John Mackey
Photos of former Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey
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Photos of former Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey
Old-time Baltimore football fans weren't the only ones who thought there was something strange about the sight of No. 88 on the Colts.
Just the other day, John had to be picked up early from the day care center. He had found some candy, and then he went roaming through cabinets looking for some more. At some point, others saw what John had and then they wanted some candy, too. Only John didn't want to share.
Sylvia Mackey noticed the first ominous signs seven years ago. Her husband cashed a $10,000 check he inexplicably was carrying in his wallet, then gave half of the money to an acquaintance he hadn't seen in four decades.
Ravens Stadium got the Unitas touch yesterday, from the 13-foot statue of John Unitas to a ring of honor induction for Baltimore Colts Hall of Famers to an eloquent halftime address by the late quarterback's wife.
Forever embedded in the city's football history, John Unitas and his fellow Hall of Fame Baltimore Colts will now become permanent parts of Ravens Stadium.
The love affair between an old, historic NFL city and its new professional football team has been rekindled in the 2000 season.
As the curtain went up on Baltimore's new NFL act, the characters who had played roles in the 13-year drama of political intrigue and financial largesse were spread from the upper decks of Memorial Stadium to the beaches of France.
Passion persisted until the end, 35 years of emotional ties to a team and its memories that elevated the Baltimore Colts to a position of being a civic heirloom. It may never happen again because the business of football has changed -- unions, agents, multimillion-dollar contracts for players, and long-established franchises that have forsaken traditional values for a better deal elsewhere.
With NFL players and owners reaching an agreement in principle on a collective bargaining agreement, Hall of Famer John Mackey wonders what took them so long to realize that waging war is a losing proposition.
John Mackey, the former Colts great who was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month, received his ring at halftime of the Miami Dolphins-New Orleans Saints preseason game last night at Memorial Stadium.
Tom Clancy has asked Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer John Mackey to join his NFL investment group, giving Baltimore two ownership groups with the potential of providing the league with its first black owner.
CANTON, Ohio -- Defensive players never saw much humor in John Mackey. If he didn't punish them at the line of scrimmage with one of his blocks, he pounded them farther downfield after catching a pass from quarterback Johnny Unitas.
John Mackey will span two eras of Baltimore football this month.
An autograph-seeker approached John Mackey, the 10th former Baltimore Colt to achieve the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He obliged, adding his jersey number, 88, and a team identity -- Colts.
When the door to Pro Football's Hall of Fame finally swung open for John Mackey yesterday, the former Baltimore Colts great found rich irony in the knowledge that Al Davis would be joining him.
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