HOF DB Herb Adderley saw football greatness again in cousin Nasir Adderley
Sad news in the NFL on Friday, as it was announced that Herb Adderley, who was selected by the Packers with the 12th overall pick in the 1961 draft and amassed 48 interceptions in a 12-year career with Green Bay and Dallas, died at age 81.
“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Herb Adderley,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker said in a statement. “He was a great player and an even greater man. Herb left an indelible mark on the game and was respected tremendously by players and personnel across the league.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Herb’s wife, Brenda, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Herb’s memory.”
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, Adderley played in five Pro Bowls. He was also in four of the first six Super Bowls, winning championship rings in three of them. He also played in seven NFL championship games in an 11-year span from 1961 through 1971, winning each one – five times with the Packers and twice with the Cowboys. Adderley’s 60-yard interception return for a clinching touchdown for the Packers in Super Bowl II was the only interception return for a touchdown in the first 10 Super Bowls.
Adderley was one of the greatest defensive backs of his era and of all time, and one of the more remarkable things about his life is that he got to see NFL greatness again, many years later, through the eyes of his cousin, Chargers safety Nasir Adderley.
Selected in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Delaware, the younger Adderley plays with an aggressive, feisty style that obviously has familial roots, and though he’s been limited this season with hamstring injuries, he’s been a formidable coverage safety when on the field.
Herb Adderley would not have been surprised.
“He played offense in high school, the same as I did,” Herb Adderley told Chargers.com in May, 2019. “And then once he got to Delaware, he called me and said, ‘Guess what happened?’ I said, ‘What?’ And he said they switched him to defense. I said, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter what side of the ball you play on, you have the ability to play.’ I asked him what position (they switched him to) and he said cornerback. I said, ‘Which side?’ He said the left side and I almost fell out of the chair! That was the side I played and the position I could help him most at.”
Herb also helped Nasir with the switch to safety based on his own experience with the Packers.
“When I mentioned [switching to safety] to Coach Lombardi, he said they couldn’t move me because Willie Wood was already playing there and if they moved me in there, he wouldn’t have a job. But Nasir called me after his second year playing corner, where he mentioned having safety being his natural position (with his defensive backs coach). Lo and behold, he moved him to free safety and that’s where he played his last two years. During the time he was playing, I told him he was special because there aren’t many guys who can play all the positions in the secondary. He has the ability to play either corner, free safety [or] strong safety, and he can cover the slot receiver. There are very few guys in the NFL right now who can do that. So in case of emergency, he can switch to any of those positions. All those teams who passed over him, they’re going to find out what a great athlete he is, and how he’s going to make the Chargers a great secondary.”
Nasir Adderley was always grateful for the guidance.
“He told me’ he can’t thank me enough and I said, ‘Well, you’ve already re-paid me by doing the right thing and making it.’ He said without me, it would have been difficult for him making it through college. But he did it. I told him, ‘You did it, Nasir. You had a lot of help and family support, but you’re the one on the field and you had to go out and do it and get recognized by the NFL to show that you are capable of being drafted.”
Greatness helping greatness. It’s a meaningful family story in this case, and it demonstrates another way in which Herb Adderley will be missed.
