Rodger Paul Bird (July 2, 1943 – May 16, 2020) was an American professional football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL). He was with the Raiders from 1966 through 1968 and played defensive back. In Super Bowl II, Bird fumbled a punt by the Green Bay Packers'

Donny Anderson Garry Don "Donny" Anderson (born May 16, 1943) is a former professional football player, a halfback and punter for nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League. From Texas Tech (then Texas Te ...

late in the first half. The Packers recovered, allowing

Don Chandler Donald Gene "Babe" Chandler (September 5, 1934 – August 11, 2011) was a professional American football player. He was a punter and placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons in the 1950s and 1960s. Chandler played coll ...

to kick a 43-yard field goal on the final play before halftime to increase Green Bay's lead to 16–7. The Raiders lost 33–14 in

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

's final game coaching the Packers. He played college football at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

for the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

and high school at his hometown Corbin High School. Bird rushed for 1,699 yards and 21 touchdowns at Kentucky and played safety as well. He was a two-time All-SEC selection in 1964 and 1965 and a Time Magazine All-American in 1965, and was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Bird's three brothers, Jerry,

Calvin Calvin may refer to: Names * Calvin (given name) ** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States * Calvin (surname) ** Particularly John Calvin, theologian Places In the United States * Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet * Calvi ...

and Billy played either basketball or football at the University of Kentucky. On May 16, 2020, Bird died at the age of 76 at his home in

Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and is the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,757 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area, locally known as t ...

References

1943 births 2020 deaths People from Corbin, Kentucky People from Henderson, Kentucky American football safeties Kentucky Wildcats football players Oakland Raiders players American Football League players Players of American football from Kentucky {{defensiveback-1940s-stub

See also

References