Whitey Woodin

On November 29, 1894, longtime Packer guard Howard “Whitey” Woodin was born in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. He graduated from high school there in 1914 and then spent time at St. John’s Military Academy before finishing up at Marquette, where he played football in 1918 and ’19. He began his pro career in 1922 with the Racine Legion before being obtained in an early Packer trade for tackle Jab Murray that October. Green Bay would reacquire Murray the following year.

Woodin was the primary starter at left guard through the 1926 season and remained on the team until October 1931 when he was released at age 36. Altogether, he spent ten years as a Packer. Always a solid performer, Woodin’s performance was assessed in 1930 by the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

Never a particularly colorful or flashy player, Whitey seldom gets the credit he deserves. His value to the team has been his ability to go into any game, regardless of the strength of opponents and turn in a proficient job. He doesn’t play guard the same way the Mike Michalske does, weaving all over the defensive wall and knifing through, and it is a good thing that he doesn’t because two men playing that kind of football might do more harm than good. But he can plug up a hole effectively and he can charge out an opponent–the two things a good guard must do.

Ironically, Woodin’s only touchdown in his ten seasons in Green Bay came in his final game on September 20, 1931 when he intercepted a Brooklyn Tiger pass and returned it five yards for the score. He also kicked four extra points in his tenure, three of them in 1931.

Woodin worked in auto sales for a time and ran for Brown County Sheriff in 1932. He later worked for the Packer ticket office and in the local paper industry. He was a Mason, a Shriner and an Elk who died on February 9, 1974 at the age of 79. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

All custom cards are colorized.

Jan Stenerud Turns 78

One of five Hall of Famers who spent just a brief time in Green Bay, Jan Stenerud was born on November 26, 1942 in Norway and came to the U.S. on a skiing scholarship at Montana State University. The football coach there noticed him booting some footballs soccer style for fun and gave him a tryout. He joined the football team for his junior year and was named All-America as a senior in 1966–he was also an All-America as a ski jumper. Jan was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967 and was an immediate success.

He scored over 100 points in each of his first five seasons and led the AFL in his second season with 129 points. When the team declined in the mid ‘70s, Stenerud’s point totals slipped, and his field goal percentage did as well. In the 1980 preseason, after 13 years in Kansas City and 1,231 points scored, Jan was cut and replaced by Nick Lowery. Meanwhile, in Green Bay Chester Marcol was coming to the end of his career and was cut that October, reportedly due to short kickoffs, although Marcol later claimed that Coach Bart Starr cut him because of Chester’s cocaine use. Marcol was replaced by journeyman Tom Birney. After 12 games, Starr brought in the idle Stenerud to finish the season.

Stenerud then revived his career with three of his finest seasons, converting 80% of his field goals, 16 percentage points better than his tenure as a Chief. Jan scored 292 points in his three+ years as a Packer, including his final two 100-point seasons. He even improved his percentage on attempts over 40 yards in Green Bay. New coach Forrest Gregg replaced him with Eddie Garcia and then Al Del Greco in 1984, and Jan finished up his NFL career with two seasons in Minnesota. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991, the first pure placekicker to be so honored.

Birney custom card is colorized.

A Look Back at 1963

Lombardi’s first shot at a three-peat didn’t miss by much. The 11-2-1 Packers lost twice to the 11-1-2 Bears but still went to the last week of the season hoping for Detroit to upset Chicago to force a playoff and one more shot at the Halas men. They finished second in points scored (369) and allowed (166). Of course, the big story on the season was Paul Hornung being suspended for gambling. The Packers rolled on, but they missed their most valuable player. Jerry Kramer effectively took over the kicking, and backup Tom Moore played well at halfback, but he did not block like Hornung. Jim Taylor still led the team in rushing but his yards per gain dropped nearly a yard. In addition, Bart Starr missed four games to injury and proved that John Roach was not a viable alternative. Lombardi scooped up Zeke Bratkowski in midseason and he would prove to be a much more effective backup QB going forward.

Chicago shut down the Packers with Starr on opening day and then repeated the feat in week ten without Bart. Green Bay was also tied by Detroit on Thanksgiving, with the Lions scoring the tying touchdown on fourth down in the closing minute. So instead of whipping the Giants for the third consecutive year in the title game, the Packers travelled to Miami for the Playoff Bowl with the Eastern runners up, and beat the Browns 40-23 in the meaningless contest.

Starr led the team in passing, completing 54% of his passes for 1,855 yards, 15 TDs and 10 interceptions. Roach completed just 45% of his tosses for 620 yards, four scores and eight picks. Tom Moore and ELijah Pitts completed five of six halfback option passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Taylor led in rushing with 1,018 yards and Moore added 608. Boyd Dowler led with 53 receptions for 901 yards and six touchdowns. Max McGee caught 39 and Ron Kramer 32 passes. Jerry Kramer led in scoring with 91 points and taylor tallied 60.

Herb Adderley had the longest play with a 98-yard kickoff return . He and WIllie Wood each picked off five passes. Willie Davis led with 8.5 sacks, but the Webster/Turney data is incomplete for 1963.

Eight Packers were named All-Pro: Forrest Gregg, Jim Ringo, Jerry Kramer, Dan Currie, Bill Forester, Henry Jordan, Adderley and Wood. SIx more were named to the second team: Taylor, Moore, Davis, Ron Kramer, Ray Nitschke and Fuzzy Thurston. Adderley, Davis, Gregg, Jordan, Jerry Kramer, Ringo and Taylor all were selected for the Pro Bowl.

The rookie class was also exceptional with Dave Robinson the top pick, Lionel Aldridge in round four, and Marv Fleming in round 11. Bob Jeter, the second pick from 1960, finally made his Packer debut as well. Robinson would be Lombardi’s final Packer Hall of Famer. Aldridge was the first Packer rookie to earn a starting job essentially from the outset of the season. He replaced Bill Quinlan who was traded.

Finally, the Hall of Fame opened in Canton and its charter class included Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson, Johnny Blood and Cal Hubbard.

Custom cards of Gregg and Dowler are colorized.

Herm Schneidman

Blocking back Herm Schneidman was born on November 22, 1912 in Rock Island, Illinois, but grew up in Quincy where he played football, basketball and track for Quincy High School. He matriculated at the University of Iowa where he played in the Hawkeye backfield with future Packer teammate Joe Laws. 

Curly Lambeau signed Herm in 1935 to share the blocking back slot with Hank Bruder. From 1935-38, Schneidman appeared in 39 games, but ran the ball just 13 times and caught just seven passes. His job was to block and play defense. He returned in 1939, but retired after just one game. He missed that championship season, but earned a ring with the ‘36 Packers. 

Herm signed with the Chicago Cardinals for one last season in 1940 before beginning a beer distributorship in his native Quincy. Schneidman four years in the Navy during the War and played for the Great Lakes service team in 1941 and ‘42. He then returned to Quincy, where he was a prominent civic leader who lived to the age of 95 when he died on August 12, 2008.

Herm was the oldest living Packer when he died, the last survivor from Lambeau’s 1930s’ championship teams and told the Journal Sentinel, “Most of the guys didn’t like [Lambeau], but I got along OK with him because I always worked hard on every play I was in there.”

Custom cards all colorized.

A Look Back at 1962

While some might favor 1966, the 1962 championship season is generally seen as the best of the Vince Lombardi era. The 13-1 Packers led the league both in scoring with 415 points and in fewest points allowed with 148. The team was 7-0 at home, 7-0 against losing teams, 6-1 on the road and 6-1 against teams with .500 or better records. The Packers shut out the Cardinals 17-0, the Eagles 49-0 and the Bears 49-0. Chicago did manage one score in the Wrigley Field rematch, but still lost 38-7.

Two teams gave the Packers trouble in 1962. Weeb Ewbank’s Colts held the Green Bay to 17 points in each game, with the Pack needing a 103-yard kickoff return from Herb Adderley to win the Baltimore showdown. And then there were the Lions, Green Bay’s chief nemesis. In week four, the Packers eked out a 9-7 win at home on the strength of Adderley’s 40-yard interception return that set up the winning field goal in the closing seconds of the game. The week leading up to that game is immortalized in Vince Lombardi’s Run to Daylight book. Seven weeks later, Detroit took revenge with the 26-14 Thanksgiving Day Massacre in which Bart Starr was dropped ten times.

At that point, 10-1 Green Bay was a bit unsteady with 9-2 Detroit right on its heels. Paul Hornung had carried the ball just once since week five when he injured his knee against the Eagles, and he had missed five games entirely. Linebacker Dan Currie had injured his knee the week before against the Colts, and his highly regarded backup Nelson Toburen broke his neck in that game, leaving reserve center Ken Iman to step in at linebacker against the Lions.

Hornung returned a week later in a 41-10 beating of the Rams. Currie returned in week 13, a 31-21 win over the 49ers that required a fourth quarter comeback. The Packers then clinched the title in the 20-17 finale in Los Angeles and faced a rematch with the Giants in the title game held in Yankee Stadium on a frigid 25-degree day with 27 mph winds.

Currie was still at half speed as was demonstrated when his knee gave out during a 30-yard interception return in the first quarter, costing him a pick six touchdown. Jim Taylor, who carried the ball 31 times for 85 brutal yards scored the only Packer touchdown on a seven-yard burst following a Hornung to Dowler halfback option pass. Jerry Kramer was three of five on field goals, and the vaunted New York offense once again failed to score on the Packer defense. However, a blocked punt touchdown recovery by the Giants kept the game close. Three turnovers were key in initiating points for Green Bay, while the Packers never turned the ball over. Green Bay was a repeat champion with a 16-7 win.

During the season, Bart Starr completed 62.5% of his passes for 2,438 yards 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Jim Taylor took up the slack for his injured partner Hornung and led the league in rushing with 1,474 yards, touchdowns with 19 and points with 114. Hornung, who missed nearly half the season gained just 219 yards on the ground but was second on the team in points with 75. Guard Jerry Kramer added another 65 points from relieving Hornung of the placekicking chores. Taylor was named NFL MVP.

Both Max McGee and Boyd Dowler caught 49 passes, but tight end Ron Kramer, who caught 37, led the team in TD receptions with seven. Willie Davis recorded 13 sacks, followed by 8.5 from Henry Jordan and seven from Bill Forester (Webster/Turney data). Willie Wood led the NFL with nine interceptions, and Adderley added seven.

11 Packers earned All-Pro notice from at least one service: Jim Taylor, Ron Kramer, Jerry Kramer, Forrest Gregg, Jim Ringo, Fuzzy Thurston, Willie Davis, Henry Jordan, Bill Forester, Dan Currie and Herb Adderley. Bart Starr, Willie Wood and Ray Nitschke all were named to the second team. Starr, Taylor, Ron and Jerry Kramer, Ringo, Gregg, Wood and Nitschke all were selected for the Pro Bowl. The team’s first four draft picks (Earl Gros, Ed Blaine, Gary Barnes and Ron Gassert) all made the team, but none would ever have much of an effect in Green Bay.

Dowler and Forester custom cards are colorized.

Urban Odson

Big boy tackle Urban Odson was born on November 17, 1918 in Rapid City, South Dakota. He went on to play on Minnesota’s back-to-back national champions in 1940 and ‘41. Odson was a first team All-America as a junior and was named to the second team as a senior. Curly Lambeau drafted him with the ninth overall pick in 1942, but had to wait for Urban to become available because of World War II.

Odson entered the Navy and played for the Great Lakes service team before being deployed to the Pacific theater aboard the USS Amsterdam. After the War, he reported to the Packers and played four years on the declining team during Curly’s last four seasons in Green Bay. He was a starter for all for years, but was never a star. Odson finished his football career with one season with Montreal in Canada. He died on June 22, 1986.

Custom cards are colorized.

The Golden Boy Leaves the Field

Perhaps the most famous of Vince Lombardi’s Packers, halfback Paul Hornung, passed away at age 84 yesterday. He did not post the gaudiest stats and waited 20 years after his retirement to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the eighth of Lombardi’s players to be elected, despite being the Packer his teammates most respected. Moreover, when would-be football historians and analysts discuss who doesn’t belong in Canton, Paul’s name often comes up. Why?

Hornung was a throwback football player even for his time. His all-around talents perhaps would have been better appreciated in the leather helmet days of two-way football. Hall of Fame fullback Jim Brown said of his friend Hornung in his first autobiography, Off My Chest:

“Paul’s forte is versatility. He runs, passes, blocks, receives and kicks. Of those five talents, blocking is Paul’s best. As a runner he is very good, yet not the devastating type, but he is probably the best backfield blocker in the league.”

He was the Golden Boy who won the Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame, was the first overall selection in the 1957 NFL draft and, once Lombardi arrived in Green Bay, a three-time league leading scorer and the biggest name on the best team at the outset of the televised era. He was Joe Namath’s prototype: women loved him and men wanted to be him. And what Jim Brown praised him most for was his blocking.

A joyful, convivial star like Hornung who relishes the dirty job of blocking made it easier for Lombardi to sell his basic approach to football to an underachieving group of talented players and create a championship team. Not to mention that his versatility provided Lombardi’s offense the variety it needed to stay fresh. By all accounts, Paul was just as good in the locker room as well, a model teammate who brought all his fellow Packers together.

Yes, he never gained more than 681 yards rushing or 928 all-purpose yards in a season and injuries and a gambling suspension shortened the prime of his career, but he was a Hall of Fame team player and the leader of the greatest dynasty in league history.

Personally, I missed his greatest years because I did not begin watching football until 1964 when I was seven. Hornung was not the same player after returning from suspension that year, but still revived for two magnificent games in 1965. On December 12 in Baltimore, he scored five touchdowns, including receiving scores of 50 and 65 yards, to lead Green Bay back to first place in the Western Conference. Three weeks later in the championship game against Cleveland, he gained 105 yards rushing on 18 carries and led the blocking for Jim Taylor to gain another 96 yards as the ball-control Packers rolled over the Browns in the mud to win their third title of the decade. In his final season of 1966, Hornung missed half the season due to injuries and played sparingly when he was available. In Super Bowl I, he was the only player not to appear in the game, although Lombardi offered to send him in.

The Saints selected Hornung in the expansion draft a year later, but he retired instead. A Packer to the end.

The two baseball-style custom cards are colorized.

Center Exchange

John Schmitt turns 78 today. Schmitt was a solid pro who came out of Hofstra as an undrafted free agent to spend a decade with the New York Jets, eight years as the starting center, from 1964 through 1973. New coach Charley Winner sent Schmitt to Green Bay on September 3, 1974 for an undisclosed draft choice.

Green Bay’s incumbent center Ken Bowman was also the Packers Player Representative and had been a militant union leader during the 1974 preseason strike. The Packers claimed he had a back injury and put him on injured reserve a week after Schmitt arrived. Schmitt, however, did not win the starting slot at center in Green Bay.

Instead, one-year veteran Larry McCarren took the helm for the first of 11 seasons as the starting center for the Pack. Schmitt was inserted as the starter against the Eagles in week 12 in which Green Bay lost five of eight fumbles on a cold, wet day and lost the game 36-14. McCarren was back in the starting lineup a week later. John was waived in July 1975, ending his NFL career. Bowman returned for one more year of pro football, but with the Hawaiians of the World Football League who finished 4-7.

Schmitt and McCarren custom cards are colorized

Mike Flanagan Turns 47

Mike Flanagan fought through a great deal of adversity to fashion an admirable legacy in Green Bay. Drafted out of UCLA in the third round in 1996, the promising center’s career took a horrible turn in the second preseason game that championship season. On the opening kickoff, Flanagan was part of the Packers’ wedge when a Steeler dove into his leg and shattered both the tibia and fibia. Over the next two years, Flanagan had six surgeries on his leg before it was finally strong again.

It was not strong enough for Carolina, though. Ron Wolf dealt Flanagan to the Panthers for a draft pick that preseason, but Mike failed the team physical and was returned to Green Bay. Given a second chance in Green and Gold, Flanagan spent the next three years learning from heady veteran Frank Winters before at last winning the starting job in 2001. The 6’5” 300-pound Flanagan teamed with guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle and tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher to form the team’s best offensive line since the 1960s. Marco Rivera recalled to the Journal Sentinel, “He made all the line calls and was just an extremely smart player. We played together for so long and just knew what each other was going to do.” Flanagan was the Packers’ starter for five seasons, although he missed most of 2004 with a knee injury.

With Scott Wells groomed to replace the 32-year old Flanagan, Mike signed with the Texans in 2006 as a free agent. He was brought in on the recommendation of assistant coach Mike Sherman, his head coach in Green Bay. After two seasons starting in Houston, Flanagan retired, having had a very good 10-year NFL career despite its injury-plagued start. In 2000, Flanagan’s line coach Larry Beightol told the Journal Sentinel that, “He’s going to be a great football player. He brings a lot of quickness to the table. He’s a very good leverage player.” 14 years later, the retired Beightol summarized Flanagan’s career to Bob McGinn, “Very tall and lanky. Had a really good snap with his hips. He could get into people. He was so damn quick. He was physical. Very smart and aware. He was a very good center.”

(adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

Custom cards in a variety of styles.

A Look Back at 1961

Three things began in 1961 for Green Bay. First, the team adopted the “G” logo for players’ helmets. Second, the town adopted the name “Titletown” in December when it became clear that Green Bay would host its first NFL championship game on New Year’s Eve, and third, the Packers justified the new moniker by winning its first league title under Coach Lombardi. Many more would follow.

The season began the same as the previous one with a loss to a conference rival on opening day. In this case, the Lions beat the Packers 17-13, with the victory preserved by a Night Train Lane interception at the Detroit seven in the closing minutes. The Packers then went on a tear, winning six straight games. By week three, they were tied for the conference lead and took sole possession of the West in week six. They would not relinquish that advantage. The key win came in week 12 in Milwaukee when Green Bay upended the Eastern-leading Giants 20-17 after Jesse Whittenton stole the ball from Alex Webster in the fourth quarter.

Four weeks later, the Giants came to Green Bay for the title game. The Packers led the league in points and were second in points allowed, while the Giants led the league in points allowed and were second in scoring. however, the championship game was an onslaught that began in the second quarter when the Packers scored 24 points on the way to a 37-0 rout. Bart Starr threw two touchdowns to Ron Kramer and a third to Boyd Dowler, while MVP Paul Hornung set a title contest record with 19 points on three field goals, four extra points and a touchdown run.

The Packers were 6-1 at home, 5-2 on the road, 7-3 against winning clubs and 4-0 versus losing ones. The passing leader was Starr, who completed 58% of his passes for 2,418 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Hornung also threw a TD pass.

Jim Taylor led in rushing with 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Hornung contributed 597 yards and eight scores. The team finished first in the league in rushing yards. Max McGee caught 51 passes for 883 yards and seven scores. He was augmented by Boyd Dowler’s 36 catches and Ron Kramer’s 35. Hornung led the NFL in scoring for the third straight year, despite missing two games. He had 146 points, while Taylor scored 96. Willie Wood ran two punts back for scores of 39 and 72 yards.

On defense, Wood tied with his three colleagues in the secondary–Whittenton, Gremminger and Symank–with five interceptions. Willie Davis led the team with 9.5 sacks, while Henry Jordan added 8.5 (Webster/Turney data).

Lombardi added one more Hall of Famer to the team in rookie Herb Adderley, the Pack’s top draft pick. Six Packer made the Pro Bowl (Fuzzy Thurston, Jim Ringo, Bill Forester, Jordan, Hornung and Whittenton). Nine received All-Pro notice: Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Dan Currie, Thurston, Ringo, Forester, Jordan, Hornung and Whittenton). Starr and Jerry Kramer were named to the second team.

Custom cards of Dowler, Jordan and Forester are colorized.