Chester Marcol may not have legendary status comparative to the likes of Bart Starr or Brett Favre in Green Bay, but the former kicker is still one of the most famous names in Packers' history.
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Most notably, Marcol is remembered for his game-winning touchdown in 1980 that propelled the Packers over their heated rival, the Chicago Bears, in overtime. Marcol lined up for a field goal that would have won the game for the Packers, except tragedy apparently struck.
Bears' defensive lineman Alan Page broke through the line and blocked Marcol's kick, sending it right back to him.
The rest, as they say, is history.
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Marcol, who was the hero of the game, will always be remembered for the above play, but when he writes about it in his book, "Alive and Kicking", there is one major detail that the average fan, and likely most of Marcol's teammates, didn't know.
His account started off like you may expect. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com relayed what Marcol wrote in the book back in 2013:
"I looked up, expecting to see the ball sail through the uprights for the sudden-death victory. Instead, I saw nothing but Page's jersey numbers. He had bull-rushed [center Larry] McCarren, timed his leap, and blocked the kick — just as he said he would.
"A split-second later, I was clutching the ball, which had bounced directly back into my chest.
"Instinctively, I started to run to my left. Most of the Bears were in a heap on the ground, having gone all-out to try to block the kick. By the time they realized I had the ball, it was too late to do anything about it. Jim Gueno, our left up-back, got in the way of the only Bears defender in the area and threw a little hook block. It wouldn't have mattered; nobody was going to catch me.
"I held the ball high and tight to my chest and sprinted into the corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown. Lambeau Field went crazy as my teammates mobbed me, screaming and pounding me on the back.
"I had not only scored a touchdown, but a game-winner and against our hated rivals, the Bears, no less. In the locker room afterward, Starr presented me with a game ball and asked me to lead the team in prayer. I did so with tears of joy streaming down my cheeks. The ball I carried into the end zone is today in the Packers Hall of Fame.
That's all standard football folklore, but Marcol took it a step further in his book. In fact, he was brutally honest about how it all went down — at least in his mind:
"But here's the thing about that touchdown that nobody knows:
"I was under the influence of cocaine when I scored.
"I had gone into the bathroom at halftime and, while the coaches and players were preparing for the second half, I snorted coke. I don't know if it would be accurate to say I was high when I scored that touchdown two hours later, but I definitely was under the influence.
"It's not something I'm proud to admit. But it happened and to tell the story of my touchdown without including the part about the cocaine would not be an honest account."
In today's NFL, a player using coke at halftime would have become a national story instantly — with Twitter, Snapchat and the like all readily available.
It's worth noting that Marcol got hooked on cocaine, but later turned things around and became a drug and alcohol counselor, per Demovsky.
Still, it's kind of crazy to think about the fact that one of the greatest plays in Packers' history may have been aided — or impaired — by the kicker doing cocaine in the bathroom at halftime.
