Help us grant Earsell's final wish! 
PRESS RELEASE
J. Earsell Mackbee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 24, 2009
Download a PDF Version of this Press Release 
Heading: Am I going Home Today?
Subheading: Critically-ill Former Vikings Star Yearns for Return to Vallejo Roots
Contact: Douglas or Candyce Mackbee,
Phone: (888) 380 8547
Website: www.emackbee.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/emackbee
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EarsellMackbee
Am I going home today?
Critically-ill Former Vikings Star Yearns for Return to Vallejo Roots
Vallejo native, Earsell Mackbee, who played five seasons for the Minnesota Vikings is dying from stroke-related complications at a Minnesota hospice. After suffering the stroke nearly 4 years ago, when his children and family members would visit – Mackbee would often ask “am I going home today?” That common refrain has become the theme for the family as they embark on an all out effort to finally answer his question with a resounding – yes!
Mackbee, 68, who played in Super Bowl IV for the Vikings team popularly known as the Purple People Eaters, suffered an acute stroke four years ago that has limited his ability to speak and paralyzed him on his left side. He has been in a Minnesota hospice ever since.
But on Friday, October 16, 2009 his condition took a turn for the worse. His doctors have given him very little time to live, but his family still believes in miracles, including the fulfillment of his enduring wish to spend his last days in Vallejo, California.
The return to his Vallejo roots will cost more than $20,000, which the family will need to raise within days. The amount will help the family defray the costs of chartering a MediFlight to transport Mackbee, a U.S. Air force Veteran, to a hospice in northern California.
To fulfill Mackbee’s dying wish and because of the urgency of his condition, his family is raising this amount as soon as possible. You can donate online through PayPal. Go to www.emackbee.com for donation information.
Mackbee’s career highlights include fifteen interceptions for 280 yards in five seasons. Mackbee, who also starred for Utah State, led all Vikings players in interceptions in 1967 with five returned for 98 yards.
Former teammate and Hall of Famer Jim Marshall remembers Mackbee as a great teammate who brought a lot of success to the Vikings in his playing days. “ He was very quick, fast, had great hands and was a major contributor to the Vikings during his five seasons with us,” said Marshall.
Marshall, a defensive end and captain of the Vikings, also remembers visiting Vallejo with Mackbee. “I had an opportunity to come to his hometown and meet his family. It seemed like a wonderful place to me and his family were like family to me.”