John Mackey, a Hall of Fame tight end with the Baltimore Colts, who was a pioneering union leader for NFL players and whose later struggles with dementia highlighted the long-term effects of brain damage among football players, died July 6 at Keswick Multi-Care Center in Baltimore. He was 69.
The cause of death for Mr. Mackey was not released, but dementia was diagnosed in 2001.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS) - Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer John Mackey, shown in 1969, became an unwitting symbol of the long-term brain damage suffered silently by football players. In his career, he redefined how the position of tight end was played.
Mr. Mackey began to redefine how the position of tight end was played in his first game with the Colts in 1963, when he scored a touchdown on a 32-yard pass from quarterback Johnny Unitas.
Until then, tight end had been primarily a position for blocking and short-yardage passes. At 6 feet 2 inches tall and 230 pounds, Mr. Mackey was a powerful blocker, but his outstanding speed brought an extra dimension to the offense by making the tight end a constant threat for a long touchdown pass. Of his seven touchdowns in 1963, all came on plays of at least 27 yards, with three of more than 50 yards.
The most dramatic catch of his 10-year career came in the 1971 Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys. In the second quarter, a pass from Unitas slipped through the fingertips of receiver Eddie Hinton, then was tipped by Dallas defensive back Mel Renfro into the hands of Mr. Mackey. He clutched the ball and ran for a 75-yard touchdown, sparking the Colts to a 16-13 victory.
As polished off the field as on, Mr. Mackey regularly appeared on Baltimore radio and television programs and once acted as host at a symphony concert. He became a leader in the NFL Players Association and, in 1970, became its first elected president.
That year, he led a players strike that won millions of dollars in pensions and benefits for the players. He filed an antitrust suit against the NFL that temporarily allowed players to negotiate as free agents with team owners. (In 1977, the players gave up that right as part of a new labor agreement.)
“People will never fully understand the impact he had on negotiations between players and owners,” former Colts star Lenny Moore told the Baltimore Sun. “John unlocked those gates — no, he knocked the doors down.”
In retirement, Mr. Mackey settled in Los Angeles and became a successful businessman. Over time, his wife, Sylvia, began to notice that he was becoming uncharacteristically lethargic and forgetful.
Mr. Mackey received a diagnosis of frontal lobe dementia in 2001. Although it was never definitively linked to football, he withstood countless blows to the head and once ran into a goalpost at full speed.
He and his family moved back to Baltimore in 2002 as his condition grew worse. His wife became a flight attendant at age 56 to obtain health insurance and pay bills.
Mr. Mackey had to stop going to autograph shows after he refused to take off his Super Bowl and Hall of Fame rings at an airport checkpoint. He charged through like, well, a runaway tight end before he was tackled by four security officers.
He was banned from several restaurants after repeatedly walking up to tables to ask if anyone wanted his autograph.
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