The Golden Eagle

Favre: The Legacy of No. 4

The great No. 4 was not always a superstar. Favre began his football days as a seventh-string quarterback for Southern Mississippi. The staff wanted him to play defensive back, but Favre insisted on playing QB. His greatest accomplishment while manning the Golden Eagles was a comeback victory over Alabama, a win in which Razorbacks coach Gene Stallings proclaimed, "You can call it a miracle or a legend or whatever you want to. I just know that on that day, Brett Favre was larger than life." And so the story begins… (Getty Images/Allen Steele)

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The Golden Eagle The great No. 4 was not always a superstar. Favre began his football days as a seventh-string quarterback for Southern Mississippi. The staff wanted him to play defensive back, but Favre insisted on playing QB. His greatest accomplishment while manning the Golden Eagles was a comeback victory over Alabama, a win in which Razorbacks coach Gene Stallings proclaimed, "You can call it a miracle or a legend or whatever you want to. I just know that on that day, Brett Favre was larger than life." And so the story begins… (Getty Images/Allen Steele)
Atlanta Falcons ... The Falcons picked a young Brett Favre 33rd overall in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Head coach Jerry Glanville was against drafting Brett, saying it would take “a plane crash” to put him in the game. Favre’s first pass as a Falcon resulted in a pick six; he only threw four passes in his career with Atlanta, none of which were completions. (Getty Images/Jim Gund)
Favre Becomes a ... After a short-lived career with the Falcons, Packers GM Ron Wolf traded first-round draft pick Tony Smith (also of Southern Miss) for Favre in the ’91 offseason. Green Bay originally wanted Favre in the ’91 draft, but the Falcons beat them to it. Strangely, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that in a physical after the trade, Favre was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a hip degenerative disease. Doctors recommended he be failed and waved, but Wolf vetoed them. (AP Photo/Jeff Glidden)
Favre's First Gr... In the second game of the ’92 season vs. the Tampa Bay Bucs, former Packers coach Mike Holmgren benched starting QB Don Majkowski at half time for his poor play. When the second half resumed, Favre took the field for the first time as a Packer. On his initial play from scrimmage, Favre threw a pass that was deflected back to him and caught. He was tackled for a seven-yard loss; Green Bay eventually lost the game 31-3. (AP Photo/Jeff Glidden)
Brett Becomes th... In the third game of the ’92 season vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Don Majkowski suffered an ankle injury and was forced to leave the game. Favre entered, and fumbled the ball four times throughout the course of the game. Packers fans grew impatient and began chanting for third-string QB Ty Detmer to take the field. But then, down 23-17 with 1:07 left in the game, Favre launched a 46-yard completion to Sterling Sharpe, which led to a 13-yard, game-winning TD pass to Kitrick Taylor with just 13 ticks on the clock. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Longest Consecut... The following week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers would mark the beginning of an era. Favre’s streak for the most consecutive starts by a QB in NFL history took shape. The Packers won the game 17-3, and would soon string together a six-game winning streak on the arm of Favre to finish the season 9-7. Brett finished the year with 3,227 yards and a quarterback rating of 85.3. The efforts netted him his first Pro Bowl bid. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Echoing the Days... In the 1993 season, Favre led the Packers to their first playoff berth since 1982. He became a free agent at the end of that season and Wolf wisely negotiated a five-year, $19M contract to keep No. 4 a Packer. The 1994 season would be more of the same. Green Bay finished 9-7 and secured back-to-back playoff berths—an accomplishment that had not been achieved in the Cheese state since the days of Vince Lombardi. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser)
Packers Reach NF... The Pack rode the previous season’s momentum to an 11-5 record in '94—the best the franchise had seen in nearly 30 years. Green Bay defeated the favored 49ers in the playoffs, along with the Carolina Panthers, and reached the NFC Championship game. Despite losing to the Cowboys, Favre won his first of three AP MVP Awards and helped the Packers complete their deepest playoff run since winning Super Bowl II. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Pack Brings Titl... The 1996 NFL season was a historic one for Favre and the Packers. Not only did they tie the Denver Broncos for the best regular-season record at 13-3, they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21. The Pack outscored their opponents 100-48 that postseason, and Favre took home his second-consecutive MVP. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, file)
Champs Fail to R... The defending champs’ NFC dominance spilled over into the ’97 season. The Packers advanced to their second Super Bowl in two years. Though heavily favored, Favre and the Pack lost Super Bowl XXXII to the Denver Broncos, 31-24. Brett passed for 326 total yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and tied Lions’ great Barry Sanders with his third-consecutive NFL MVP. (AP Photo/Dan Loh)
Tragedy Strikes;... On December 21, 2003, it was reported that Irvin Favre had died in a tragic automobile accident in Kiln, Mississippi. Early police reports were unable to confirm the cause of the accident. But the following day’s autopsy report concluded that Irvin Favre died suddenly of a heart attack behind the wheel. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Favre Has Legend... A day after losing his father, Favre made the difficult decision to play a scheduled Monday Night Football game vs. the Oakland Raiders. In what many believe to be the greatest performance of his career, Favre passed for four touchdowns in the first half and 399 total yards. The Packers won 41-7. After the game Favre remarked, “I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight.” (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
More Off-field T... Favre’s 2004-2006 NFL seasons were marred by a series of unfortunate family events. All three hit home hard: two on a personal level; the other on a global one. The first came in October 2004, ten months after the death of his father, when Brett’s brother-in-law died tragically in an ATV accident on Favre’s property. Shortly thereafter, Favre’s wife, Deanna Favre, was diagnosed with breast cancer. And in 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through Mississippi, destroying his family home. Despite the catastrophes, Favre elected to play the 2005 season. But his performance on the field was not like the No. 4 of old. He hinted at retirement before the start of the ’06 season but played anyway. The Packers went 4-12 that season. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Favre Makes NFL ... The 2007 season started strong for the Pack. Despite a young team, Green Bay looked promising. And on September 30, 2007 vs. the Minnesota Vikings, Favre roped a 16-yard touchdown completion to receiver Greg Jennings in the first half of the game. The pass marked the 421st TD completion of his career, surpassing Dan Marino, and setting a new all-time record. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Green Bay's Stor... Not only did Packers fans see Favre break two of Marino’s all-time records in the 2007 season, they saw their team win their division, finishing 13-3. Green Bay looked strong early in the divisional playoffs, trouncing the Seattle Seahawks 42-20. But then they met the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Even with home-field advantage and frigid conditions, the Packers lost a hard-fought game in overtime, 23-20. The Giants would go on to defeat the heavily-favored New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
All Quiet on the... On March 4, 2008, Favre sent a shockwave through the sports world when he publicly announced his retirement after 17 years in the league. Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, claimed that nobody “forced” Favre out, and that the decision to retire was his and his alone. In a statement, Favre said, “I know I can play, but I don't think I want to. And that's really what it comes down to." Favre later stated that he would play for the Packers if they would have him back, but only in an emergency situation and if he was in shape. Green Bay plans to retire Favre’s jersey in this year’s season opener. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Former Green Bay... Nine days after reports on Favre’s return surfaced, Brett sent a formal letter to the Packers organization requesting an unconditional release from the team. The Packers responded, indicating that the organization was “moving forward” and that if Brett desired to return to the league he must first apply for official reinstatement. The back-end politics led to a slew of press. A spokesperson for the Packers soon informed media circles that Favre would not be released and was welcome to rejoin the team in an unidentified role (ahem, backup). (REUTERS/Allen Fredrickson)
Favre Stirs Come... On July 2, 2008, less than five months after Favre formally announced his retirement, reports surfaced that he was in talks with the Packers about a potential return to Green Bay. Brett immediately denounced the reports as a rumor, but Packers defensive back Al Harris told ESPN’s NFL Live that Favre told him over the phone that he had what many players call “the itch.” (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews)
Favre Signs with... After speculation that No. 4 was headed to Minnesota, the New York Jets signed the former Green Bay legend. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Favre Tells Jets... After nearly taking the Jets to the AFC playoffs in his first season at New York, Brett Favre has instructed his agent, James "Bus" Cook, to inform the Jets that he will retire. (AP Photo/Dean Duprey
Favre Gets Arthr... Brett Favre recently had arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right shoulder, ESPN reported Sunday night, another indication the three-time NFL MVP is considering coming out of retirement. (AP Photo/Julie
Vikings Give Fav... Vikings coach Brad Childress imposed a deadline for Favre to decide whether he'll play for Minnesota this season, feeling he can't have uncertainty at his most important position. Favre elected not to join his former division rival. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Off to a So-Call... Favre goes into retirement for a second consecutive year, this time saying he's physically not capable of playing at an acceptable level. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Never Say Goodby... Amazingly, Favre feels he's physically capable of performing not long after the Vikings finish training camp. The gunslinger returns for one more paycheck and two chances to stick it to his former team, and now division rival, the Green Bay Packers.
Revenge, Act 1 Take that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy. The Vikings not only beat the Packers, 30-23, Favre rubbed the decision to send him packing in their faces with a throwback performance. (REUTERS/Jeff Haynes)