Former Packer Gary Ellerson on passing of Bart Starr: a legend in every sense of the word

MILWAUKEE -- (CBS 58) Former Packers quarterback Bart Starr died Sunday at his home in, Birmingham, Alabama at the age of 85. 

Former Packers player Gary Ellerson is sharing his thoughts on Starr’s passing.

He said the Packers legend will be remembered simply as that - a legend in every sense of the word.

"Loved the man and he loved you," Ellerson said.

If there was ever an athlete who could command respect in the most genuine way, Ellerson said that was Bart Starr.

"Just a magnificent man a great presence, but was never above anything," Ellerson said. "Just a guy that was very down to earth."

Ellerson joined the Packers a few years after Starr’s time as coach of the green and gold, but he played under head coach Forrest Gregg, Starr’s former teammate and he played along side many players drafted in the Bart Starr era.

"I think most guys that played under him saw him really like a father figure, but don’t get that mistaken by he couldn’t be stern," he said. "He could, but he respected you as a man."

Ellerson said Starr set the bar for quarterbacks in the league, not just with the titles he won, but how he could connect with the players.

"He was a leader of men," Ellerson said "He could get his players, his teammates to try harder because he was the quarterback."

Ellerson said his legacy will live on for many generations to come.

"I think really just the man that he was more than anything else," he said. "I think the integrity that he had as a human being. I think the way that he carried himself. I think the way that he cared about people."