Herb Adderley

Herb Adderley, the Hall of Fame cornerback who joined the NFL as a running back and became part of a record six championship teams with the Packers and Cowboys, has died. He was 81.

His death was confirmed by the team Friday, with no details given. Nasir Adderley, a safety for the Los Angeles Chargers, tweeted that his cousin was a “unique soul who has had such an incredible influence on my life.”

Herb Adderley played in four of the first six Super Bowls and won five NFL championships with Green Bay and one with Dallas during his 12-year career.

But he was always a Packer at heart.

“I’m the only man with a Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl ring who doesn’t wear it. I’m a Green Bay Packer,” Adderley said in the book “Distant Replay,” a memoir by former Packers teammate Jerry Kramer.

Adderley was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Adderley excelled at running back at Michigan State and was the 12th pick overall of the 1961 draft. He came to training camp expecting to compete for a starting job against future Hall of Fame running backs Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung.

Midway through the season, Packers coach Vince Lombardi switched Adderley to defense to replace injured starter Hank Gremminger. The move paid immediate dividends.

Adderley’s speed and instincts made him a quick learner in his new position, which helped propel him into a stalwart of Green Bay’s secondary.