Actually, it occurred in 1974, when Devine was head coach. Then the guy bolts. Starr inherited a mess although he was a little too green to be a HC. Lombardi never would have made such a deal in his time.
Thanks for the correction milani. For some weird reason I have that Hadl trade associated with Starr. As you point out, it was Dan Devine.
And yeah, it certainly was a handicap for Starr. Starr was either too green or just not qualified to be a HC - maybe both. Not every great player is destined to be a great coach, and the jump straight to HC, with no prior coaching experience, didn't help.
And for nostaligia or a fear of insulting a team legend, the Board left him as HC for nine long years. And it wasn't all Starr's fault. He inherited the aftermath of the Hadl trade, and ownership and the GMs at the time didn't help at all.
Even so, Starr is beloved in Wisconsin and will be remembered for the many good things he did, on and off the field.