Earsell Mackbee
Encyclopedia
Earsell Mackbee was a professional American football
player.
Mackbee was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi
, and graduated from Utah State University
, where he starred as a cornerback. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League
, all with the Minnesota Vikings
. He was a starting cornerback on the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters
defense and made 15 interceptions in his career. He started in Super Bowl IV
, but injured himself when he missed a tackle on the Chiefs' star receiver Otis Taylor
.
After retiring from the NFL in 1971, 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.
In 2005, Mackbee suffered a stroke and had been in a hospice ever since. On October 16, 2009, his condition took a turn for the worse, and his family rallied to fulfill his last wish of returning him to his roots in Vallejo, California. Ten days after donations allowed his family to charter a plane to fly him back to Vallejo, Mackbee died on November 9, 2009.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player.
Mackbee was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi
Brookhaven, Mississippi
Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 9,861 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County...
, and graduated from Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
, where he starred as a cornerback. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, all with the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. He was a starting cornerback on the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters
Purple People Eaters
Purple People Eaters is a term for the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. The term is a reference to a popular song from 1958, the superb efficiency of the defense, and the color of their uniforms...
defense and made 15 interceptions in his career. He started in Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
, but injured himself when he missed a tackle on the Chiefs' star receiver Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor (American football)
Otis Taylor was an American college and professional American football player, for Prairie View A&M University and the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs...
.
After retiring from the NFL in 1971, 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.
In 2005, Mackbee suffered a stroke and had been in a hospice ever since. On October 16, 2009, his condition took a turn for the worse, and his family rallied to fulfill his last wish of returning him to his roots in Vallejo, California. Ten days after donations allowed his family to charter a plane to fly him back to Vallejo, Mackbee died on November 9, 2009.