Golden Boy honored in Louisville

Former Green Bay Packers great and Class of 1986 enshrinee Paul Hornung, known as “The Golden Boy” from his playing days at Notre Dame, was honored Tuesday as part of the Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company’s Hometown Hall of Famer ™ program. The ceremony took place at Trinity High School in his hometown of Louisville, Ky.

Family, friends, and former teammates from his high school team at the now-closed Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget High School were on hand as longtime friend and three-time Super Bowl starter Will Wolford presented the plaque to Hornung. The former NFL offensive lineman also spoke about Hornung’s legacy in Louisville and impact on his own career.

The historic Hometown Hall of Famer™ plaque will live permanently in the community to serve as an inspiration to students and athletes in the area.

“While Flaget High School has closed, I immediately thought of Trinity High School as the perfect setting for this great honor,” said Hornung. “Both schools can be proud of an enduring legacy of sports excellence that will continue to inspire future generations, and I would like to thank the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate for their efforts to bring this program to communities like Louisville.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises President/CEO George Veras pointed out, "Trinity High School now becomes an extension of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's mission to preserve, honor, promote pro football across America and we are proud to stamp Paul's legacy forever in the hallways of Trinity and the Louisville community."

The ceremony was emceed by John Asher, vice president of communications for Churchill Downs, and attendees at the ceremony heard many stories of Hornung’s significant legacy in the Louisville community.

The ceremony featured speakers such as Joseph Johnson, on behalf of Allstate, and a representative from the Louisville Sports Commission. The Paul Hornung Award, which launched in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission, recognizes and rewards versatile, high-level performers in major college football.

“To be part of a program that brings the prestige and tradition of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to cities like Louisville is an honor for Allstate, our agents and employees,” said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate’s senior vice president of marketing.

As a standout student-athlete in high school, Hornung lettered four years in football, baseball and basketball. After high school, Hornung excelled as a versatile offensive and defensive threat at Notre Dame and won the Heisman Trophy in 1956.

Hornung was the first overall selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 1957 NFL Draft. He remains one of just 13 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to be drafted first overall. A versatile halfback who also handled the Packers’ kicking duties, he rushed for 3,711 yards, caught 130 passes, and scored 760 career points in his nine-year career. He was named the NFL’s Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (1960-61). His record of 176 points during the 1960 season stood for decades.

More on the Hometown Hall of Famers™ program>>>