Thanks for that Ayn. The 50's are a relative black hole as far as Packer legends (and Packer wins) go. A bunch of 60's legends started then, but they didn't do much until Lombardi came along and whipped 'em into shape.
Thanks for that Ayn. The 50's are a relative black hole as far as Packer legends (and Packer wins) go. A bunch of 60's legends started then, but they didn't do much until Lombardi came along and whipped 'em into shape.
Tony Canadeo
Tony Canadeo from little-known Gonzaga University was an unsung ninth-round choice of the Green Bay Packers in 1941 but it wasn't long before he earned the reputation of being a budding superstar who could – and would – do anything on a football field.
Because he was prematurely gray, he was popularly known as "The Gray Ghost of Gonzaga."
He played offense and defense, ran with the ball, threw passes, caught passes, returned punts and kickoffs, punted and intercepted passes.
In 11 years, he rushed for 4,197 yards, passed for 1,642 yards, recorded 69 receptions for 579 yards, gained 513 yards on punt returns, 1,736 on kickoff returns, and scored 186 points.
Canadeo was a tough, hard-nosed runner, with his career year occurring in 1949 as he ran for 1,052 yards and four touchdowns.
His 1,000 yard season was the first by a Packer (and only the third ever in the history of the league at that point).
He is one of only five players to have had his number retired by the team and he is a 1974 inductee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He led the Packers in rushing in 1943, ‘46 and ‘49.
Canadeo had a split career in Green Bay, which was separated by his service in the Army during World War II in 1945.
A former teammate once summed up Canadeo’s career this way: “He wasn’t fast. He wasn’t big. He wasn’t elusive like a lot of runners. He wasn’t really powerful. But when Tony put that ball under his arm, he was a wild man.”
Altogether the versatile Canadeo gained 8,667 multi-purpose yards.
He also intercepted 9 passes and punted 45 times during his remarkable career.
Green Bay from 1941 through 1944 was one of the NFL's premier teams. During that period, Tony was a complementary player in the backfield, playing second fiddle to players such as Don Hutson, Ted Fritsch and Cecil Isbell.
While Hutson was charismatic and graceful, Canadeo was tough and gritty on the football field. Hutson had all the natural talent, while Canadeo had tons of heart.
He initially served as an understudy to veteran quarterback Cecil lsbell.
Then in 1943, he became the Packers' No. 1 passer. That year he was also named to the official All-NFL team.
When he returned from the Army in 1946, the Packers no longer were contenders and Canadeo’s role was significantly different.
For his final seven seasons in the league, Tony became a heavy-duty running back and, predictably, came through with flying colors.
Tony employed the attributes of most great athletes – determination, courage and tenacity – to attain Hall of Fame stature.
He was probably one of the best all-around players in Packer history," longtime Packers spokesman Lee Remmel said. "He could do just about anything. He was a good runner, a good blocker, a good returner and a good receiver. He was one of the toughest players the Packers have ever had, an extremely hard-nosed player."
"I would say he would be classified as an icon among all those who were part of the Packers," said Robert Parins, the team's president from 1982 to 1989. "I think his contribution to the Packers really was with people away from Green Bay. He had great name recognition wherever he went."
"He was one of the greatest we had," said Tom Miller, a teammate of Canadeo's in 1946 and one of his best friends. Everyone in the league knows him and how good he was. He could not only carry the ball and field punts, but he could catch passes. He was a good receiver and a good guy. He was liked by everybody. He didn't have an enemy in the world. He was one of the best-liked guys in Green Bay and a hell of a football player."
After his retirement, Canadeo worked as a broadcaster with Ray Scott, doing color commentary on Packers games.
On March 7, 1955, he became a member of the team's board of directors.
On April 28, 1958, he was elected to the executive committee.
On May 3, 1982, he was named a vice president.
It was shortly after he became a member of the executive committee that he was involved in the hiring of Lombardi, a little-known assistant coach from the New York Giants.
After Lombardi joined the team in 1959, Canadeo struck up a friendship with the dictatorial head coach. The two shared Italian heritage and Catholic religion in a town very different from where both grew up. "They were very, very close friends," Parins said. "Even after Vince left, their families remained close. Tony spent a lot of time with him after games."
Canadeo remained behind the scenes during his years on the executive committee, but often he was front and center during league meetings. He was so well-known around the NFL that he helped give the Packers an identity when he and Parins traveled to NFL functions.
Though not a native of Green Bay, Canadeo embraced it like his hometown and the Packers like his family. He attended games until his health began to fail and remained a director emeritus with the Packers until his death.
"He was quite close to the organization all of the time," Parins said. "He loved the organization. He loved the Packers. He died when they lost and rejoiced when they won."
This one's for Howard.
Charles "Buckets" Goldenberg
Milwaukee’s Charles Goldenberg inherited his nickname “Buckets” from his brother Dave, a high school lineman with an unusual stance.
Goldenberg was born in Odessa, Ukraine.
A star Wisconsin Badger fullback, the 5’10”, 225-pound Goldenberg signed with the Packers over the Cardinals and Giants in 1933.
A fullback his first two years as a Packer, Goldenberg was converted to guard on the recommendation of Mike Michalske.
He played in the ‘36, ‘38, ‘39 and ‘44 NFL championship games. The Packers won all of those except the ’38 title game.
Goldenberg was voted to the All-time Packer team as a Guard in 1949.
One of the greatest linemen of his era, Goldenberg was a member of the Green Bay Packers for 13 seasons.
A three-time All-Pro at guard, he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-1930s Team.
Buckets, who also played linebacker, is apparently responsible for one of football's most effective offensive plays -- the draw play.
"I could always tell when (Bears quarterback Sid) Luckman was going to pass as he would drop his left foot back,” said Goldenberg. “When I saw this, I would yell to the other guard to cover my hole and I would take off after Sid and usually nail him. Eventually Bulldog (Turner, Bears running back) realized what I was doing and suggested Sid hand off to (fullback Bill) Osmansky rather than pass. Sure enough, he did and Bill goes roaring through the hole I left for a big gain. Thus the draw play was born."
In 1936, the Packers (10-1-1) returned to glory, winning the NFL Championship, and Buckets shifted to guard.
He said: "The reason I played guard starting in '36 was the team was short on guards...I have always said a guard is just a fullback getting his brains knocked out."
Buckets retired following the 1945 season, having played 120 career NFL games; his thirteen seasons was second most in league history at the time of his retirement.
Goldenberg is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
After his career ended, Buckets was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame (1973), and was named to the Hall of Fame's All-1930s Team.
After playing, he owned a successful Milwaukee restaurant and served for many years on the Packer Board of Directors.
Bob Forte
Like many players in his day, Forte was a multi-purpose threat for the Pack.
At various times, he played quarterback, running back and wide receiver on offense.
Defense was where he really excelled as a cornerback.
Blessed with excellent size for his era (6-feet, 199 pounds), Forte totaled 22 interceptions in his time with the team.
Forte led the Packers with eight interceptions in 1947.
Forte was a Packer from 1946-’50 and from ‘52-’53.
His career was interrupted by Korean War service in 1951.
Forte was elected to the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame in 1973.
I haven't read through the thread yet, but wanted to post this anyway.
Thank god this is not another Brent Favre thread. I was weary about the thread title.
"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." - Vince Lombardi
very cool! thanks vince.
Chuck Cecil (get out your checkbook)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxiD...layer_embedded
After lunch the players lounged about the hotel patio watching the surf fling white plumes high against the darkening sky. Clouds were piling up in the west… Vince Lombardi frowned.
Lee Remmel
Lee Remmel worked 62 years with the Green Bay Packers as a sportswriter and later a team employee, and is recognized as the foremost authority on not only Packer history, but the history of the entire NFL.
On October 7, 1945, Remmel started covering the Green Bay Packers as a sportswriter for the Green Bay Press Gazette.
He was the only sportswriter who had covered all of the Packers coaches from the team's first coach Curly Lambeau to Mike McCarthy.
Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre described Remmel, "He’s a Packers icon. There will never be another like him. His knowledge of the team and its history has always been impressive. He is sharp as a tack when it came to those things – truly impressive."
Remmel was named Wisconsin's Sports Writer of the year in 1967.
Remmel was inducted in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame on March 30, 1996.
To honor his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame, the team built a new press box in August 2003, and they named it "The Lee Remmel Press Box".
Each April, the "Lee Remmel Sports Awards Banquet" honors high school to professional athletes. The banquet has raised over $150,000 for Green Bay area colleges and high schools.
Remmel joined the Packers front office in 1974 as director of public relations.
He continued to head the Packers PR department until Bob Harlan named him team historian in 2004.
Remmel possesses what the New York Times has described as probably the longest living memory of the N.F.L.
“I’d have to think for a heck of a long time to find someone like Lee who was a part of the old N.F.L. guard who is still around today,” said Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel chief, who now analyzes the league for NFL.com. “In fact, it’s almost impossible to find someone who goes back to the early days as long a ways as Lee goes.”
"Lee has been a great ambassador for the Green Bay Packers for many years," Packers Chairman Bob Harlan said. "He is a class individual who has served this organization with the utmost professionalism and respect. Many people involved in this game and around the NFL have such great respect for him. His relationships with people are what have served him so well -- with the media, with the fans, everyone. He is the consummate professional."
"He must have told me a story about Art Rooney and the Steelers about 20 times just in the first year I was here," Packer Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. "People like Lee are so special because they have lived through so many decades and generations of this sport, especially with the history of the Green Bay Packers. He is someone special to this organization."
I was going to put up a post on him a couple weeks ago, but couldn't (ironically) find many pictures of him.
RIP Vern
http://packerrats.com/ratchat/viewtopic.php?t=21417
After lunch the players lounged about the hotel patio watching the surf fling white plumes high against the darkening sky. Clouds were piling up in the west… Vince Lombardi frowned.
" Packer Legends in Facts "
Your Most Accurate Source of Stats, Rosters, Team History and All
Team Photos of the Green Bay Packers 1919-1994 : 1995-75th
This is the number #1 Sports edition in Wisconsin over the past 4 years.
To accumulate all the team pictures(1919-1994) and action photos starting with the 1935 season was an ambition project.
It is an impressive volume of history with 416 pages and over 280 photos which includes all team photos & over 200 action photos.
OTHERS:
" Mudbaths and Bloodbaths "
The Inside Story of the Great Packers-Bears Rivalry
ONE OF THE BEST FOOTBALL STORY BOOKS EVER !
GREAT STORIES, YOU CAN START READING THIS BOOK AT THE BEGINING, MIDDLE, OR END IT MAKES YOU FEEL PART OF FOOTBALL HISTORY OF ONE OF THE GREATEST RIVALS IN ALL OF SPORTS.
" THE ICE BOWL "
In 1966, the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL championship. The teams' intense rivalry in the following 1967 season would culminate in one of the most classic football games of all time--the Ice Bowl. Now one of the most irreverent sportswriter in the business brings the final game of the '67 season to life, vividly profiling the players' distinctive personalities on and off the field.
"WHEN PRIDE STILL MATTERED"
Is an in-depth biography of Vince Lombardi.
In the biography, Maraniss traces Lombardi's rise, examines the myths and legends surrounding his life, and separates the human being from the symbolic character created by his success. Based on hundreds of interviews,
supplemented by personal letters, documents, and other archival material, WHEN PRIDE STILL MATTERED covers:
* The fallacy of the "innocent past" that surfaced throughout Lombardi's football career. * Lombardi's obsession with winning and how it affected his wife and family. * The powerful trinity of religion, military, and sport that shaped Lombardi's life. * Lombardi's connection to the mythmakers of American sports, from Grantland Rice to Howard Cosell, and the evolution of the Lombardi mythology. *Lombardi's unlikely triumph in Green Bay and his emergence as a national icon. * Lombardi's search for a deeper meaning in football and how he transformed his sport into a metaphor for the American experience.
"Cold Wars"
40 Years of Packer-Viking Rivalry
1. Midwest Book Review: "Cold Wars: 40 Years of Packer-Viking Rivalry
by football enthusiast Todd Mishler...
Is an informative review of every game that these cherished Green Bay Packer and Minnesota Viking football teams have played since 1960. Filled cover to cover with anecdotes, insights and cheers from players, coaches, sports writers and fans, Cold Wars is enthusiastically recommended as an engaging history perfect for Wisconsin and Minnesota football buffs and could well serve as a template for writing books about other historic football rivalries!"
2. Tom Oates, sports columnist, Wisconsin State Journal: "Author Todd Mishler somehow manages to present both sides of a rivalry that in the 1990s turned into one of the NFL's best.
It may be hard for Packer fans to hate the Vikings as much as they hate the Bears, but that shouldn't stop them from loving this book."
3. Bob Lurtsema, 12-year NFL veteran and publisher of Vikings Update magazine:
"Reading Cold Wars was the greatest walk down memory lane I have ever encountered. ... I still hate the Cheeseheads, but they know I love them."
This rivalry will never die.
" LOMBARDI "
A commemorative edition of the biography of the man whose legacy inspired the 1997 Super Bowl champions, Lombardi profiles the complex and unique individual who is thought by many to be the greatest football coach of all time. 135 photos
GO PACKERS!
** Since 2006 3 X Pro Pickem' Champion; 4 X Runner-Up and 3 X 3rd place.
** To download Jesus Loves Me ring tones, you'll need a cell phone mame
** If God doesn't fish, play poker or pull for " the Packers ", exactly what does HE do with his buds?
** Rather than love, money or fame - give me TRUTH: Henry D. Thoreau
Indian Jack Jacobs
Fred “Indian Jack” Jacobs was one of the most gifted athletes in Packers history.
He was born in Oklahoma in 1919, appropriately the year the Packers were founded.
It is unlikely that he will ever be enshrined in the Packers Hall of Fame, in part because he spent only three seasons in Green and Gold (1947-49) with the last two presiding over a 3-9-0 record in '48 and an even more disastrous 2-10-0 reading in '49, which might best be forgotten.
Indian Jack came upon the Green Bay scene in 1947, at a historic time in Packers annals - when Curly Lambeau was reluctantly abandoning his treasured "Notre Dame Box" attack for the "modern" T-formation, which put the quarterback directly under the center to take the snap.
Lambeau, accustomed to seeing his troops find the end zone with frequency over his long coaching career, was in search of more offensive punch after seeing the Packers score just 148 points in 11 games in 1946 - a paltry average of 13.4 points per game. He accordingly acquired Jacobs from the Washington Redskins in exchange for halfback Bob Nussbaumer.
Consequently, the signing of Jacobs as the quarterback of the new offense was heralded throughout Packerland and anticipation was high, particularly because the defending world champion Chicago Bears would be rolling into Green Bay for the season opener (Sept. 28, 1947) to present the Packers with an early and major challenge.
But Jacobs alone was more than equal to the task. He proceeded to forge what became a highly impressive - if essentially one-game - legacy with a virtuosic performance that has to rank among the most versatile in the history of the game.
In fact, it is hard to imagine that Indian Jack could have done any more while wheeling about old City Stadium that long distant afternoon, escorting the Packers to a 29-20 upset of the favored Bears.
In his first game as a Packer against the vaunted Bears Jacobs:
* Threw for two touchdowns.
* Scored on a 1-yard run, following a 17-yard rush that positioned the Packers for the score.
* Made two interceptions. (He actually picked off three Sid Luckman passes but the first one nullified by an interference penalty.)
* Punted four times, with a long of 59 yards. (He went on to finish the season as the NFL's best punter in '47.)
* He played the full 60 minutes - every play on both offense and defense.
After leaving the Packers and the NFL, Jack played with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Footballl League, leading them to Grey Cup berths in 1950 and 1953.
He also was named the CFL's Most Valuable Player in '53.
The old stadium the Bombers currently play in was named "The House that Jack built" after the Jacobs.
He later served as an assistant coach at London, Ontario, and as an assistant at Montreal, Hamilton and Edmonton.
sticky this thread!
Now that is some good reading! Well done to all contributors and nice bump mr roak
Last edited by Upnorth; 11-19-2011 at 11:28 PM.
Harlan made me learn something new tonight.
Tobin Rote....I had never even heard those two words put together ever before.
Career in Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers selected Rote in the second round (17th overall) of the 1950 NFL Draft. He would spend a total of seven seasons in Wisconsin, leading the hapless Packers' offense while the defense annually ranked among the league's worst. Besides his passing duties, Rote led the Packers in rushing yards three times and rushing touchdowns five times. During the span of his Green Bay career, Rote ranked 3rd in the NFL in passing touchdowns, trailing only Bobby Layne and Norm Van Brocklin. He also ranked 1st in the league in rushing yards by a quarterback and 2nd in touchdowns.
1956 Season
Rote's 1956 season ranks among the greatest in NFL history. On a 4–8 team, he led the league in passing yards (by 294), passing touchdowns (his 18 being six more than Ted Marchibroda's 12). In addition, his 11 rushing touchdowns were second in the league behind only those of Chicago's Rick Casares. His 29 total touchdowns were the highest single-season total in NFL history to date and the highest total in the era of the twelve-game schedule. The entire Packers' offense outside of Rote accounted for just 5 touchdowns.
Among quarterbacks, he led the league in pass completions, pass attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.
After lunch the players lounged about the hotel patio watching the surf fling white plumes high against the darkening sky. Clouds were piling up in the west… Vince Lombardi frowned.
Originally Posted by HowardRoark
It sounds like Maxie's comment here is right. But Tobin Rote is much more accomplished than Majkowski. Majkowski was Charlie Whitehurst with a mullet. That's too harsh, Majkowski was pretty good, but just pretty good. Rookie season Russell Wilson? Too generous.
Last edited by Harlan Huckleby; 10-23-2014 at 01:31 PM.
I remember watching Majkowski, but when I went back and checked the facts this is what impressed me:
Not to shabby. Tobin Rote had more longevity, but Magic Man had the tools...Too bad the injury bug bit him.Nicknamed The Majik Man, Majkowski broke out during the 1989 Green Bay Packers season. He was given the starting job and Randy Wright was released. Majkowski had one of the finest seasons in Packers history. He completed 353 passes in 599 attempts. His 4,318 passing yards led the NFL. He also threw for 27 touchdowns. Notably, the Packers won their first game against the hated rival Chicago Bears since 1984. The key was a touchdown play, first nullified by an illegal forward pass by Majkowski, then upheld by instant replay as a legal pass. The season ended with 10 wins and 6 losses; Majkowski capped the season with his being selected to the Pro Bowl.
One time Lombardi was disgusted with the team in practice and told them they were going to have to start with the basics. He held up a ball and said: "This is a football." McGee immediately called out, "Stop, coach, you're going too fast," and that gave everyone a laugh.
John Maxymuk, Packers By The Numbers
I believe he ended up with the Lions in the 60's. Might've been their fourth best QB ever.
"The Devine era is actually worse than you remember if you go back and look at it."
KYPack
Tobin Rote is the unknown superstar.
Lead the Lions to the '57 blowout of the Browns to win the championship.
After the Lions wouldn't pay him, he went to the CFL.
He set records with Toronto that still stand.
Sid Gillman snapped him up in '63 to QB the SD Chargers. He won the AFL championship to SD in '63. That was a legendary team, one that is still talked about.
Only QB to win an NFL championship and the AFL crown.
Rote could play in today's NFL, a great runner with a live throwing arm.
He probably should go in the HOF, but he'll never make it.
Good timing on all-time QBs discussion. Rodgers, Favre, Isabell and Curly Lambeau all make appearances in this article trying to determine greatest QB in his era. Just ignore the bit about Stafford, dig in for four Packer references.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...nnings-throne/
Bud Adams told me the franchise he admired the most was the Kansas City Chiefs. Then he asked for more hookers and blow.
I heard interview with Majik a few years ago. Guy has terrible health,chronic pain with back and legs. I remember he said he is not able to play golf.
I do remember he had that great season that sent Scott Tolzien, I mean Randy Wright, to the broadcast booth. But what a flash in the pan.
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