Scott Hunter holds unique place in football history
Scott Hunter stands next to his daughter Mary Scott Hunter on July 25 at an event in Huntsville Also Mary Scott Hunters husband Jon Schultz and mother Deborah Hunter (Record Photo/Lindsay Vaught)
Sports, Z - News Main
 By  Lindsay Vaught Published 
11:38 am Saturday, July 29, 2017

Scott Hunter holds unique place in football history

MADISON-  It is one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history. It has stood the test of time. The 1972 Miami Dolphins undefeated season has stood for over five decades.

But did Don Shula’s team really win every game that season?

Scott Hunter played eight seasons in the NFL after quarterbacking Alabama in 1969 and 1970 setting just about every passing record of that era.

Hunter’s 1974 Topp’s football card

In the summer of 1972 Hunter was locked in a battle with the Packers #1 draft pick Jerry Tagge for the quarterback position with the Green Bay Packers. On August 12, 1972 the Packers traveled to Miami for a preseason game against the Dolphins and won 14-13 on a touchdown pass by Hunter in the closing minutes.

“That game was a dress rehearsal for the regular season,” Hunter said when he was in town for his daughter Mary Scott Hunter’s announcement she will run for the Lieutenant Governor in 2018.

“Shula put in Greise, Warfield, Kiick, Csonka all their starters and we played our starters too,” Hunter said. “I played the whole game. Late in the game we had the ball on our 13-yard line with third and short. Bart signaled in a play, a play action fake to John Brockington and I thought this is brilliant. The whole Miami defense was expecting John to get the ball, even Jake Scott cheated up. I faked the ball to John, stepped back and Dave Davis ran the post and I hit him in stride he went 87 yards for a touchdown and we won.”

Hunter quarterbacked the Packers to a 10-4 record in 1972 ending the season with wins over the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and New Orleans Saints. Hunter also led the Packers to wins over the reigning Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, NFC West Division champion San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons.

The Packers were mostly a running team with Brockington and MacArthur Lane and Hunter had five running touchdowns with six touchdown passes.

He still is in Packers record books for his rookie season; most touchdown passes 7 (2nd) and 1,210 yards passing (3rd).

After his playing days in the NFL ended in 1980 Hunter, 69, went into TV sportscasting in Mobile near his hometown of Fairhope where he still lives today with his wife Deborah.

“We didn’t make a whole lot of money back then and we had three children and Mary Scott earned one of the Bryant scholarships to Alabama. That really helped us out a lot.”

Mary Scott Hunter would eventually earn both an undergraduate degree and law degree from Alabama. She also spent a year studying abroad in Germany.

Today, Scott Hunter works as a Raymond James financial representative in Fairhope. He stays in touch with his mentor Bart Starr who retired as a player just weeks after that preseason game in 1972 and began a two decades long career as a Packers assistant coach and head coach.

Hunter is also a commercial pilot with over 4,000 flying hours. He flies a Cessna 182.

Hunter was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He still holds passing records at Alabama for most attempts (55), completions (32), and yards (484) in a game.

 

 

 

Also on The Madison Record
‘Light Up the Night’ with Huntsville Parks & Recreation at Big Spring Park
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
July 24, 2025
Dr. John Blevins receives Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, premier award for career federal employees
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
July 24, 2025
Central role Redstone Arsenal plays in national security highlighted in judiciary committee hearing
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
July 23, 2025
Downtown Madison celebrates kickoff to Main Street Madison
A: Main, Business, Madison County Record, ...
Snapshot
Staff Reports 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Madison leaders joined downtown business owners and officials with the Madison Street Alabama program on Thursday to officially kick off the...
Civic groups to conduct candidate forums on Aug. 12 and 19
A: Main, Events, Madison County Record, ...
Two upcoming forums seek questions from residents for the candidates to answer
Gregg Parker 
July 23, 2025
MADISON – The 2025 Municipal Election for the City of Madison on Aug. 26 will decide a new mayor and representatives for City Council in three contest...
Four winners certified in city council elections
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
MARIA RAKOCZY news@themadisonrecord.com 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Winners of four district elections in the city of Madison were certified at last week’s city council meeting. Four candidates ran unconteste...
“Take Back Alabama Town Hall” set for July 28 at Movement Church in Madison
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
in the
Staff Reports 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Community leaders from across North Alabama will gather on Monday, July 28 for the “Take Back Alabama Town Hall” hosted by Moms for Liberty ...
Amanda Browning wins second place in Fleet Reserve Association’s essay contest
Madison County Record, News, Sports, ...
Bob Labbe 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Patriotism is the base of being an American and supporting the United States of America, especially for the veterans of the military who too...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *