PDA

View Full Version : Former Green Bay Packers G Gale Gillingham dies at 67



sheepshead
10-21-2011, 09:55 AM
bummer:

http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111020/PKR01/111020170/Former-Pro-Bowl-guard-Gillingham-dies-67?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|GPG-Sports|s

Former Green Bay Packers guard Gale Gillingham, 67, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, died Thursday while lifting weights in his garage in Little Falls, Minn., according to WFRV-TV sports anchor Larry McCarren, a former teammate.

Gillingham was drafted in the first round (13th overall) in 1966 and played 10 seasons with the Packers. He earned five Pro Bowl berths and was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1982.

Gillingham became the Packers’ full-time starter at left guard in 1967 and later moved to right guard. He started in the Ice Bowl and Super Bowl II, Vince Lombardi’s final two games as Packers coach.

“(He) was quite simply the best offensive lineman I’ve ever seen, bar none,” said McCarren, a Packers center who started alongside Gillingham for two seasons in 1974 and 1976. “He should have been in the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame but he would never play the political media game to get in. It just was not in that man’s DNA.”

There is a sense among some Hall of Fame voters that enough Lombardi-era players have been inducted, according to former Green Bay Press-Gazette sports editor Cliff Christl, who is a voting member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and believes Gillingham is worthy of induction.

But the anti-Lombardi sentiment has worked against players like Gillingham and former Packers linebacker Dave Robinson, Christl said.

“I think there is some thought that the Packers have enough players already in the Hall of Fame, at least from the Lombardi era,” Christl said.

“With (Robinson) and Gillingham, they were at the end. By the time they were eligible, all the Lombardi Packers were in already.”

By Gillingham’s final season in 1976, he was the last remaining Lombardi-era Packers player on the team.

Gillingham started two games during his rookie season in 1966 for Fuzzy Thurston and became the full-time starter at left guard during the 1967 season when the Packers under Lombardi won their third consecutive championship.

Gillingham (6-foot-3, 255 pounds during his playing days) moved to right guard in 1969 after the retirement of Jerry Kramer and earned first-team all-pro honors in 1969 and 1970 and five Pro Bowl berths over a six-season span: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974.

He played for three other coaches in Green Bay besides Lombardi: Phil Bengtson, Dan Devine and Bart Starr.

Gillingham was moved to the defensive line in 1972 under Devine but injured his knee and played just two games that season. He retired after the 1974 season but returned to play one more year in 1976 under Starr.

Gillingham was born in Madison and attended the University of Minnesota.

His survivors include three sons, all of whom were world-class powerlifters, and a daughter. No other information on survivors or funeral services was immediately available.

pbmax
10-21-2011, 10:03 AM
Should be HOF. RIP.

Fritz
10-21-2011, 10:49 AM
Tell you what, that picture of him - he was a good looking dude, especially for an offensive lineman.

sheepshead
10-21-2011, 10:58 AM
Yeah, later with the 'stash he had that Randy Bachman, Gorman Thomas, Pete Vuckovich thing going.

Old School
10-21-2011, 11:13 AM
RIP Gale. Brings back memories of some great Packer players and championships. Could the current team repeat those glory years?

Fritz
10-21-2011, 12:55 PM
Interesting to me how Lombardi managed to do pretty well replacing some guys from that first version - Gillingham for Thurston, for instance - but failed miserably in others - Anderson for Hornung, for example.

Toward the end, Lombardi really did not make a whole bunch of inspiring draft picks. My sense is that had he lived, the Skins would've plateaued after Lombardi's initial burst of Vince Lombardiness energized the organization. Heck, two years after he died, George Allen was coaching, made Kilmer the starter, and got the team to 9 - 4 -1. Lombardi coached 'em to 7 - 5 -2 with Jurgenson at the helm.

gbgary
10-21-2011, 01:05 PM
the great gale gillingham. rip :(

wpony
10-22-2011, 03:26 AM
this is such a shame he was such a joy to watch on the field I still will never forgive our disaster of a coach devine for ruining him at the end of his career moving him to defense where he dint belong getting him hurt . It was nice that at least when Star came to coach he unretired and came back to play one more year at his correct position and enjoy his last year.
Rest in peace big man I hope some one has your back now like you had everyones back in life.

vince
10-22-2011, 08:04 AM
this is such a shame he was such a joy to watch on the field I still will never forgive our disaster of a coach devine for ruining him at the end of his career moving him to defense where he dint belong getting him hurt . It was nice that at least when Star came to coach he unretired and came back to play one more year at his correct position and enjoy his last year.
Rest in peace big man I hope some one has your back now like you had everyones back in life.
+1 Well said pony.

Pugger
10-22-2011, 09:21 AM
this is such a shame he was such a joy to watch on the field I still will never forgive our disaster of a coach devine for ruining him at the end of his career moving him to defense where he dint belong getting him hurt . It was nice that at least when Star came to coach he unretired and came back to play one more year at his correct position and enjoy his last year.
Rest in peace big man I hope some one has your back now like you had everyones back in life.

I agree pony!

That Devine was such a disaster for our franchise in many ways. :-(

Patler
10-22-2011, 09:28 AM
Gillingham had two Pro-Bowl/All-conference seasons ('73 & '74) at guard after Devine used him on defense in '72 and he sustained the season-ending knee injury.