover. Was put in & scored 2 TD’s. Post career: Co-founded Mexican chain Chi-Chi’s, made millions.”
On cover of SI on this day in 1967: Packers backup WR Max McGee, who was so sure he wouldn’t play in Super Bowl I, he stayed out all night & came to the stadium with a hangover. Was put in & scored 2 TD’s. Post career: Co-founded Mexican chain Chi-Chi’s, made millions. pic.twitter.com/ATmx1WroHb
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 23, 2018
How have I not heard of this guy before? He sounds awesome. He shows up to the first ever Super Bowl hungover from the night before, does expect to play, catches multiple touchdowns and then opens up a chain of Mexican restaurants in retirement. This sounds like a guy I want to party with every single day of the week.
This is such a great classic football story, and it shows how much things have changed over the years. Players for the Super Bowl are now watched under a microscope prior to the game. There’s way too much money on the line to risk anything. That’s not how it was back in the day. Our boy McGee was out getting blitzed the night before, and then the Packers went on to win the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This also probably would never happen today because somebody would get it on camera, and then all hell would break loose. It was a simpler time back in the 1960s. It was a time when a backup wide receiver could get smashed prior to a game and nobody in the world was any wiser.
Max McGee: Super Bowl hero, epic partier and restaurant owner. That’s not a bad trio.