Hall of Famer John Mackey, a pioneer who served his fellow players tirelessly as the first post-merger president of the National Football League Players Association, passed away at age 69.
Mackey is widely regarded as the NFL’s elite tight end during his career with the Baltimore Colts (nine seasons) and San Diego Chargers (one season.) A member of the 1960s All-Decade Team, Mackey earned five Pro Bowl selections and is among a handful of tight ends mentioned in every discussion debating the greatest ever to play the position.
Mackey’s biggest influence, though, came off the gridiron. He pioneered the way for active NFL players to benefit from the success of the game by championing players’ rights, benefits and access to free agency as an elected leader. His peers spoke highly of the charismatic Mackey’s unquestioned presence and ability to lead his teammates or rally a room in pursuit of a single cause. Mackey was the first player to challenge the league’s system of restrictive salaries and limited free agency.
“John Mackey is still a leader,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice F. Smith tweeted Thursday morning. “As President of the NFLPA, he led the fight for fairness with brilliance and ferocious drive. John Mackey has inspired me and will continue to inspire our players and define our institution. He will be missed but never forgotten.”
When his health allowed, Mackey sometimes attended events hosted by the NFL Players Association, including during Super Bowl week, as an honored guest. Wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Mackey would proudly display his Super Bowl ring and Hall of Fame ring—one on each hand—for the cameras.
His widow, Sylvia Mackey, often lent her support to the NFLPA and its members through her attendance at various events—smiling wide, happy to talk to anyone, greeting familiar and unfamiliar faces alike and aging gracefully—despite working full-time and caring for her husband in his final years.
As NFLPA president from 1969 to 1973, Mackey helped secure improvements in players’ free agency rights, pension benefits and injury protection programs. He essentially sacrificed his NFL career to advance the cause of the rest of the players.
“He’s probably the best natural leader I’ve ever come across,” said Ed Garvey, the NFLPA’s first executive director. “Without his contribution, there may not have been an NFLPA.”
The 1972 case, Mackey v. NFL, eliminated the Rozelle Rule, which effectively prevented players from moving to another team after their contracts expired. The court ruled in 1976 that the Rozelle Rule violated antitrust laws, which led to a settlement in 1977.
“John’s view was that the only way that players could ever gain anything was to be unified under the same set of goals,” NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen said. “He was the one who always believed that every voice is heard, but the majority rules. That was John’s message.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said of Mackey, “He was a courageous advocate for his fellow NFL players as head of the NFL Players Association.”
Some NFL historians credit Mackey for representing the prototype for future tight ends. His fans took to Internet message boards Thursday morning upon hearing the news of his passing after battling dementia in recent years.
“Well, Johnny Unitas has someone to play catch with now,” wrote one commenter on the Sporting News website.
Bearing his name, the Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Committee was formed by the NFLPA to research, study and prevent brain injuries among NFL players. The Mackey-White TBI Committee wants players who have earned the rare opportunity to live their dream of playing in the NFL to realize the risks can be as great as the rewards. As it seeks to change the culture within locker rooms and on the field, it depends on players to do their part in taking brain injuries out of play.
The previous CBA includes the “88 Plan,” named for Mackey’s jersey number. It provides up to $88,000 per year for nursing care or day care for former players with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or $50,000 for home care.
“John Mackey was an outstanding fighter on the football field and off,” said Nolan Harrison, the NFLPA’s senior director of former player services. “As one of the first leaders of the NFLPA during a time of crisis, he paid the price and blazed the trail for all of us to follow. His example of leadership is what drives me to push forward and to make every day count because tomorrow is not promised.
“This is a tragic loss for our NFLPA family and the football community. My condolences go out to Sylvia and her family.”
During his 10-year NFL career, Mackey caught 331 passes for 5,236 yards and 38 touchdowns. His signature highlight came on the biggest stage, when in 1971 he snatched a deflected Unitas pass in Super Bowl V and raced 75 yards for a touchdown, which stood as a Super Bowl record at the time.
It didn’t take long for Mackey to make a name for himself after being drafted out of Syracuse University. He became the lone rookie selected for the 1963 Pro Bowl, starting every game his rookie year with Don Shula’s Colts. He also excelled at returning kickoffs, showing speed unmatched by a tight end of his stature.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, Mackey also was named to Syracuse’s All-Century team in 1999 and the school retired his jersey in 2007. The John Mackey Award is given annually to the top tight end in college football.
Smith spoke about Mackey’s legacy after hearing the news Thursday morning.
“I will always remember John as someone who was a tremendous, emotional, eloquent, brilliant leader,” he said. “His unwavering loyalty to our mission and his exemplary courage will never be forgotten.”
