Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill Tuesday to rename a bridge in Green Bay after Packers legend Bart Starr.
Bart Starr, the Green Bay Packers quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse teams of the 1960s, passed away in May 2019 at the age of 85.
On Tuesday, Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill 101, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 74. This bill designates the Walnut Street Bridge on State Trunk Highway (STH) 29 across the Fox River in the city of Green Bay as the “Bart Starr Memorial Bridge.”
There had been previous discussions to re-name Walnut Street Bridge after Starr. Similar legislation was introduced last year, but according to Representative Steffen's office, it was introduced by a different office and was introduced near the end of the session. Many legislative initiatives ended after the pandemic began in early 2020.
Learn more about the process to rename the bridge by clicking here.
According to the Governor's office, Bryan Bartlett “Bart” Starr started his celebrated career with the Green Bay Packers in 1956. Alongside the renowned Vince Lombardi, Starr led the team to six divisional championships, five National Football League (NFL) championships, and the first two Super Bowls, taking home the honor of being named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both games.
In addition, Starr is remembered for being the only quarterback in history to lead a team to three consecutive NFL championships, being named the NFL MVP in 1966, and still holds the highest career postseason passer rating to date. Starr was inducted into the Pro Football, Packer, and Wisconsin Athletic Halls of Fame, and is one of only six former Packers to have their jersey number retired (#15).
