# R.I.P. John Mackey **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 7, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-john-mackey/588232 "2011-07-07T21:51:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-john-mackey/588232/1 "2011-07-07T21:51:57Z")
[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6745011&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6745011&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines) John Mackey, the second tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame died today at the young age of 69 after suffering for years from dementia. Hear what the first TE, Mike Ditka has to say about Mackey in the link. There was an earlier thread on this board about Derek Boogard. In that thread was a discussion about sports head injuries. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=608519&highlight=Derek+Boogard](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=608519&highlight=Derek+Boogard) Mackey was none other than great. I was never a Colts fan but that didn’t get in the way of knowing that Mackey was something special. Mackey’s brain will go to Boston University’s Sports Legacy Institute for analysis as did Boogart’s, Dave Dureson’s and others. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-john-mackey/588232/2 "2011-07-08T18:14:45Z")
As a lifelong Colts fan, I am saddened. RIP, John, you were one of the greats. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-john-mackey/588232/3 "2011-07-09T18:31:36Z")
and worth 31 points in the Death Pool. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-john-mackey/588232/4 "2011-07-11T04:21:40Z")
Cummon guys and gals, have some love for this guy. He was very, very special in the game of professional football. He changed the way the game is played. After he established himself every coach was looking for the next John Mackey. The NY Times ran a great article about him today. It wasn’t an obit, it was about how desperate his life had become after the onset of dementia and how he had changed the game after he left football. Here’s the link: [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/sports/football/john-mackey-was-defined-by-greatness-and-illness.html?\_r=1&scp=4&sq=john%20mackey&st=cse](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/sports/football/john-mackey-was-defined-by-greatness-and-illness.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=john%20mackey&st=cse) A particularly sobering quote from the article: > [@](#): > > In his mid-60s, Mackey’s downturn became more poignant. He petulantly refused to brush his teeth or shower until Sylvia [his wife] printed out a fake N.F.L. directive — she signed Paul Tagliabue’s name at the bottom — and taped it to his bathroom door. (He immediately followed orders.) He would forget which mailbox was his until being reminded it was Johnny Unitas’s uniform number, 19. Again, R.I.P. John Mackey. Please read the article. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-john-mackey/588232/5 "2011-07-11T21:07:42Z")
John Mackey was a member of the first sports franchise I ever loved, at the tender age of 8 years old, and I am saddened to see him go.