Mike Butler

Born on April 4, 1954, in Washington DC, 6’5” 265-pound Mike Butler of Kansas was the ninth overall pick of the 1977 NFL draft in which Green Bay nabbed two starting defensive ends, including Ezra Johnson. Butler and Johnson lived together for their first two years and roomed together on the road for six years. Butler won the starting job at left defensive end from Clarence Williams and held the position for the next six years. He told the Milwaukee Journal early in his rookie season, “I’ve got to outquick them. I just try to get away as quick as possible and into the backfield.”

Tall and rangy, Butler was more quick than strong and could be a disruptive pass rusher at times. He was not a consistent performer, however. His sack totals yo-yoed from five to 10 to three to nine to 10.5 to two in his first six years in Green Bay. Following the 1982 season, Butler signed a four-year $1-million contract with the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits to begin in 1984. Butler offered to play for the Packers in 1983, but Coach Bart Starr thought he would be a distraction and declined the offer.

Butler played for Tampa in 1984 and 1985, but lost his starting job in the second season due to his unproductive pass rush. He returned to the Packers in 1985 but injured his neck in week 10 and was cut in 1986 after having registered the last two of his 41.5 sacks in Green Bay. He scored one touchdown in 1979 on a 70-yard fumble recovery against Minnesota. At times a very good player who even drew second team All-Conference notice in 1981, Butler was much too inconsistent to live up to his draft billing.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

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Mike Wahle

Like Fuzzy Thurston, left guard Mike Wahle played in the shadow of a more prominent right guard, but was no slouch on the line, either. Like that right guard, Marco Rivera, it took Wahle a while to get his career started. Born on March 29, 1977, in Portland, Oregon, Wahle was a starting tackle at the Naval Academy in 1997 and was taken in the second round of the supplemental draft of 1998. By that time, Wahle had resigned his commission in the Navy after having flunked an NCAA steroids test.

Wahle was a reserve for Green Bay in 1998 and then split time as starting left guard in 1999 before left tackle Ross Verba went down to injury late in the year and Wahle moved over to cover that position. The Packers then moved Verba to left guard in 2000 and installed Wahle at left tackle. After giving up five sacks and multiple pressures in the first six games, though, Wahle was moved to the bench in favor of rookie Chad Clifton. Down to his last chance in 2001, Wahle took over at left guard and demonstrated his ample ability at last.

Wahle started at left guard for the next four years and proved himself to be a superior athlete at 6’6” and 310 pounds with long arms. He had the quickness and speed to pull effectively, was a good drive blocker and was very solid in pass protection. Rivera said of his former teammate in 2011, “Mike Wahle was the best athlete on our offensive line. He was a hard-nosed football player who approached the game with a no-nonsense attitude. Very physical player. Very intelligent player.”

Again, like Rivera, Wahle left as a free agent in 2005. Signing with Carolina, Mike finally gained some national notice when he made the Pro Bowl in 2005 as a Panther. After three years in Carolina and one in Seattle, he failed his physical due to a bad shoulder in 2009 and retired.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

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Tramon Williams Turns 40

Tramon Williams was born on March 16, 1983, in Houma, Louisiana. He went to the same school, Louisiana Tech, as Doug Evans and had a long distinguished career at cornerback for Green Bay, despite continually having to overcome doubters. At Tech, Williams was a walk-on who became a starter. Undrafted, he signed with Houston as a free agent but was cut at the end of training camp. He joined the Packers’ practice squad for the last five games of the 2006 seasons and made the team as a backup corner in 2007. He started some games at right corner and strong safety and averaged 9.7 yards per punt return in the next two years and took over at right corner from Al Harris in 2010.

That championship year, Williams had six interceptions in the regular season and snagged three more in the postseason – one in the end zone against the Eagles that clinched the victory and two against the Falcons, including a pick-six. The 5’11” 185 pounder made the Pro Bowl that season for the first and only time. When Charles Woodson was moved to safety in 2012, Williams was shifted to left corner and started there for three seasons. Generally, his play was very good, but was not quite at the level of the very best corners in the game. In the 2015 offseason, the Packers declined to offer the 31-year-old Williams a serious contract offer, and he signed with Cleveland.

Williams spent two seasons with the Browns and then one with the Cardinals before returning to the Packers in 2018. Tramon moved to safety and into the starting lineup. He lost his starting role during the 2019 season and then signed midseason with the Ravens in 2020. He was waived in January 2021, but his career was not yet done. Three days later, the Packers signed him for the postseason. They activated him for the NFC title game against the Bucs on January 23, but he did not appear in the game, and his career ended

In 159 games in Green Bay, Tramon intercepted 30 passes and defensed 125. He was a good athlete, although not particularly fast, and relied on his long arms to keep receivers off him and to deflect balls away. He prepared thoroughly with film study, was a solid teammate and effective player, although not at the level of a shutdown corner.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

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Gary Weaver

Born on March 13, 1949, in Florence, Alabama, Gary Weaver was one of seven children raised in a one-parent household. He left Alabama to attend Fresno State and was drafted in the seventh round in 1973 by the Oakland Raiders. Gary appeared in 24 games as a backup linebacker for Oakland in 1973 and ’74 but was cut in September 1975.

New Packers’ coach Bart Starr claimed Weaver on September 17, and he began a five-year stint in Green Bay. In his first season with the Pack, Gary appeared in all 14 games and moved into the starting lineup at strongside linebacker for the last five games. His position coach, John Meyers, said of Weaver, “He’s got good reactions and he’s strong, extremely strong.”

The following season, Gary led the team in tackles and recorded two sacks and was named the Packers’ defensive MVP. In 1977, though, he went down to a knee injury in week five and missed the rest of the season. Weaver returned as a starter in 1978 and was joined by three rookie backers: John Anderson, Mike Hunt and Mike Douglass. In 1979, the plan was for Weaver and Anderson to start on the wings, with Douglass replacing Weaver on passing downs. Weaver was stout against the run but not a strong pass defender. In fact, he had bad hands and never recorded an interception in his NFL career. However, Anderson got hurt, and Weaver kept his full-time job despite battling knee problems.

New coordinator Meyers made the shift to the 3-4 defense in 1980 and planned for Weaver to man one of the inside linebacker slots. Weaver had undergone knee surgery in the off-season and had turned 31, though, and was cut on August 20. In retirement, Weaver returned to Oakland where he had his own marketing firm and got involved in youth coaching.

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Stan Heath

Although born in Toledo, Ohio on March 5, 1927, Stan Heath grew up in Wisconsin. His father, Mickey Heath was a first baseman whose two-year major league baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds was cut short when he contracted Rheumatic fever and suffered severe burns from a house fire. Mickey resumed his minor league career in 1932 and joined the Milwaukee Brewers in 1937. He served as the team’s player manager in 1939 through 1940. Heath then moved up to the broadcast booth for the rest of the decade.

Son Stan starred at Milwaukee’s Shorewood High School and then matriculated at Wisconsin in 1945. As a sophomore in 1946, Heath was dropped from the squad due to academic problems, which he was supposed to make up in summer school. Heath dropped out of summer school in 1947 and enrolled at Marquette in September. Three weeks later, he left Marquette and enrolled at Nevada, where he would make his mark for the next two seasons.

In 1947 and ’48, the Wolfpack went 18-4, went to two bowl games and were nationally ranked for the first time ever. Heath was named All-American in ’48 after having led the nation in passing with 2,005 yards and 22 touchdowns. Curly Lambeau had been following Heath’s career with interest. In July 1947 when Heath dropped out of Wisconsin, he expressed a desire to go pro, and Lambeau promised to take his case to Commissioner Bert Bell since Heath’s class had not graduated. Then, Lambeau picked Heath in the 25^th round of the 1948 NFL draft even though he was still not eligible. Finally, Curly made Heath the Packers top choice, number five overall, in 1949 and outbid the All-America Conference’s New York Yankees to sign him. Lambeau said at the time, “He seems to me to be a combination of one of our great passers, Cecil Isbell, and the Los Angeles Rams Bob Waterfield.”

That assessment proved to be a tad off. In one season in Green Bay, Heath completed just 26 of 106 passes (24.5%) for 355 yards (3.3 yards per attempt) one touchdown and 14 interceptions. That measures out to be a passer rating of 4.6. He appeared in all 12 games and made one start for the 2-10 Packers. He scored the team’s first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter of a 48-7 game two loss to the Rams. His only scoring toss came in the second quarter of a 39-17 loss to the Cardinals and was an eight-yarder to Bill Kelley.

New coach Gene Ronzani cut Heath in August 1950. Stan tried out briefly with the Bears before heading north to the Hamilton Tiger Cats. He spent one season in Hamilton and then the next two seasons with the Calgary Stampeders. In 1953 he appeared in one game with Hamilton, was released and brought suit for wrongful termination. He finished his Canadian career in 1954 back with Calgary. In three seasons with the Stampeders, he completed nearly half his passes for over 2,000 yards, eight touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He battled arm problems throughout his time up north.

Heath became a cattle rancher in Nebraska and later lived in Texas, Alaska and Georgia where he died on September 26, 2010, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and three stepsons.

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Bryce Paup Turns 55

Bryce Paup progressed from being a versatile fill-in to a big play maker during his time in Green Bay. He played the Mike behind George Koonce, the Plugger behind Johnny Holland and the Buck and Elephant outside linebacker slots and did capably in all. It was as a pass rusher, though, that the 6’5” 250-pounder began to make a reputation in the league, a reputation that won him a big contract elsewhere.

Born on February 29, 1968, in Jefferson, Iowa. Bryce grew up on a farm in nearby Scranton and graduated from high school there. Drafted out of Northern Iowa in the sixth round of the 1990 draft, Paup played on special teams as a rookie. He began to get some playing time in 1991 when he ended Randall Cunningham’s season with a sack on opening day and recorded 4.5 sacks against the Bucs two weeks later. Through hard work and diligent film study, he became a full-time starter in 1992 as the left outside linebacker in the base defense and a pass rusher in the nickel. He had 6.5 sacks that year followed by 11 in 1993 and 7.5 in 1994. He also picked off four passes and recovered four fumbles in his time in Green Bay. Teammate Sean Jones told the Milwaukee Journal, “He’s a real versatile guy. With him, you might only keep six defensive linemen instead of seven or seven linebackers instead of eight.” Another teammate, Doug Evans, added, “He’s a playmaker. He never stops coming. I really admire him as a defensive player.”

When Ron Wolf tried to sign Paup in 1995, he found the team couldn’t afford him. Signing with Buffalo, Paup teamed with Bruce Smith to produce a hellish pass rush for the Bills, and Paup was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year on the strength of his 17.5 sacks. After two more seasons in Buffalo, Paup signed with Jacksonville for two years and finished his career as a backup in Minnesota in 2000. He then spent three years as an assistant coach at De Pere High School before serving as head coach at Green Bay’s Southwest High School for six years. In 2013, he returned to his alma mater of Northern Iowa as an assistant coach. Aside from one year at the University of Minnesota, he has been at Northern Iowa ever since. He and his wife, Denise, have six children.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

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Johnny Jolly Turns 40

Johnny Jolly is something of a cautionary tale on drug use. Born on February 21, 1983 in Houston, the 6’3” 325-pound defensive lineman attended Texas A&M where he gained some unwanted notoriety for doing a celebratory dance after making a tackle at the end of a 77-0 loss to Oklahoma. The Packers drafted Jolly in the sixth round in 2006, and he replaced veteran Corey Williams in the starting lineup midway through his second season in Green Bay. He remained a starter at defensive tackle in 2008 and then slid over to defensive end in 2009.

However, his addiction to codeine in the form of “Purple Crank” became his undoing. He was arrested for possession with intent to sell a large amount of codeine in 2008. By the time he went to trial in 2010, Jolly was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy. He was arrested and charged twice more in 2011 and ultimately sentenced to six years in prison that year.

Jolly was released on 10-year probation in 2012. He credits teammate Aaron Rodgers with lobbying the league for his reinstatement which came in 2013. Johnny returned to the Packers that year and started eight games at defensive end before a neck injury ended his career. Jolly was a powerful run stuffer who was effective in the Packers’ defense. He was also a popular figure in the locker room. He now works in real estate and lives with his family in his Houston hometown.

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Daryn Colledge Turns 41

Alaska’s contribution to Packer history is guard Daryn Colledge. Born on February 11, 1982, in Fairbanks, Colledge graduated from North Pole High School before leaving the 49^th state to attend college in Idaho at Boise State. At BSU, Colledge was an All-WAC tackle in both his junior and senior seasons. The Packers drafted him in the second round in 2006 along with guard Jason Spitz in round three and tackle Tony Moll in round five. The three rookie linemen formed a close friendship that eventually turned into an ongoing business concern called Three Fat Guys Winery out of California.

Colledge spent five years in Green Bay, appearing in all 80 regular season games and starting 76. His tenure culminated with the Packers 2010 Super Bowl win. Although he was never a Pro Bowl guard, he was a solid player and signed a lucrative deal with Arizona in 2011 and then another with Miami in 2014. In his nine seasons in the league, he missed just three games and started all but four games in which he appeared. In an interview for the Packer web site, Colledge said, “I never expected to last 15 minutes in the NFL. A kid from North Pole, Alaska. I came here and I just tried to work my ass off every day.”

After a year of retirement from football, Colledge signed up for the Idaho National Guard in 2016 and served in Afghanistan. He returned to civilian life and his wife and two daughters in 2021 and was hired as the Director of Development in the Boise State Athletic Department. In November 2022, the Packers nominated Daryn for the NFL’s annual Salute to Service Award intended to honor the military.

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John Jefferson

Born on February 3, 1956 in Dallas, Texas, John Jefferson went on to star at wide receiver for Arizona State University for four years and won All-America status as a senior in 1977. Drafted 14^th overall by the Chargers in 1978, JJ’s career began to take off four games into his rookie season when Don Coryell replaced Tommy Prothro as head coach in San Diego. Jefferson caught 56 passes for 1,001 yards and 13 TDs as a rookie. The next year, San Diego added Kellen Winslow and the Air Coryell began to take flight, with Jefferson leading the way with 61 catches for 1,090 yards and ten scores. In 1980, the Chargers became the first team to register three 1,000-yard receivers in one season. JJ led the league with 1,340 yards, while Winslow added 1,290 and Charlie Joiner 1,172. The latter two are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Jefferson’s career had already peaked. He was the first NFL receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, but never did so again.

JJ held out in 1981 to try to force a renegotiation of his contract, but instead was traded to Green Bay for a first round draft pick, two second rounders and receiver Aundra Thompson three games into the season. Coach Bart Starr was trying to create his own high-flying offense by adding Jefferson to James Lofton and tight end Paul Coffman, and the offense did improve.

Lofton was the sixth overall selection in that same 1978 draft. The wide outs’ statistics to that point:

Jefferson             199 catches        3,431 yards         17.2 YPC               36 TDs

Lofton                   171 catches        3,012 yards         17.6 YPC               14 TDs

However, Lofton continued to soar, while Jefferson flew much closer to the ground. JJ caught 39 passes for 632 yards and four TDs in the remaining 13 games in 1981. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, Jefferson caught 27 passes for 452 yards and no touchdowns, yet was named to the Pro Bowl along with Lofton and Coffman. That year, Jefferson was 14^th in receptions among NFC wide receivers, ninth in yards, sixth in YPC and had not scored. Wes Chandler, who replaced Jefferson for the Chargers, caught 49 balls for 1,032 yards and nine scores in that abbreviated season. JJ was a curious Pro Bowl selection, although he did catch the winning touchdown pass from Danny White with 31 seconds remaining in the game itself.

Jefferson had his best season in Green Bay in 1983 with 57 catches for 830 yards and seven scores, but dropped to just 26 catches in ’84 and was released. Signing with the Browns in 1985, he caught the last three passes of his NFL career. JJ tried out for the Oilers in 1986, but was cut.

In Jefferson’s four seasons in Green Bay, he never was among the leaders in any category. By contrast, James Lofton was in the top five in yards for each season. At the end of their careers, the contrast was pretty stark:

Jefferson 102 games       351 catches        5,714 yards         16.3 YPC               47 TDs

Lofton   233 games          764 catches        14,004 yards      18.3 YPC               75 TDs

Lofton also is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jefferson is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame only.

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Doug Pederson Turns 55

Despite his modest skills, Doug Pederson spent 10 years as an NFL player mostly because he had influential friends. Born on January 31, 1968, in Bellingham, Washington, Pederson went to the deep Southeast to play college football at Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) where he set several passing records in his three seasons quarterbacking the Warhawks. As an undrafted free agent, the 6’3” 220-pound Pederson signed with the Dolphins in 1991, but the only game he got to throw the ball in was Don Shula’s record setting 325^th win on November 14, 1993. Scott Mitchell was injured in the second half of that game, and Doug came in to threw just eight passes in leading Miami to two second half field goals to pull out the 19-14 victory. He also spent two seasons in the developmental World League.

Pederson had two stints (1996-98 and 2001-04) backing up the indestructible Brett Favre in Green Bay and became close friends with Favre. Those backup gigs were broken up by a season in Philadelphia mentoring rookie Donovan McNabb and one in Cleveland mentoring second year man Tim Couch. Former Green Bay assistant Andy Reid signed Pederson to an unwarranted three-year $4.5 million contract in Philadelphia in 1999 because of his familiarity with the offense that Reid was installing for McNabb to run. In his playing career, Pederson was 3-14 as a starter; he averaged just 5.3 yards per pass and threw 12 touchdowns to 19 interceptions. Doug impressed no one with his play on the field, but his knowledgeable approach to the game led him into coaching after he retired. Pederson worked under Reid for seven seasons, first in Philadelphia and then Kansas City.

As a coach, Pederson has embraced the go-for-it mentality encouraged by football analytics gurus and found great success after returning to the Eagles as head coach in 2016. In his second season, he led the team and its star second-year quarterback Carson Wentz to a 13-3 record. When Wentz got hurt late in the year, Nick Foles stepped in, and the Eagles upset the mighty Patriots due largely to Pederson’s fearless coaching style. The Birds made the playoffs the next two seasons, but Wentz began to display major limitations, and Pederson got caught between the quarterback and the front office in a power play. He was fired after a 4-11-1 2020 season that saw the introduction of another rookie quarterback, Jalen Hurts, to Philadelphia.

After a year out of the game, Pederson was hired as head coach of the moribund Jaguars in 2022. In his first season, he straightened out struggling young quarterback Trevor Lawrence and led Jacksonville to its first postseason appearance in five years.

(Adapted from The Quarterback Abstract.)

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