Packers Pride: Green Bay Greats Share Their Favorite Memories

By LeRoy Butler, Rob Reischel and Willie Davis

For more than 90 years, the Green Bay Packers have been the model of excellence across the National Football League. Now, LeRoy Butler—a 12-year veteran and one of the most popular Packers ever to don the uniform—teams up with Rob Reischel to tell the stories of the Packers’ most memorable players and coaches, including Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, Jim Taylor, Herb Adderly, Willie Wood, James Lofton, Sterling Sharpe, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Donald Driver to name but a few. Packers Pride looks at the favorite games, favorite moments, and behind-the-scenes stories of the men who played and coached for the team with 13 World Championships, more than any other team in football.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Triumph Books
• Release date: Oct 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781623683276

Book preview

Authors

Foreword by Willie Davis

I am a Green Bay Packer.

I say that as proudly today as I did when I wore the uniform. And there is something special about this uniform and this franchise. The Green Bay Packers are more than just a football team. They’re something bigger, and whether you’re a player, coach, trainer, fan, owner, or anyone associated with the Green and Gold, you can’t quite put it into words, but you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Being a Green Bay Packer fills you with a sense of pride.

There’s a lot to be proud of, especially for a former player like me who was able to experience what it means to be a Packer firsthand. As one of football’s oldest organizations, there is a rich and storied tradition that surrounds you as soon as you walk onto the field and see the names honored on the east and west sides of the stadium. There is the nostalgic wonder of the small town, the perpetual underdog and the last of its kind surviving and thriving in a big-market game. There is that winning tradition, the glory of Titletown U.S.A., exemplified by the great players and coaches through the years, including a man who not only put Green Bay on the map, but impacted the entire league and a generation.

But more than anything, what always made me feel the most proud to be a Packer was the fans, by far the finest fans in all of sports anywhere, ever. Make no mistake about it, while the Cowboys, Steelers, and even the Bears and Giants will make claims about their widespread popularity, the Green Bay Packers are America’s Team—some could even argue, in the realm of American football, they are the World’s Team.

A Packer fan is devotion personified. They know their team and its history and they are as proud of the uniform as the players. They eat, sleep and breathe Packer football. It is their fascination, their obsession. Week to week, regardless of who the Pack is playing, they win and lose with their team.

When I played and we lost (which didn’t happen very often), fans would see us around town in the grocery stores, bars, restaurants, or on the street. They would always come up to us, ask us about the game, maybe drop a little advice and then all give us the same message, an encouraging, You’ll get ’em next time. They tried their best to hide their disappointment and show us just how much they supported us and believed in us. It got to the point that while we wanted to win for ourselves and of course, for Coach Lombardi, we wanted to win for the fans more than anything! We felt we owed them at least that for their support and devotion.

In my 10 years there and beyond, I fell in love with that city and its fans. It’s amazing to me to think that I never wanted to go there in the first place.

I was traded to Green Bay from the Cleveland Browns in 1960 and I couldn’t have felt worse about it. In fact, I almost quit, and I would have if a certain legendary coach hadn’t called me and convinced me to give it a shot. Green Bay, back in the late ’50s, had the reputation of no man’s land, the Siberia of Football where players, coaches, and careers disappeared. I was disappointed about the trade because I had started to build a life in Cleveland. I knew nothing other than Green Bay was a small, cold town in northern Wisconsin (and some small towns still weren’t as progressive in their tolerance of minorities back then). I was unsettled to say the least. The only thing I knew about the franchise was that they had lost consistently for a long time and while they had brought in a new coach that had showed some improvement, they were still a long ways from playing championship football…or so I thought.

I was wrong about everything. The lesson I learned in going to Green Bay was to never judge a book by its cover. That stuck with me for the rest of my life, as did many of the lessons I learned playing for Coach Lombardi. He convinced me early that we could win. The players he brought in convinced me we would win. And the fans convinced me that win or lose, as long as I was wearing the Green and Gold, I would have a city, a huge family, Packer nation by my side.

As I discuss in my autobiography, Closing the Gap, I was fortunate to find myself in Green Bay at an ideal time. Pro football was growing in popularity, slowly earning its place as the national pastime. The Packers as an organization had built a little momentum the season prior with its first winning record in years. Coach Lombardi, the fiery and inspiring motivator, was already earning his reputation as a coach that might be able to turn this franchise around (little did we all know that would be just the tip of the iceberg). Yes, I got to Green Bay in the middle of the perfect storm, and I was happy to be a part of it.

More than that, I was lucky to be a part of it. Not just because of the fans and what they taught me about acceptance, loyalty, and passion, or the players who showed me daily what dedication, guts, and a strong work ethic can achieve, but also because I had the opportunity to play for coach Vince Lombardi.

From the moment I met him, Coach Lombardi had a direct impact on how I pursued my goals and lived my life. Everything I did in football and beyond, I measured by him: what he would think, whether it would live up to his principles and expectations of me. That remains true even today. We all heard his words and we were moved by them each and every week. Those words made us champions. They weren’t reserved for just his football team. Coach moved the NFL, the nation, and generations to follow. People like Coach Lombardi only come along every so often, and when they do we are all fortunate to witness what they can do. To play for him was the greatest honor of my life.

How you play this game is a reflection of how you will live the rest of your life. Success is not a gift, it’s earned.

Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

The quality of any man’s life has got to be a full measure of that man’s personal commitment to excellence and to victory.

I can still hear him delivering those speeches, motivating us to live up to our potential, to be the best, to be champions. Bart, Jim, Paul, Ray, Forrest, Jerry, Dave, all of us…we all learned what it meant to be champions because of Coach Lombardi. And once we knew how to be champions, we spent the better part of a decade showing the rest of the league and the nation what it meant, how to do it right, and the pride we all felt being Green Bay Packers.

There was no greater example of this (and for me no greater Packer memory) than the 1961 NFL Championship Game. While winning the first two Super Bowls was impressive, it was that championship game that made the entire country aware of Green Bay, its players, its coach, and its fans. It was the game that built Titletown U.S.A., the greatest football city in the country.

In the 1961 NFL Championship Game we defeated the New York Giants 37–0.

We were the underdog, the small-town team on the rise going up against, well, Giants! While we were vastly improved and had even been in the championship game the year before, nobody expected us to win…except for us. We knew better. We knew what we were capable of and what we could and would do. We didn’t listen to any of the pregame hype. We weren’t intimidated by quarterback Y.A. Tittle and his high-powered offense or by the Giants’ bruising defense. We focused, worked hard, and got ready for one thing and one thing only…winning, more specifically winning decisively.

The Giants never had a chance. By halftime, it was 24–0 and they were done. Offense and defense executed everything they wanted to with pressure and precision. As for myself, I played one of my best games ever, sacking Y.A. and putting so much pressure on the offense that Tittle told the press about me after the game, He was always coming at you, coming all the time. It was a complete game, a perfect game. It was what we wanted, what we knew Green Bay could be. It was what Coach Lombardi expected.

You are the greatest team in the NFL today, Coach said, and that meant everything.

We could hear stunned silence all across the country, everywhere except the state of Wisconsin and the pockets of Packer fans in other states that would start to grow from that point on. Everyone knew something special was happening here and we were just getting started. Over the next six years, we would build on that legacy and firmly establish our place in the record books and NFL lore. Through it all, because of who I played with, who I played for, and where I played, I was fortunate to earn my place as a Hall of Fame player, a champion, a defensive captain, and a better man for being a Green Bay Packer. Along the way, I would build several other great memories associated with the Packers on and off the field.

There have been so many incredible moments and memories in Packer history, many of which are remembered and celebrated in this book. There were plenty more championships and Hall of Fame performances in the reign of Coach Lombardi’s team of the 1960s. There were the great rivalry games with the Bears, Vikings, Lions, and Cowboys even in the down years. There was Holmgren, Favre, and White leading the Pack back to glory and McCarthy, Rodgers, and Matthews doing it once again.

For myself, all other former players and coaches, Packer fans young and old, anyone and everyone who bleeds Green and Gold, we look to our past with pride, our present with pure devotion, and our future with excitement. We realize how lucky we are to support this team, to be a citizen of Titletown U.S.A. It’s an honor that we embrace like nobody else now and always.

We are all Green Bay Packers.

—Willie Davis

Introduction

LeRoy Butler was one of the most captivating players—both on and off the field—in the history of the Green Bay Packers.

Butler was a four-time Pro Bowl player, a four-time All-Pro selection, and was one of the safeties selected to the 1990s All-Decade Team. Butler was an enormous part of Green Bay’s rise to prominence in the 1990s, and helped the Packers win the 1996 Super Bowl and the 1997 NFC crown.

Butler was a dynamic player in coverage, a sensational blitzer, and a defensive leader. And when a shoulder injury ended Butler’s 12-year career in 2001, he left the game with 38 interceptions and 20.5 sacks.

More than the numbers, though, Butler was always a conduit to the fans. While today’s athletes have become more and more sanitized, Butler was always honest, accountable, and loquacious.

He felt the fans—those same fans that opened their wallets for anything Green and Gold—deserved answers. And no matter how bad things were, Butler faced the music.

So when I was asked to co-author a book with Butler, I jumped at the chance. And this unique project is one we hope fans will thoroughly enjoy.

Over the next 300-plus pages, you’ll find several terrific stories from Butler. He shares his favorite tales about Brett Favre, Reggie White, Mike Holmgren, and several other ex-Packers teammates.

Butler tells you how he became the inventor of the Lambeau Leap, and he takes you through many of the magical games and intense rivalries he was a part of.

This book is much more than that, though.

Along the way, we interviewed roughly 70 current and former players for their favorite tales of being a Green Bay Packer. Their stories are gripping, riveting, and shared throughout.

The book is certainly unconventional. Many of the stories are told in my voice—one of a reporter who’s covered the Packers since 2001. Many are in Butler’s voice, which I’m sure you’ll agree is descriptive, powerful and honest.

As you proceed, don’t hesitate to bounce around the book. There’s not a traditional starting and ending point, so to speak.

Find your favorite players and discover things about them you probably never knew. Or page toward the back and let Butler tell you how Reggie White helped Green Bay become a team, or how the Packers changed their entire defensive scheme during their 1995 playoff win in San Francisco.

In the end, though, don’t miss a page. The subjects were largely chosen because they have unique stories about their Packer days, uncommon paths that took them to Green Bay, and fascinating tales of their time in Titletown.

Many of these stories were new to me. I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as I have.

—Rob Reischel

1. The Men Under Center

Zeke Bratkowski

The job of backup quarterback isn’t glamorous. It’s never led to mega-endorsement deals, enormous publicity, or great acclaim.

But having a top-notch No. 2 quarterback is often vital to the success of a team.

Never was that more evident than the 1965 Western Conference Championship Game between Green Bay and Baltimore.

On the first play of the game, Colts linebacker Don Shinnick returned a Bill Anderson fumble 25 yards for a touchdown and Packers starter Bart Starr injured his ribs chasing Shinnick. But backup Zeke Bratkowski came on and led the Packers to a memorable 13–10 overtime win.

The next week, Starr was back and guided Green Bay past Cleveland 23–12 for the NFL championship. But it’s doubtful the Packers would have ever been in that position were it not for Bratkowski.

Bart and I never talked about No. 1 quarterbacks. We both had to be ready to go, Bratkowski said. And we worked so close together and became such close friends. We studied together, we thought alike, and I think I made his job easier.

Bratkowski certainly made things easier for the Packers on that cold December day.

Bratkowski completed 22 of 39 passes for 248 yards. He also led Green Bay to a late Don Chandler field goal—one which Colts loyalists insist to this day sailed wide right—that forced overtime.

Green Bay won the game 13–10, when Chandler connected on a 25-yard field goal less than two minutes into OT.

Interestingly, the banged-up Colts were missing their top two quarterbacks that day, and had to turn to halfback Tom Matte. Green Bay held Matte to just five completions, and when Bratkowski got the better of the quarterback matchup, the Packers advanced to the NFL Championship Game.

I’d like people to say, ‘If we didn’t have Zeke, I don’t know what we would have done. He was always a guy who performed when Bart couldn’t go,’ Bratkowski said. You always knew you were just one play away from going in, and that happened a bunch of times. You just had to be ready.

Bratkowski was always that.

He played under the legendary George Halas in Chicago from 1954 to 1960, missing the 1955 and ’56 seasons to fulfill a commitment to the Air Force. While many players would be bitter about losing two years in their prime, Bratkowski was anything but. In fact, he loved his time in the service and even served on the same flight team as future teammate Max McGee.

I wouldn’t trade my wings for anything, Bratkowski said. That was an obligation I had and I’m proud I fulfilled it.

Bratkowski was Chicago’s primary backup through 1960, then got a chance to start for two years with the Los Angeles Rams. But when the Rams drafted a pair of young quarterbacks in 1963, Bratkowski knew his days were numbered and shortly thereafter he was traded to Green Bay.

I was really excited, Bratkowski said of the move. The day before, I had gone in and won the game for us. The next day I got traded. I knew I really didn’t fit in their plans.

But he was a big part of the Packers’ plans. Green Bay’s backup quarterback situation was in flux, but the addition of Bratkowski stabilized the position.

Over the next six years, Bratkowski started eight games when Starr was injured. And in that time, he threw for nearly 2,800 yards, 16 touchdowns, and completed 53.5 percent of his passes.

In addition to being one of the NFL’s elite backup quarterbacks, Bratkowski was also Starr’s trusty sidekick, his best friend, and sounding board.

He was the best backup quarterback in the league, Starr said. We were really blessed to have him.

What Bratkowski gave the Packers was more than just a security blanket. He also brought a level of professionalism, dedication and work ethic that rubbed off on teammates.

And his contributions went a long way toward Green Bay winning four championships during his seven years with the team (1963–68 and 1971).

Bratkowski certainly made Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi’s life easier, although you wouldn’t always know it. Because Bratkowski played under Halas and served in the Air Force, his skin was thicker than most players. And Lombardi was legendary for knowing who he could get on and who needed to be handled with kid gloves.

I remember there was one year we were playing Dallas in the preseason and we scored two really quick touchdowns, Bratkowski said. I came off the field feeling pretty good and Lombardi hollers at me, ‘What the hell are you doing? You’re scoring too fast. How do you expect me to get this team into shape if you’re scoring that fast?’ But that was Lombardi, always keeping you off balance.

Lombardi had a great affection for Bratkowski, though, and even offered him a job with Washington when he left for the Redskins in 1968. But part of the deal in Lombardi’s departure was that the Packers wouldn’t allow him to take anyone else from the organization.

That certainly didn’t stop Bratkowski from a long and successful coaching career, though. Over the next 26 years, he worked as the offensive coordinator in Chicago, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and with the New York Jets. He was also a quarterbacks coach with Cleveland and the Jets and worked two stints as a Packers assistant.

Bratkowski was Green Bay’s offensive backs coach under Phil Bengtson in 1969–70, then came back to work for his old friend Starr from 1975 to 1981. Along the way, he worked with standout quarterbacks such as Randall Cunningham, Boomer Esiason, Lynn Dickey, and Jim McMahon.

I wish I could have been a head coach, Bratkowski said. I was just never in the right place at the right time.

But Bratkowski was certainly in the right place during the 1965 NFL Championship Game. And without his steady hand, the Packers may have gone without a title that season.

That’s a nice thing to be remembered for, Bratkowski said. "Those were great teams with terrific guys. And that championship in ’65 was important, because it was the first of three straight.

To be part of that was really neat. And to have had a hand in such a big game is pretty special.

Lynn Dickey

Lynn Dickey was covered in sweat. He was physically and mentally exhausted.

Dickey had left everything he had on Lambeau Field. And as the Green Bay Packers quarterback looked up at the scoreboard, all he could do was shake his head.

I walked over to [kicker] Jan [Stenerud] and I said, ‘Do you believe this? We’re going to lose this game. What a shame.’

Not so fast.

Dickey’s Packers led Washington 48–47 during a 1983 Monday Night Football game that ranks among the most exciting ever played. But the Redskins had driven into field goal range, and ace kicker Mark Moseley was set to try a 39-yard field goal on the game’s final play.

Moseley was automatic, Dickey said. You always hope he might miss, but really, I thought we were done.

Rightfully so.

Moseley had been the NFL’s MVP in 1982, when he connected on 20 of 21 field goal attempts. And with Moseley off to another terrific start in 1983, it looked like the efforts of Dickey and Green Bay’s high-powered offense would be wasted.

Amazingly, though, Moseley missed this kick as time expired. And Green Bay and its sellout crowd celebrated on a chilly October 17 night.

We kind of rushed it, Moseley said afterward. Maybe we should have taken more time. I just missed the kick.

Moseley’s miss allowed Dickey to walk off the field victorious in one of his finest moments as a Packer. Dickey threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns that night, as the Packers beat a Washington team that would go on and play in the Super Bowl three months later.

Listening to people talk about that game today, you’d think about 250,000 people were there that night, Dickey said. Almost everyone I talk to tells me they were there.

Dickey was just happy to be there himself.

Back in 1976, Dickey was a backup in Houston and simply wanted a chance to prove he could lead an NFL team.

Packers coach and general manager Bart Starr gave Dickey that chance when he sent washed-up quarterback John Hadl, defensive back Ken Ellis, and a pair of mid-round draft picks to the Oilers for Dickey.

Bart’s the guy who gave me a chance, Dickey said. Bart’s one of the few guys out there who believed in me.

Turns out Starr’s leap of faith was a pretty wise one.

During Dickey’s nine-year stint in Green Bay, he threw for 21,369 yards and 133 touchdowns. He still ranks No. 2 in Packer history for most passing yards in a season (4,458 in 1983) and most passing yards in a game (418 against Tampa Bay in 1980). He’s also No. 2 in most consecutive completions (18 vs. Houston in 1983) and most consecutive 300-yard passing games (three in 1984).

Playing in Green Bay was a great experience for me, Dickey said. I enjoyed it immensely. I wanted to get out of Houston and get the opportunity to play and Bart had enough confidence in me to give me the chance. It was a wonderful time in my life.

Dickey led some of the most exciting offensive teams in the NFL during the early 1980s. With pass-catching targets such as James Lofton, John Jefferson, and Paul Coffman, Green Bay averaged 26.8 points per game in 1983, the most since the 1962 bunch averaged 29.6 on their way to an NFL championship.

Between 1981 and 1985, when Dickey started 63 of 73 games, the Packers averaged 23.4 points per game. Unfortunately, they also allowed 22.4 points per outing.

For the most part, that meant mediocrity, as Green Bay went 8–8 in four of those seasons. The 1982 campaign, in which the Packers went 5–3–1 and reached the second round of the playoffs, was the lone exception.

How many years in a row did we go 8–8? Dickey asked, knowing the answer, but electing to forget. "We had a decent team, but it was always one thing or another.

"One year, the offense would roll but the defense would give up a lot of points. Then the defense would play well and the offense wouldn’t.

Year-in and year-out, if you have a defense that can stop the run and an offense that can run the football, you’re going to be one of the better teams in the league. And we didn’t do well in those things.

Which meant Dickey stayed plenty busy. With a leaky defense and without a 1,000-yard rusher, Dickey and his sensational receiving targets were often asked to carry the team.

While Dickey embraced the opportunity, opposing defensive players often embraced him. Through the years, the less-than-agile Dickey suffered great punishment and would eventually have 10 different surgeries—four on a broken leg, three on his knee, two on his right shoulder, and one on a dislocated hip.

Dickey had plenty of weapons at his disposal. Lofton and Jefferson were as dangerous as almost any receiving duo in football. And while Coffman didn’t possess great speed, his moves were second to none.

I had no problem with my weapons, Dickey said. That was a fun offense to be part of.

The crowning moment came during that Monday night game against Washington.

On that night, the two teams combined for 1,025 yards of total offense, 552 from the Redskins and 473 from Green Bay. The fourth quarter featured five lead changes, and to this day, remains the highest-scoring contest in the history of Monday Night Football. That’s no small feat considering the 43-year show has produced nearly 700 games.

Washington entered as a five-point favorite. The Packers, on the other hand, were a mediocre team that would finish the year 8–8 in what would be Bart Starr’s ninth and final season as head coach.

Before the game, the mild-mannered Starr gathered his team, turned out the lights and put on an overhead projector. Up came a quote from Redskins tight end Don Warren that read, The game is going to be a rout.

Bart showed us all the quote again, Dickey said. But then he said something new. He said, ‘[Warren] thinks it’s going to be rout. But he never said which way. Now let’s go kick some ass!’ Now that was cool! Bart just never said stuff like that. I’ll never forget that.

The night was unforgettable on many levels, though.

Packers tight end Paul Coffman, who caught six passes for 124 yards that night, had two first-half touchdowns as Green Bay raced to a 24–20 lead at intermission.

I remember getting home after that game and friends of mine from around the league had left messages like, ‘You’re going back to the Pro Bowl,’ Coffman recalled. That was a great game.

The second half was a see-saw affair, and Washington took a 47–45 lead after Theismann threw a five-yard TD pass to running back Joe Washington. Back came the Packers, though, marching 56 yards to set up Stenerud for a 20-yard field goal with just 54 seconds left that gave Green Bay a 48–47 lead.

That drive capped an unforgettable night for Green Bay’s offense. Coordinator Bob Schnelker had a terrific game plan, the Packers’ skill players were outstanding, and the offensive line stymied Redskins standout defensive end Dexter Manley.

Dexter had kind of spouted off in the papers before that game that he was going to wreak havoc, Packers left tackle Karl Swanke said. "Well, there were no disruptions with Lynn.

And that night was a culmination for Bob Schnelker and our offense. Everything he called worked to perfection. It was an incredible night.

After the 1983 campaign, Starr was replaced by Forrest Gregg. And following two more 8–8 seasons, Gregg had pretty much cleaned house.

That meant Randy Wright was Gregg’s quarterbacking choice in 1986 and Dickey was gone. Two seasons later, Gregg was gone himself.

Bart and Forrest were like night and day, Dickey said. "Bart would work you extremely hard physically. I’ve never worked harder than I did under Bart. But he treated people with decency and treated you like a man.

"Forrest came in and he yelled at you and he insulted you in front of the team. Some things went on with him that would never work at any level.

"I remember our first meeting with Forrest, he was berating guys he didn’t even know. He said,