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Packers greats inspire new Hall of Famers
No former Packers went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, over the weekend, but they were there in body and spirit.
In his induction speech, former Bills running back Thurman Thomas took a moment to remember the late Elijah Pitts, his position coach in Buffalo. They were close, and Thomas said that if Pitts were still alive, he'd be an NFL head coach, with Thomas as his running backs coach. Pitts died in 1998.
In his induction speech, former St. Louis Cardinals cornerback Roger Wehrli shared an anecdote involving another former Packers player.
"I was married my senior year of college. Started getting letters from pro teams about the draft. My wife, Gail, who really wasn't much of a sports fan unless I was playing, she heard about the draft. She thought they were talking about the Army draft in Vietnam. She was not ready for that. In fact, once we straightened her out on the draft, she said,
'You mean like the NFL with Bart Starr?'
That's the only player she knew in the NFL.
"Well, babe, I'm up here with Bart Starr, so maybe we made it," Wehrli said to laughter from the crowd.
Indeed, Starr was on hand for induction weekend, especially at the private Friday gathering that has come to be known as "the Ray Nitschke luncheon."
Here are some excerpts from a story on the luncheon by Jarrett Bell of USA Today:
Aside from a few exceptions, including commissioner Roger Goodell, Hall of Fame executives, trustees and selection committee members, the luncheon is open only to Hall of Famers.
Ground rule No. 1: The newest Hall of Famers cannot speak when the microphone is passed around. They are there to listen, to soak in a few stories, to be scolded, advised and initiated into the group.
Fittingly, (Deacon) Jones gets the microphone first. He warns the new class to keep their induction speeches short and to be on their best behavior. This is a role Nitschke used to play, complete with passionate speeches about what it means to be a Hall of Famer. That's why they dedicated the luncheon in his honor after he passed away in 1998.
Jones tells the new class about Nitschke.
"A little weird," he says. "A little crazy. Elevator didn't go all the way to the top. But that's who you wanted with you in a fight."
The microphone was passed around for about an hour. ... Then Starr told the group how (coach Vince) Lombardi's words still ring true today.
"He used to say," Starr relayed, "
'Heart power is the strength of America. Hate power is the weakness of the world.' "
-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com
No former Packers went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, over the weekend, but they were there in body and spirit.
In his induction speech, former Bills running back Thurman Thomas took a moment to remember the late Elijah Pitts, his position coach in Buffalo. They were close, and Thomas said that if Pitts were still alive, he'd be an NFL head coach, with Thomas as his running backs coach. Pitts died in 1998.
In his induction speech, former St. Louis Cardinals cornerback Roger Wehrli shared an anecdote involving another former Packers player.
"I was married my senior year of college. Started getting letters from pro teams about the draft. My wife, Gail, who really wasn't much of a sports fan unless I was playing, she heard about the draft. She thought they were talking about the Army draft in Vietnam. She was not ready for that. In fact, once we straightened her out on the draft, she said,
'You mean like the NFL with Bart Starr?'
That's the only player she knew in the NFL.
"Well, babe, I'm up here with Bart Starr, so maybe we made it," Wehrli said to laughter from the crowd.
Indeed, Starr was on hand for induction weekend, especially at the private Friday gathering that has come to be known as "the Ray Nitschke luncheon."
Here are some excerpts from a story on the luncheon by Jarrett Bell of USA Today:
Aside from a few exceptions, including commissioner Roger Goodell, Hall of Fame executives, trustees and selection committee members, the luncheon is open only to Hall of Famers.
Ground rule No. 1: The newest Hall of Famers cannot speak when the microphone is passed around. They are there to listen, to soak in a few stories, to be scolded, advised and initiated into the group.
Fittingly, (Deacon) Jones gets the microphone first. He warns the new class to keep their induction speeches short and to be on their best behavior. This is a role Nitschke used to play, complete with passionate speeches about what it means to be a Hall of Famer. That's why they dedicated the luncheon in his honor after he passed away in 1998.
Jones tells the new class about Nitschke.
"A little weird," he says. "A little crazy. Elevator didn't go all the way to the top. But that's who you wanted with you in a fight."
The microphone was passed around for about an hour. ... Then Starr told the group how (coach Vince) Lombardi's words still ring true today.
"He used to say," Starr relayed, "
'Heart power is the strength of America. Hate power is the weakness of the world.' "
-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com
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