Earsell Mackbee

Earsell Mackbee  (January 15, 1941 – November 9, 2009) was a professional American football player.

Mackbee was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, and graduated from Utah State University, where he starred as a cornerback. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League, all with the Minnesota Vikings. He was a starting cornerback on the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters defense and made 15 interceptions in his career. He started in Super Bowl IV, but injured himself when he missed a tackle on the Chiefs' star receiver Otis Taylor.

After retiring from the NFL in 1971, Mackbee became an entrepreneur, opening a chain of restaurants and other business ventures. He also worked as a counselor and advisor for City Inc, a Minneapolis outreach and educational program.

In 2005, Mackbee suffered a stroke and had been in a hospice ever since. On October 16, 2009, his condition took a turn for the worse, and his family rallied to fulfill his last wish of returning him to his roots in Vallejo, California. Ten days after donations allowed his family to charter a plane to fly him back to Vallejo, Mackbee died on November 9, 2009.