Bart Starr prepares to watch Super Bowl from home as health keeps improving – USA TODAY

Hall of Fame Packers QBs Bart Starr, left, and Brett Favre at a Thanksgiving game in Green Bay in 2015.(Photo: Mike Roemer, AP)

HOUSTON The MVP of the first Super Bowl has special plans for Super Bowl LI.

Hes going to watch Sunday'sgame at home with family and friends in Alabama, happy to be recovering his health again after all that hes suffered since 2014.

Its a long list for Bart Starr, 83. In 2014 and 2015, he suffered two strokes, a heart attack, a bronchial infection and a broken hip. Last year, he underwent bladder surgery and later developed a staph infection.

Im not even sure that he will go much further than hes gone because its just a miracle that hes even alive to begin with, Starrs wife, Cherry, told USA TODAY Sports.

Every day now is a victoryit seems much bigger than when the Hall of Fame quarterback led the Green Bay Packers to a 35-10 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in that historic game 50 years ago.

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Starr's latest setback was a staph infection linked to his previous bladder condition an ailment that required strong medication before he overcame it about six weeks ago, Cherry Starr said.Since then, she said her husband has made significant strides, showing improvement with his appetite, cognition, reading and physical exercise. Recently, she said he even enjoyed catching replays on television of Super Bowls I and II. Starr was named MVP of each game.

He actually recognized himself as being on the field playing football, she said. That was good. That was great.

Starr's reputation and his name also will be recognized again Saturday, when New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is scheduled to receive the Bart Starr Award, given annually to the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.

Bart Starr Jr., son of Bart and Cherry, will be on hand to present it before returning home to watch the game with his parents in Alabama.Cherry Starr notified Slater last month that he won the award, surprising him with a call that was put on speaker phone in a Patriots team meeting. Slater became emotional during the conversation. His father, Hall of Fame tackle Jackie Slater, won the same award in 1996.

Thank you so much, Slater said to Cherry Starr. Wow. I dont even know what to say. Im so humbled. I really ... Your husband. I know so much about him and what he stood for. Im blown away.

Starr still has that effect on peopleall these years later. In 2015, he made an improbable return to Green Bay for a Thanksgiving appearance on the field with Brett Favre, another legendary Packers quarterback. The crowd roared. But Cherry Starr said they probably wont be able to return to Green Bay because travel is too difficult for them now.

She also said her husband isnt likely to receive additional, experimental stem-cell treatments, which she credits for helping his condition improve in recent years. The Starrs made multiple trips to Tijuana, Mexico, for the treatments, which are not approved for use in the U.S. and have not been proven to be effective under U.S. standards. The cells are manufactured by Stemedica, a company in San Diego that ships them to a clinic in Tijuana for a clinical trial there.

Starr instead hopes to keep improving through rest and exercise. Cherry Starr said the recent staph infection was quite a setback and devastating.

Yet Bart Starr is still as tough as ever and beat it back.

I just see better things happening in the next few months, she said. His quality of life is going to be much better.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

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