Don Majkowski
Encyclopedia
Donald Francis Vincent Majkowski, "Majik", (born February 25, 1964 in Depew, New York
) is a former American football
quarterback
in the National Football League
for the Green Bay Packers
, Indianapolis Colts
and Detroit Lions
.
, and became the starting quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers partway into the 1983 season, his first year there. Majkowski led the Cavaliers to the school's first ever bowl appearance and bowl win, in the 1984 Peach Bowl. During his college career, Majkowski's jersey number was "1".
. He was originally issued jersey #5, but switched to #7 the following season in anticipation that #5 would be retired for Paul Hornung
. The jersey was never officially retired, but Majkowski is still the last Packer to have worn #5. As a rookie, Majkowski split time with Randy Wright
whom he also shared quarterback duties with during the 1988 season.
Nicknamed The Majik Man, Majkowski broke out during the 1989 Green Bay Packers season
. He was given the starting job and Randy Wright was released. Majkowski had one of the finest seasons in Packers history. He completed 353 passes in 599 attempts. His 4,318 passing yards led the NFL. He also threw for 27 touchdowns. Notably, the Packers won their first game against the hated rival Chicago Bears
since 1984. The key was a touchdown play first nullified by an illegal forward pass by Majkowski; then upheld by instant replay
as a legal pass. The season ended with 10 wins and 6 losses; Majkowski capped the season with his being selected to the Pro Bowl
.
Majkowski's success was cut short when, in the 10th game of the Packers' 1990 season, Majkowski was injured when he was upended and tackled on his shoulder by Freddie Joe Nunn
. Nunn drew a personal foul on the play. At first thought to be a bruise, Majkowski's injury turned out to be more serious, a torn rotator cuff
. The Packers finished the season using backups Anthony Dilweg
and Blair Kiel
. During the course of the 1991 season, Majkowski was benched and replaced by Mike Tomczak
as starter, but resumed starting duties at the beginning of the 1992 season. On a play on September 20, 1992 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Majkowski tore a ligament in his ankle. He was replaced after the play by Brett Favre
, who completed the game. Favre went on to start in every consecutive Packers game through the 2007 season.
as a backup for two seasons.
as backup quarterback to starter Scott Mitchell.
In his final season Majkowski faced Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers
on November 3, 1996 completing 15 of 32 passes for 153 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions in a 28-10 Lions loss. He was also sacked 5 times.
Majkowski's final start was played in Detroit in a win against the Seattle Seahawks
. He completed 18 of 23 passes (78% completion percentage) for 157 yards, 1 TD and an interception for a passer rating of 91.5. The Lions won the game 17-16 and improved their record to 5 wins and 6 losses. However, this was the last win for the Lions as they finished the 1996 season with a 5-11 won-loss record as Scott Mitchell started all five games.
, with his wife (Kelly) and their two children (Dani and Bo). He has done some NFL analyst work in Wisconsin
, having done pregame and postgame show with Fox 6 in Milwaukee, as well as various radio and TV programs in Northern Wisconsin. Currently is the Offense Coordinator for his son's 7th Grade Georgia Middle School Athletic Association 6th grade State Champion Johns Creek Gladiators.
On July 23, 2005 Don Majkowski was inducted into the Green Bay Packers
Hall of Fame
with running back Edgar Bennett
.
Depew, New York
Depew is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 16,629 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) is a former American football
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...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
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...
for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
College career
Majkowski attended the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and became the starting quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers partway into the 1983 season, his first year there. Majkowski led the Cavaliers to the school's first ever bowl appearance and bowl win, in the 1984 Peach Bowl. During his college career, Majkowski's jersey number was "1".
Green Bay Packers
Majkowski was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 10th round in 19871987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
. He was originally issued jersey #5, but switched to #7 the following season in anticipation that #5 would be retired for Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung
Paul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
. The jersey was never officially retired, but Majkowski is still the last Packer to have worn #5. As a rookie, Majkowski split time with Randy Wright
Randy Wright
Randall Steven Wright is a former professional American football quarterback who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1984 to 1988.-High school:...
whom he also shared quarterback duties with during the 1988 season.
Nicknamed The Majik Man, Majkowski broke out during the 1989 Green Bay Packers season
1989 Green Bay Packers season
The 1989 Green Bay Packers season was their 69th in the National Football League. The Packers posted a 10–6 record, their best since 1972, but failed to make the playoffs. The team was often referred to as the "Cardiac Pack" due to several close-game wins...
. He was given the starting job and Randy Wright was released. Majkowski had one of the finest seasons in Packers history. He completed 353 passes in 599 attempts. His 4,318 passing yards led the NFL. He also threw for 27 touchdowns. Notably, the Packers won their first game against the hated rival Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
since 1984. The key was a touchdown play first nullified by an illegal forward pass by Majkowski; then upheld by instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
as a legal pass. The season ended with 10 wins and 6 losses; Majkowski capped the season with his being selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
.
Majkowski's success was cut short when, in the 10th game of the Packers' 1990 season, Majkowski was injured when he was upended and tackled on his shoulder by Freddie Joe Nunn
Freddie Joe Nunn
Freddie Joe Nunn is an American former professional football player who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He started his career as a defensive end and later moved to the linebacker position...
. Nunn drew a personal foul on the play. At first thought to be a bruise, Majkowski's injury turned out to be more serious, a torn rotator cuff
Rotator cuff
In anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major muscle, the coracobrachialis muscle and the deltoid, make up the seven scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The...
. The Packers finished the season using backups Anthony Dilweg
Anthony Dilweg
Anthony Hume Dilweg was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers who was last signed to the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
and Blair Kiel
Blair Kiel
Blair Armstrong Kiel is a former four-year starting quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, from 1980-1983. He played professionally for several teams in the National Football League, the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League, and was inducted into the...
. During the course of the 1991 season, Majkowski was benched and replaced by Mike Tomczak
Mike Tomczak
Michael John "Mike" Tomczak is a former American football player. Tomczak played quarterback for several NFL teams including the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers....
as starter, but resumed starting duties at the beginning of the 1992 season. On a play on September 20, 1992 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Majkowski tore a ligament in his ankle. He was replaced after the play by Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
, who completed the game. Favre went on to start in every consecutive Packers game through the 2007 season.
Indianapolis Colts
Majkowski left Green Bay after the 1992 season. He signed with the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
as a backup for two seasons.
Detroit Lions
Don Majkowski finished his football career for the 1995 and 1996 Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
as backup quarterback to starter Scott Mitchell.
In his final season Majkowski faced Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
on November 3, 1996 completing 15 of 32 passes for 153 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions in a 28-10 Lions loss. He was also sacked 5 times.
Majkowski's final start was played in Detroit in a win against the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. He completed 18 of 23 passes (78% completion percentage) for 157 yards, 1 TD and an interception for a passer rating of 91.5. The Lions won the game 17-16 and improved their record to 5 wins and 6 losses. However, this was the last win for the Lions as they finished the 1996 season with a 5-11 won-loss record as Scott Mitchell started all five games.
Packer Records
- Packers’ fifth-ranked passer of all-time
- Ranks third for most passes attempted in one season (599 in 1989)
- Ranks fifth all-time in passes completed in one season (353 in 1989)
- Ranks third all-time with 34 passes completed in one game
- Ranks second (tied with Lynn Dickey) for most consecutive passes completed (18)
- Ranks fourth all-time for most yards passing in a season (4,318 in 1989)
- Threw for 300 or more yards in a game 9 times (ranks third all-time)
Personal life
Majkowski is a real estate investor and contractor, and currently lives in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, with his wife (Kelly) and their two children (Dani and Bo). He has done some NFL analyst work in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, having done pregame and postgame show with Fox 6 in Milwaukee, as well as various radio and TV programs in Northern Wisconsin. Currently is the Offense Coordinator for his son's 7th Grade Georgia Middle School Athletic Association 6th grade State Champion Johns Creek Gladiators.
Notable Achievements
Of 159 team games, Majkowski played 90 games; however, Majkowski completed 1056 of 1905 passes for 12,700 yards and 66 touchdowns. He also rushed for 12 touchdowns in his career.On July 23, 2005 Don Majkowski was inducted into the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
with running back Edgar Bennett
Edgar Bennett
Edgar Bennett III is a former National Football League running back who played for the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears , and is currently a coach for the Green Bay Packers.-High school years:...
.