The career of NFL Hall of Famer Bart Starr was legendary for several reasons. Obviously he turned into a great pro player on some of the greatest teams in the history of football, but what makes his rise to greatness even more amazing was how his college career at Alabama went so very wrong.

He did next to nothing for the Crimson Tide after his sophomore year, and now we might know why.

According to a story in AL.com, Starr’s wife, Cherry, gives a detailed account of how he was hazed in college, getting hit so hard with paddles during an initiation to the A-Club that he injured his back, eventually needing to be hospitalized.

Starr was always known to have back problems, but until now the story was that he was hurt kicking the ball. As it turns out, it was because he was beaten up in an insane ritual.

And that’s part of the reason why he didn’t really do much in his college career – along with an offense that didn’t throw the ball.

Starr completed 155-of-285 passes for 1,903 yards and ten touchdowns with 20 interceptions in his four years from 1952 to 1955, topping out as a sophomore throwing for 870 yards and eight scores with six picks. Not much of a runner, there wasn’t anything there to suggest he’d turn into a special pro passer.

However, he was a terrific punter, averaging 41.4 yards per kick as a sophomore, and just as he was about to grow into his own as the starting quarterback for a second year in a row, he was injured in the hazing incident. And that was about it for his college career.

He completed just 24-of-41 passes for 276 yards and a score with two picks as a junior, and hit 55-of-96 throws for 587 yards and a touchdown with nine interceptions as a senior – and now we know why he was having problems.

Even after struggling in his last two seasons with the Crimson Tide, he was drafted by the Packers in the 17th round, and the rest is history.

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