Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre's father died Sunday, Dec. 21, of a heart attack or a stroke while he was driving, Mississippi state police said. Irvin Favre was 58.
Favre went off the road at 5:23 p.m. near Kiln, the hometown of Brett, a three-time NFL most valuable player. Irvin Favre ran into a ditch, said Sgt. Joe Gazzo of the Mississippi State Highway Patrol.
"It didn't appear that the accident was serious enough to cause him to be unconscious, so that leads us to believe that a medical condition was what caused him to go off the road," Gazzo said.
Irvin Favre was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m.
An autopsy will be performed Monday, Dec. 22.
"First, the witnesses, then the ambulance, and then at the hospital they tried to revive him," Gazzo said. "It's going to be a great loss to the community, he was a great guy."
Favre's status for Monday night's crucial game against the Oakland Raiders would be determined Monday, Green Bay spokesman Aaron Popkey said from San Francisco.
"Our thoughts are with Brett and his family," Popkey said.
Favre has started 204 consecutive games, including playoffs, an NFL record for quarterbacks. The Packers trail Minnesota by a half-game in the NFC North.
Irvin Favre coached his son at Hancock North Central High School. He said he knew Brett had a good arm, but he also had an abundance of good running backs. So, for the three years Brett was the starting quarterback, Hancock North ran the wishbone.
One of the school's signature plays at the time was a pitchout with Brett Favre as the lead blocker.
"If I had wanted to showcase my son, I could have let him throw," Irvin Favre said later. "But I thought I did a good job in that what I was doing was in the best interest of the team."
Irvin Favre followed his son's NFL career closely and considered the Packers' Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in New Orleans among the best events of his life.
"Sometimes I think it's just a football game," Irvin Favre said at the time. "Then when I think about it, I realize it's the world's championship.
"It's hard to believe that the little boy we raised has done all this."
