Packer Memories

[Mason Maniac]

Just for the heck of it, thoughts on me and the Pack


Don Hutson & Curly Lambeau
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Before their were Seahawks and the Titans were just a twinkle in Nashville’s eye - there were the Green Bay Packers, they were my team back in the days before my voice cracked and I still had hair on the top of my noggin. Lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic and wanted to explore the history of the mighty green and gold, unfortunately the NFL does a half assed job of remembering its past. Whenever I heard talk that so and so could be the first coach to win 5 super bowls or that another team could be the first to three-peat… man that got my dander up.

There was pro football before the AFL merger. Before the term "Super Bowl" was coined we had these things called championships. And this guy, you might of heard of him, Vince Lombardi? He won 5 of them. His Packer’s had a three-peat, which matched an earlier three-peat collected by Coach Lambeau in the 1930s (could have been a four-peat but the NFL had weird rules back then. They didn’t used to count ties - that’s how the 6 win Bears edged out the 10 win Pack to spoil any chance for a 4-peat. The Bears had 6 ties!)

I checked out the NFL films “Complete History of the GB Packers”. Only it wasn’t so complete. There are no highlights of interception wizard Bobby Dan Dillon (why isn't he in the HOF!) probably because he just missed the Lombardi era. There were no clips of Travis “Road Runner” Williams and his amazing kick returns In the rush to get to Brett Favre, the DVD skips right past the Magik Man, Don Majikowski and the cardiac Pack (who in today’s playoff scenario, would have made the playoffs… and before any one argues they wouldn’t have made it to the Super Bowl anyway, allow me to say 2 words… “Arizona” and “Cardinals”).

The Pack started off wearing Blue and Gold, before switching to the Green & Gold. For one season, 1953, they were the Green & Green!
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I was kind of bummed. Hell, the Jets who have been around since 1960, got an hour and 40 minutes on their complete history disc. The Pack, who have existed since 1919… didn’t even warrant a full HOUR?

So I turned to books and was happy to find that -while their were holes- it was a lot more thorough and I was captivated by my journey through the history of this storied franchise. As for my own history with the club?


Dad Braisher: The Packers equiment manager was the one who designed the Packer "G" which was first seen on helmets in 1961
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[Mason Maniac]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v360/MightyJack/Cheesepix/packers.jpg

I jumped on the sports train late. I knew of certain teams as dad used to watch them on TV, but I neither played nor paid attention to sports until I was 9 or 10 years old. Therefore the Lombardi era in Green Bay passed by without having much impact on me.

One day, and for reasons unknown, the football bug bit me. I don’t recall the first games I watched but I remember my first Superbowl. I was in Portland, January 17th, 1971. My Uncle Warren was hosting a party and his house was filled with relatives and friends. I sat on the floor next to my father’s chair as the Dallas Cowboys prepared to play the Baltimore Colts. Because my dad hated Dallas, I did too and when I made my prediction –Colts 16, Cowboys 13- he chuckled and said, “I hope your right”.

History records it as one of the worst Superbowls ever (there were 11 combined turnovers and penalties a plenty), but I loved it, I thought it was the neatest thing I ever saw. When Jim O’Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds left to give the Colts the 16 to 13 win… my amazed relatives laughed and said they should have listened to me and called their bookies.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/1971/0125_large.jpg

I didn’t have a favorite team. The closest NFL club was in Denver and many locals adopted them. I hated their ugly orange uniforms and since I was an artist, color and design was important to me. Therefore, becoming a Bronco backer was not going to happen.

When did I first bleed green and gold? We were visiting friends in Seattle - fathers, sons and daughters gathered in the back yard to play some football. When you’re a kid you often take on the name of a favorite player and would play under a favorite team. I remember the son of my father’s friend suggesting we could be the Green Bay Packers… and everyone laughed. The name intrigued me, I’d never heard of them but I liked the sound of it. Green Bay sounded cool and the uniqueness of “Packer” grabbed me. Everything else was so standard, Broncos, Bears, Cowboys –yawn- and the cities all familiar. “Green Bay” wasn’t familiar or standard – And what was a “Packer?” My abstract brain loved it.

The laughter disturbed me though, and I asked my dad, “Are the Packer’s any good?”

“They used to be” he answered.

I guess loyalty was a big deal, even at age 10. That people would embrace you when you were up, then discard you when you were down, bothered me greatly. Curiosity struck, I wanted to know more about these Green Bay Packers, who they were and their history.


Vince & Bart: These 2 were part
of what made the 60s so very fab
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v360/MightyJack/Cheesepix/Starr-Lombardi_Team_Action.jpg

There was no Internet back then and the NFL wasn’t the monster it is today (Hell, they didn’t even broadcast every playoff game on TV believe it or not) so I had to scour the library for every book I could find on the team and my father was a great source. He loved telling stories and welcomed my questions. My parents found a poster that was illustrated with pictures of greats from Packer history. I’d point out a player and my dad would regale me with tales of that player. I sat with wide-eyed awe and learned about Paul Hornung (soon my favorite player), Ray Nitschke and Max McGee.

In 1973 there played a made for TV movie about Vince Lombardi. It was titled “Legend in Granite” and it starred Ernest Borgnine. I loved every minute of it and wish it were on DVD

1971 saw the Packers draft a fullback named John Brockington. I remember Wheaties hosted a ‘predict the rookie of the year’ contest – My dad thought the Patriots QB Jim Plunkett was the favorite, but I selected Brock… and lo and behold he won the award!

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Brockington was huge, a big bruising type back. He combined speed and brute strength (Like Jim Taylor of the 60s – Brock would rather run over a defender than around him). He was also the first back in NFL history to run for 1,000 yards in his first 3 seasons. (and yes, I used to have a lil Packer uniform and would watch Green Bay on TV, cheering Brock on while wearing my Packer helmet… he, he – little geek)

He and RB MacAuthur Lane gave Green Bay one of the supreme backfield duos in the NFL and the two lead the team to a playoff appearance (where they lost to the Deadskins). Sadly, Brockington isn’t a household name, nor will he ever be elected to the HOF. The Packers didn’t have a decent QB so John was the main provider for yards and points (with superb kicker Chester Marcol) and after those 3 brilliant years they simply wore him out. After Lane left in 1974, the stats got worse and John Brockington was let go in 1977.

After this there were years of toil and heartbreak. We had great players, some wonderful guys who SHOULD be in the national HOF but won’t be because they didn’t win championships and played in a tiny market. But I remember them and any old school Packer Backer can tell you about guys like cornerback Willie Buchanon , safety Ken Ellis or center Larry McCarren (as for other guys who deserve to be in the hall. How about Lavvie Dilweg (who played on the Packers 1929, 30 and 31 threepeat champions) or Sterling Sharpe, whose brilliant career was cut short due to injury after 7 seasons)

Eventually I finally got to experience the joy of watching the Green and Gold win a Superbowl, and what a special team it was. Loaded with guys who had toiled for years with other teams, but never won a championship – guys near the end of their careers such as Sean Jones, Keith Jackson and Don Beebe – folks like Andre Rison who got to shine in the sun for a moment or Desmond Howard who had his best year as a pro and was the games MVP. The Gravedigger was never better, Freeman was amazing, there was Chewy, Santana and LeRoy. And no one but us seemed to know that our RB Dorsey Levins was a treasure. Of course there were the anchors, the great Brett Favre on O and Reggie White on D.

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I can’t begin to describe the euphoria I felt during the game, or the season for that matter. But after that win, football started to become less and less important. The goal was achieved and I wasn’t one who needed to watch my team with 6 rings – I was happy with this one, now I could move on.

Never the less - I have a lot of wonderful -as well as frustrating- memories of this team (Thanksgiving: Walter Stanley returning a punt for the winning td, as time expired vs the Lions. Monday Night: A back and forth victory over the defending champion Redskins. Bears week: Chester Marcol’s FG attempt is blocked… and it bounces into his face! He grabs the ball and runs it in for the touchdown!)

Being a Packer Backer was a huge part of my life.