Phil Vandersea, a linebacker who played for the Green Bay Packers when the Vince Lombardi-coached team won Super Bowl I, died on Saturday, according to his obituary. He was 83.
Vandersea, a resident of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, died after a long illness, his obituary stated.
Born in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, on Feb. 25, 1943, Vandersea attended Northbridge High School, where he excelled in football, basketball and baseball.
According to his biography in the University of Massachusetts Athletics Hall of Fame, Vandersea led the football team to an 8-0-1 record in 1963 to win the program’s second-ever Yankee Conference title.
Former Packers linebacker Phil Vandersea dies at 83 https://t.co/QcPybolBgw
— Packers News (@PGPackersNews) October 27, 2026
He would be selected to the 1965 All-Yankee Conference team and was named to the school’s All-Time Anniversary team at fullback.
Vandersea was selected by the Packers in the 16th round of the 1965 NFL draft. He played in 14 games and was used mostly on special teams.
He was taken by the New Orleans Saints in the 1967 NFL expansion draft, but returned to Green Bay the following season. He switched from linebacker to defensive end during his final two seasons in Green Bay.
Injuries forced Vandersea to miss most of the 1970 and 1971 seasons, and he finished his pro career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
After injury forced him to miss much of the 1970 and 1971 seasons, Vandersea played for one year in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes.
After football, he spent 20 years with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections working as a counselor and a community release supervisor, according to his obituary.
Vandersea was inducted into the University of Massachusetts Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
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