Earsell Mackbee (January 15, 1941 – November 9, 2009) was a professional American football player.
| No. 46 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 15, 1941 Brookhaven, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died: | November 9, 2009 (aged 68) Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Vallejo (CA) |
| College: | Utah State |
| Undrafted: | 1965 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Mackbee was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi and served as an airman in the United States Air Force. He graduated from Utah State University, where he starred as a cornerback. He played five seasons in the National Football League, all with the Minnesota Vikings. Mackbee was a starting cornerback on the Vikings’ Purple People Eaters defense and made 15 interceptions in his career.[1] He started in Super Bowl IV but was injured while unsuccessfully attempting a tackle on a play that resulted in Otis Taylor running down the sidelines for a 46-yard touchdown to close out the scoring with 82 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Mackbee explained, “He had used a hitch and go earlier. This was just a hitch. I had gone up tight on him a lot. Earlier I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder and as I hit him my shoulder went numb and I lost him.”[2][3]
After retiring from the NFL in 1970, Mackbee became an entrepreneur, opening a chain of restaurants and other business ventures. He also worked as a counselor and advisor for City Inc, a Minneapolis outreach and educational program.[4]
In 2005, Mackbee suffered a stroke and was thereafter in a hospice. On October 16, 2009, his condition deteriorated, and his family rallied to fulfill his last wish of returning him to his roots in Vallejo, California.[5] Ten days after donations allowed his family to charter a plane to fly him back to Vallejo, Mackbee died on November 9, 2009.[6] He is interred at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.
Notes
edit- ^ Pro Football-Reference.com
- ^ Wallace, William N. "Kansas City Beats Minnesota by 23–7 in the Super Bowl," The New York Times, Monday, January 12, 1970. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ "#45: Otis Taylor Breaks Tackles & Stiff Arms defender on 46-yard TD | Top 50 Clutch Super Bowl Plays". YouTube. January 8, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Earsell Mackbee | Biography Archived 2009-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Vallejo Times-Herald | October 26, 2009". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ Ex-Viking Mackbee dies 10 days after wish fulfilled[permanent dead link], Star Tribune, November 9, 2009.