OFFICIAL PACKERS LEGENDS THREAD

[HowardRoark]

Johnny “Blood” McNally:


He played on four Packer championship teams in seven seasons.

He took the name “Blood” from the movie marquee of a popular Rudolf Valentino picture of the era, “Blood and Sand.”

In 1929, “Blood” signed on with the Green Bay Packers. In addition to scoring 224 points as a Packer, he also became known for his antics:

• Jumped across a narrow ledge six stories from the ground to gain access to a Los Angeles hotel room.

• Fled a towel fight with Lavvie Dilweg by climbing on top of a fast-moving train and crawling across car tops until he reached the engine.

• Played almost an entire game with a collapsed kidney.

• Pushed rookie Don Hutson to the limit in a 100-yard dash at age 33.

• Was rescued by teammates while he was hanging on a ship’s stern flagpole on a Packer trip to Hawaii.

• Blew the top off a testing machine in a test for lung capacity.

• Danced, cart-wheeled and delighted a New York night club audience for over an hour.

• Once ran 50 yards for a touchdown on a lateral and when QB Red Dunn called the same play later in the game, “Blood” simply smiled and lateraled the ball back to Dunn.

[swede]

Nice.

I didn't know.

Is there a good book on the characters that made up the early teams?

[HowardRoark]

Clarke Hinkle:



Everything I have read about this guy seems to indicate he was a badass; both on offense and defense.

Member to two NFL Championship teams (1936, '39), Clarke Hinkle was one of the most versatile players in league history.
After a college career at Bucknell University -- where he was known as the Bucknell Battering Ram -- Hinkle arrived in Green Bay in 1932.
As dominant a tackler as he was a ball carrier, Hinkle led the Packers in rushing seven times (tied with Bob Monnett in 1933) over his career. He was also a punter for three seasons and place-kicker throughout his tenure.
In 1938, Hinkle led the league in scoring with 58 points (7 TDs, 3 FGs, 7 PATs).
In 1940 and '41, Hinkle led the NFL in field goals made, hitting 9-of-14 and 6-of-14, respectively.
The NFL doesn't have defensive statistics for that period, but Hinkle was a fierce linebacker, gaining a reputation as one of the few players powerful enough to bring down Chicago Bears great Bronko Nagurski.
In fact, Hinkle so won his rival's respect that Nagurski delivered his induction speech at Canton in 1964.
A two-time consensus All-Pro, Hinkle was among the Packers' inaugural Pro Bowl class in 1938, before being named to the all-star game again in 1939 and 1940..
Hinkle was named to the NFL's All-Time Two-Way Team in 1994.

[HowardRoark]

Nice.

I didn't know.

Is there a good book on the characters that made up the early teams?

I pulled an old book off of my dad’s shelf last year that was written in either 61 or 62. It followed, game by game, that year as well as a fascinating history of the franchise from day one up until that season.

I will post it later when I get home.

There is a whole other world out there for Packer fans other than the Lomardi years until now.

[Fritz]

Clarke Hinkle:



Everything I have read about this guy seems to indicate he was a badass; both on offense and defense.

Member to two NFL Championship teams (1936, '39), Clarke Hinkle was one of the most versatile players in league history.
After a college career at Bucknell University -- where he was known as the Bucknell Battering Ram -- Hinkle arrived in Green Bay in 1932.
As dominant a tackler as he was a ball carrier, Hinkle led the Packers in rushing seven times (tied with Bob Monnett in 1933) over his career. He was also a punter for three seasons and place-kicker throughout his tenure.
In 1938, Hinkle led the league in scoring with 58 points (7 TDs, 3 FGs, 7 PATs).
In 1940 and '41, Hinkle led the NFL in field goals made, hitting 9-of-14 and 6-of-14, respectively.
The NFL doesn't have defensive statistics for that period, but Hinkle was a fierce linebacker, gaining a reputation as one of the few players powerful enough to bring down Chicago Bears great Bronko Nagurski.
In fact, Hinkle so won his rival's respect that Nagurski delivered his induction speech at Canton in 1964.
A two-time consensus All-Pro, Hinkle was among the Packers' inaugural Pro Bowl class in 1938, before being named to the all-star game again in 1939 and 1940..
Hinkle was named to the NFL's All-Time Two-Way Team in 1994.

I had no idea the NFL was so supportive of bi-sexuality.

[Pugger]

Can you imagin what these guys would be like if they played today in their prime?

[Joemailman]

A Packer legend like no other: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2207197006

[vince]

There is a whole other world out there for Packer fans other than the Lomardi years until now.

Bravo! I find the formative years more interesting than the later years personally. I've saved a bunch of video, images and information on these teams and the players from the Lambeau era - and before. I'll share what I can to add to your posts. Keep 'em coming!

[mraynrand]

Can you imagin what these guys would be like if they played today in their prime?

Bone powder?

[vince]

Johnny “Blood” McNally:

Hello, Mr. Remmel. Your recollections and analysis are wonderful. There have been a lot of stories written about Johnny Blood McNally. I was wondering if you ever met him, what your impressions were, and how he ranked as a player. Thank you. - Dave (Des Moines, IA)

I did have the privilege, as a sportswriter/columnist for the Green Bay Press-Gazette (1944-74), of meeting and interviewing the fabled Johnny "Blood" McNally, who probably was the most daring and colorful player (on and off the field) in Packers history. For example, at one point during Johnny's playing career, Coach Curly Lambeau - concerned because McNally was inclined to break curfew and sneak out on the town, allegedly locked him in his hotel room the night before a game against the Bears in Chicago. Johnny, however, being a highly resourceful citizen, reportedly tied some bed sheets together, lowered himself out of his hotel window to the ground and proceeded to get out "among them."

Contrary to popular perception, I never saw him play. But, from all reports of his former teammates, such as fellow Hall of Famer Mike Michalske, he was a great athlete, a description which is supported by the fact that he was a charter selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when it opened in 1963. He reportedly was a gifted runner and receiver.

Johnny also, apparently, was highly intelligent. Some years after retiring from professional football, he became a member of the faculty at his alma mater, St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., and also authored a book dealing with philosophy.

[vince]

Johnny “Blood” McNally:

ONE OF THE most colorful players in the history of the Packers was an Irishman named John McNally, better known as Johnny Blood.

He was born in New Richmond, Wisconsin, across the state line from Minneapolis and St. Paul. After high school, where he was athlete, poet and scholar, McNally matriculated to the University of Notre Dame. There he played freshman football and was considered one of the finest prospects of all time at the school.

His stay at Notre Dame, however, proved brief. Celebrating St. Patrick's day the next spring, he and a friend rode a motorcycle out of South Bend, Indiana, and never returned.

McNally then enrolled at St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, and played football there on Saturdays. He also wanted to play football for the Minneapolis Liberties, a professional team, on Sandays and he needed an alias.

One Saturday night, early in the fall, McNally and a friend of his, who was also looking for a second name, were walking along Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. McNally glanced up as they approached a movie theater.

"Blood and Sand” the marquee read. "Starring Rudolph Valentino.”

“That’s it," McNally said, pounding his friend on the back. "We've got our names. I'll be ‘Blood’ and you be ‘Sand.’"

Sand sifted away into oblivion, but Johnny Blood became the Vagabond Halfback, one of the zaniest and also one of the best athletes of the National Football League.

Starting with the old Milwaukee Badgers in 1925, Blood played fifteen years in the league, second only to Sammy Baugh, who played sixteen. Blood played with the Duluth Eskimos in 1926 and 1927 and with Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1928. Curly Lambeau talked him out of Pottsville in 1929 and he stayed with the Packers through the 1936 season. He finished his league career with Pittsburgh, not only continuing to play from 1937 through !939 but coaching the team as well.

Johnny Blood had speed and elusiveness, spirit and courage. On offense he was runner, passer, catcher and kicker. On defense, he was a ball hawk.

He played best when the situation was most difficult. When the Packers led, he often coasted and clowned. He frequently dropped easy passes, then caught impossible ones.

He broke training rules and curfews; missed trains, buses and bed checks; eluded teammates assigned to watch or guard him. Despite his disdain for regular habits and hours, he played well

He signed his love letters in blood - his own. He ignored injuries that hospitalized lesser individuals. He lived up to the name "Johnny Blood" with dashing, daring, reckless abandon. With the Packers, he scored thirty-seven touchdowns and twice was named to the official all-league team.

[vince]

Cub Buck

A University of Wisconsin star in the teens, Cub Buck was an experienced pro by the time he became a Packer in 1921.

He played two seasons for the Canton Bulldogs where he blocked for the great Jim Thorpe.

At 6’3”, 250-pounds, Buck was one of the largest linemen of his day.

Buck’s field goal in the rain was the only score against the Columbus, Ohio, Panhandlers in a 1922 3-0 Packer win.

While playing for the Packers, Buck was an executive with the Boy Scouts, coached at Lawrence University and purchased an Appleton, Wis., auto dealership.

In 1926, Buck retired to become head coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes.

[hoosier]

Johnny “Blood” McNally:


He played on four Packer championship teams in seven seasons.

He took the name “Blood” from the movie marquee of a popular Rudolf Valentino picture of the era, “Blood and Sand.”

In 1929, “Blood” signed on with the Green Bay Packers. In addition to scoring 224 points as a Packer, he also became known for his antics:

• Jumped across a narrow ledge six stories from the ground to gain access to a Los Angeles hotel room.

• Fled a towel fight with Lavvie Dilweg by climbing on top of a fast-moving train and crawling across car tops until he reached the engine.

Any relation to Anthony Dilweg, the forgettable Packer QB from the 80s?

• Played almost an entire game with a collapsed kidney.

Yikes. I didn't know kidneys could do that!

• Pushed rookie Don Hutson to the limit in a 100-yard dash at age 33.

Was he penalized for illegal pushing?

• Was rescued by teammates while he was hanging on a ship’s stern flagpole on a Packer trip to Hawaii.

• Blew the top off a testing machine in a test for lung capacity.

Good thing it wasn't testing for kidney capacity!

• Danced, cart-wheeled and delighted a New York night club audience for over an hour.

And they assured him they were laughing with him, not at him, right?

• Once ran 50 yards for a touchdown on a lateral and when QB Red Dunn called the same play later in the game, “Blood” simply smiled and lateraled the ball back to Dunn.

The epitome of unselfishness in a bygone era. Today's player would have taken off running again without giving it another thought.

[HowardRoark]

Johnny “Blood” McNally:

ONE OF THE most colorful players in the history of the Packers was an Irishman named John McNally, better known as Johnny Blood.

He was born in New Richmond, Wisconsin, across the state line from Minneapolis and St. Paul. After high school, where he was athlete, poet and scholar, McNally matriculated to the University of Notre Dame. There he played freshman football and was considered one of the finest prospects of all time at the school.

His stay at Notre Dame, however, proved brief. Celebrating St. Patrick's day the next spring, he and a friend rode a motorcycle out of South Bend, Indiana, and never returned.

McNally then enrolled at St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, and played football there on Saturdays. He also wanted to play football for the Minneapolis Liberties, a professional team, on Sandays and he needed an alias.

One Saturday night, early in the fall, McNally and a friend of his, who was also looking for a second name, were walking along Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. McNally glanced up as they approached a movie theater.

"Blood and Sand” the marquee read. "Starring Rudolph Valentino.”

“That’s it," McNally said, pounding his friend on the back. "We've got our names. I'll be ‘Blood’ and you be ‘Sand.’"

Sand sifted away into oblivion, but Johnny Blood became the Vagabond Halfback, one of the zaniest and also one of the best athletes of the National Football League.

Starting with the old Milwaukee Badgers in 1925, Blood played fifteen years in the league, second only to Sammy Baugh, who played sixteen. Blood played with the Duluth Eskimos in 1926 and 1927 and with Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1928. Curly Lambeau talked him out of Pottsville in 1929 and he stayed with the Packers through the 1936 season. He finished his league career with Pittsburgh, not only continuing to play from 1937 through !939 but coaching the team as well.

Johnny Blood had speed and elusiveness, spirit and courage. On offense he was runner, passer, catcher and kicker. On defense, he was a ball hawk.

He played best when the situation was most difficult. When the Packers led, he often coasted and clowned. He frequently dropped easy passes, then caught impossible ones.

He broke training rules and curfews; missed trains, buses and bed checks; eluded teammates assigned to watch or guard him. Despite his disdain for regular habits and hours, he played well

He signed his love letters in blood - his own. He ignored injuries that hospitalized lesser individuals. He lived up to the name "Johnny Blood" with dashing, daring, reckless abandon. With the Packers, he scored thirty-seven touchdowns and twice was named to the official all-league team.

That's the book. Great stories about the start of the team as well as that particualr season.

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Bay-Pack.../dp/B0007EMKOI

[vince]

That book is available online in pdf format for free. I'll find it and post a link.

EDIT: They took the pdf version offline and it's available in some non-printable format called Daisy.

http://www.archive.org/details/green...kersp010233mbp

If anyone wants this book in pdf format, let me know and I can make it available to you.

[vince]

Mike Michalske


After playing fullback at Penn State, Michalske transitioned to guard upon entering the pro game (his first two years were spent with the New York Yankees football team).

Michalske used his quickness and athleticism to become, arguably, pro football’s first truly great guard.

He was known as, “The Guard of the Century.”

Led the Packers to their first 3 NFL championships (consecutive titles in ’29, ‘30, & ’31).

He was the first guard inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 1964.

Michalske, nicknamed “Iron Mike”, played 60 minutes of almost every game he was in as a Packer, playing on the defensive side, as well.

An All-Pro four times, Michalske was especially devastating on attack. No guard ever led the charge with swifter, surer savagery.

Coached in the college ranks for about a quarter century at Iowa State, Texas Aggies, and the University of Texas.

[Fritz]

Johnny Blood McNally: "he often coasted and clowned. He frequently dropped easy passes, then caught impossible ones.

He broke training rules and curfews; missed trains, buses and bed checks; eluded teammates assigned to watch or guard him. Despite his disdain for regular habits and hours, he played well."

He was Randy Moss before there was a Randy Moss!

[vince]

Any relation to Anthony Dilweg, the forgettable Packer QB from the 80s?

Yup. Lavvie was Anthony's Grandfather.

Lavvie Dilweg

Lavvie Dilweg, who was was the Packers' best receiver before Don Hutson arrived, is one of two members of the NFL's all-1920s team not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dilweg was a football star at Marquette University in the 1920s and spent one season with the NFL's Milwaukee Badgers. After that team folded in 1926, he signed with the Packers and was an All-Pro player for all but one of his eight seasons with the Packers.

He was chosen as a member of the Packers' all-time teams in 1946, 1957 and 1969.

He went into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in Milwaukee in 1967 and was one of the charter members of the Packers Hall of Fame in 1970.

Bob Dilweg, 74, lives in Bethesda, Md. If his dad's name doesn't ring a bell, maybe his son's name does. Anthony Dilweg played quarterback for the Packers in 1989 and 1990.

Back to Lavvie, though. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder played end on offense and defense, and legendary NFL running back Red Grange called Dilweg "the greatest end who ever brought me down."

[vince]

Cal Hubbard

An oversized yet very swift athlete, Cal Hubbard was a force to be reckoned with in the early days of the NFL.

In 1927, Hubbard was a key piece of a tough Giants defense that recorded 10 shutouts in 13 games and allowed just 20 points all season in route to the championship.

In 1929, Hubbard was traded to the Packers at his request (he preferred the small town atmosphere).

In Green Bay, Hubbard enjoyed the best years of his career and help to lead the Packers to three straight Championships from 1929-1931 under legendary coach Curly Lambeau.

Hubbard was named All-NFL six times (1928-1933) and was named the NFL’s all-time offensive tackle in 1969, well after his playing days.

A tackle in college at Centenary and Geneva, Hubbard moved to d-line while playing for the New York Giants. After being traded to Green Bay in 1929, Hubbard moved back to his natural position.

It was there that he shined. Hubbard helped turn the Packers’ running game into a force as they won world championships in each of his first three seasons.

He was an All-Pro every year from 1931-1933, a member of the NFL’s All-50 Year Team (1970) and a 1963 inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

During the summers in Green Bay, Hubbard discovered a love for umpiring baseball games, a passion he would enjoy for the rest of his life.

He eventually became a major league umpire, and in 1958 became the umpire-in-chief for the American League.

His work in that role was so good that, in 1976, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He is the only person ever to be enshrined in both the Football and Baseball Halls of Fame.

[red]

great stuff howard & vince, keep it up

its funny looking at how much bigger the guys are today compared to 80 years ago. cal hubbard looks more like a professional beer drinker

and what did michalske weigh? about a buck 60? and he was a guard? my god

and don't even get me started on that picture of cub buck lol