Jay Rhodemyre

Born on June 29, 1923 in Ashland, Kentucky, Jay Rhodemyre was a schoolboy star who enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 1941. After his sophomore season, he joined the Air Force and rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant before mustering out in 1946 to return to the Wildcats for his junior and senior years.

The Packers drafted the 6’1” 210-pound center/linebacker in the seventh round of the 1948 draft, but first Rhodemyre was invited to play in the annual College All-Star Game in Chicago. The defending champion Chicago Cardinals shut out the All-Stars 28-0 that night, but Jay made history by becoming the first lineman to be named Most Valuable Player in the series.

Rhodemyre joined the Packers for the ’48 and ’49 seasons but sat out 1950 for financial reasons. He later recalled, “I really loved it. There wasn’t enough money in it to pay for the bumps. You had to love it to play.” He returned to Green Bay in 1951 and was named second team All-Pro that year. Quarterback Tobin Rote once commented, “We didn’t have a lot of talent on the team and for a couple years there I outweighed the guards Buddy Burris and Ray DiPiero and my center (Jay Rhodemyre). They all went around 200-210, and I weighed around 215-218.”

Jay finished his NFL career in 1952, having started 40 of the 45 games he appeared in for the Packers. He said of his career, “Every game I played was a thrill for me. I enjoyed them all.” Sadly, Rhodemyre died suddenly at age 44 on June 7, 1968 in Lexington, Kentucky. He was survived by his wife and two children.

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Remembering Dan Currie on His Birthday

In the Lombardi era, Bill Forester’s fellow corner linebacker, as they were once called, was Detroit native Dan Currieof Michigan State. “Dapper Dan” Currie was the third overall pick of the bounteous 1958 draft that also brought Ray Nitschke, Jim Taylor and Jerry Kramer to Green Bay. Coach Lisle Blackbourn proclaimed, “Currie is the kind of lineman you always hope to get. He’s the pro type, and he wants to play. We’ll probably use him as a defensive linebacker, but then, too, he’s a dandy replacement for our offensive center, Jim Ringo.”

After starter Carlton Massey broke his leg in week two, the 6’3” 235-pound Currie took over at left linebacker as a rookie and remained there for the next six seasons. Currie generally lined up over the tight end, so he did little blitzing, but fit into Phil Bengtson’s defense extremely well. Dan praised his defensive coach to the Milwaukee Sentinel, “We were excellently prepared for each game.” He drew All-Pro notice from 1961-63 and went to the 1962 Pro Bowl.

Currie was a perfectionist. In Run to Daylight, he commented, “I like the feeling you get when you make the good, clean, perfect tackle. With me it’s the tackle instead of just belting the other guy.” His downfall came in the Philadelphia game in 1962 when he injured his knee. Nelson Toburen took Dan’s place the next week against the Colts and broke his neck making a head-on tackle. Reserve center Ken Iman filled in for the next couple of weeks, including the devastating 26-14 Thanksgiving loss to the Lions. Currie then returned to the starting lineup for the last two weeks of the season, but it was probably too soon. As proof, just look at the interception Currie made in the first quarter of the title game against the Giants that year. Dan snares the errant pass at his own 10 with no one in front of him and manages to hobble 30 yards before collapsing untouched at the Green Bay 40. A healthy Currie would have scored, and the linebacker never fully regained his speed and range.

In 1964, Currie was moved to the right side so that second year man Dave Robinson could move in at strongside linebacker. On the right, Currie was being pushed by newly-acquired Lee Roy Caffey and was traded to the Rams in April 1965 for receiver Carroll Dale. The Rams needed a replacement for Jack Pardee who retired to battle skin cancer, but only got two years of diminishing play from the 30-year-old Currie, while Dale gave the Packers passing game a big lift. Currie retired in 1967. Currie died in 2017 at the age of 82.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold)

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A Look Back at 1992

Everyone remembers Brett Favre’s auspicious beginning as a Packer, relieving an injured Don Majkowski in game three against the Bengals and leading the team to a one-point comeback victory in the closing seconds on a 35-yard bomb to Kittrick Taylor. Green Bay won the next week, too, but then lost four of five games to sit at an uninspiring 3-6 just past the halfway mark in the season. The Pack then uncorked a six-game winning streak to go into the season finale with a chance at the postseason. Minnesota ended that dream, but Mike Holmgren’s first year was a winning one with a 9-7 record.

Ron Wolf and Holmgren, though, were smart enough to realize that giving up 20 more points than you score is not indicative of a solid team and would not sit on their laurels like the previous administration did. Actually, the Packers’ 276 points scored and 296 allowed were not much different than the 1991 totals of 271 and 313. Green Bay was 6-2 at home and 3-5 on the road. They were 3-2 against winning teams and 6-5 against losers.

Favre was 8-5 as a starter, completing 64% of his passes for 3,227 yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He averaged 6.9 yards per throw. Don Majkowski was 1-2, gaining his lone victory entirely through Favre’s efforts. He completed 69% of his passes but averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt. He threw for 271 yards, two scores and two picks.

Holdover Vince Workman led the team with 631 yards rushing and caught 47 passes, while imported fullback Harry Sydney caught 49. Sterling Sharpe led the NFL with 108 catches for 1,461 yards and 13 TDs. Tight end Jackie Harris added 55 receptions, but the next closest wideout to Sharpe was Sanjay Beach with a mere 17 grabs. Kittrick Taylor ended up with two receptions for 63 yards in his one year in Green Bay. Chris Jacke led in points with 96, followed by Sharpe’s 78.

On defense, Chuck Cecil had four interceptions, while Johnny Holland and Terrell Buckley each had three. Buckley, the team’s top draft pick, scored on a 33-yard interception return and a 58-yard punt return. Tony Bennett sacked opposing QBs 13.5 times and was trailed by Bryce Paup’s 6.5 sacks.

Sharpe was named All-Pro, and Jackie Harris received second team notice. Sharpe, Favre and Cecil all were selected for the Pro Bowl. Buckley, ultimately, would prove to be a disappointment as the top pick, and the career of second round linebacker Mark D’Onofrio was sidelined by injuries. However, Ron Wolf did find Robert Brooks in round three, Edgar Bennett in round four and Mark Chmura in round six. Things were finally looking up.

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Bobby Douglass Turns 74

Bobby Douglass was born on June 22, 1947 in Manhattan, Kansas and attended the state university. He spent most of his NFL career with the Bears, but also finished one season in San Diego, and played two years with New Orleans before finishing his NFL tenure in Green Bay in 1978. It wasn’t bad enough that the Packers could not develop a decent quarterback in the 1970s, but they also had to import failed prospects from around the league as well. Douglass lifetime won-lost mark was 16-36-1 and his TD-INT ratio was 36-64.

It’s not accurate to say that Bobby Douglass couldn’t throw the ball, but inaccuracy indeed was his downfall. It was said that the husky, blonde lefthander could throw a football through a brick wall…if only the 43% passer could hit the wall. On the plus side, the 6’4” 225-pound Douglass was a fearsome runner with the build of a fullback and the speed of a halfback. Three times, he led all NFL quarterbacks in rushing and in 1972 set the seasonal rushing mark for quarterbacks with 968 yards in 14 games. That record stood for 34 years till Michael Vick topped 1,000 yards in 16 games in 2006.

Douglass averaged a robust 6.5 yards per carry running. Unfortunately, that was a full yard more than he averaged with his pathetic passes. Douglass was miscast as a quarterback and only got to start as many games as he did because the Bears and Saints teams for which he played were so toothless. In 1971, Head Coach Jim Dooley was so intent on mentoring Bobby as a quarterback, he moved into Douglass’ bachelor apartment the week before the Lions’ game. The Bears won that week, but by the end of the season Dooley was fired, and Douglass was still a mess.

Although Bobby married a Playboy Playmate of the Month when that magazine was still based in Chicago, his popularity at home dwindled. Soldier Field fans even cheered when he hurt his knee in 1973. Douglass’ response to his critics was “I don’t think anyone’s been silly enough to say I’m not a good football player. The difference between me and them is that I’m sure I’m a good quarterback.” He never read could defenses and always looked awkward in his drop backs. At the first sign of trouble, he would take off, which is understandable considering it was much more likely that he would be able to run for a first down than pass for one. Still, Bobby was sacked on 13.3% of pass plays, third highest all time when ai wrote the Quarterback Abstract, on which this entry is based.

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A Look Back at 1991

Although no one knew it at the time, Packer fortunes were about to change dramatically and for the long term in 1991. Bob Harlan hired Ron Wolf to be General Manager on November 27 that year, and Ron got to watch the dreadful Infante Packers sleepwalk through the last four games of the season. The first game was against the Falcons who had a quarterback on their bench that Wolf had wanted to draft when he worked for the Jets. Wolf acted quickly. He fired Infante in December, hired Coach Mike Holmgren in January 1992, and traded for Brett Favre a month later, and all the major pieces were in place for the turnaround.

However, Infante’s last season was a dreary 4-12 affair in which the Packers finished 22^nd in points scored (273) and 18^th in points allowed (313). They were 0-8 against winning teams, 1-3 against .500 teams and 3-1 against losers. They were 2-6 both at home and on the road.

Don Majkowski missed seven games with a hamstring problem and went 2-6 as a starter. He completed 52% of his passes, for 1,362 yards three touchdowns and eight interceptions. Former Bear Mike Tomczak was 2-5 as a starter, completing 54% of his passes for 1,490 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Blair Kiel lost his only start, completed 58% of his passes for 361 yards, three TDs and two picks.

Darrell Thompson topped Packer rushers with 471 yards, a 3.3-yard average. Vince Workman caught 46 passes out of the backfield to finish second on the team in receptions to Sterling Sharpe who caught 69 for 961 yards and four touchdowns. Charles Wilson had an 82-yard kickoff return TD, and Chris Jacke led the scoring with 85 points.

On defense, Leroy Butler, Chuck Cecil and Mark Murphy each nabbed three interceptions. Tony Bennett was the top sacker with 13, and Bryce Paup added 7.5. No Packer was named to the Pro Bowl or as an All-Pro. The rookie class was disheartening as well, with Vinnie Clark, Esero Tualo, Dan Davey and Chuck Webb the top names. One piece of good news was that Jan Stenerud was elected to the Hall of Fame.

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Randy Johnson

Along with Tommy Nobis, Randy Johnson was one of two first round picks of the Atlanta Falcons in their first season. Johnson had good size, a good arm and good mobility, He had been a Little All American at Texas A&I and won the MVP awards in the Blue-Gray game, the Senior Bowl and the Coaches All America game. Born on June 17, 1943 in San Antonio, Randy lasted longer than any of the other quarterbacks drafted that year by either league: Rick Norton, Tim Van Galder, Ron Meyer, Steve Sloan, Benjy Dial, Jim Ward, Jim LeClair, Benny Russell and Scotty Glacken. Of course, that’s not saying much.

Johnson began 1966 behind former Packer Dennis Claridge but took over as the starter by the fourth game. Randy was overmatched in the NFL and threw 21 interceptions in each of his first two seasons while getting beaten up behind a horrible offensive line. By 1969, Johnson had lost his job to Bob Berry and was deemed expendable. When Giants’ backup Dick Shiner walked out of training camp in 1971 because he was upset at his lack of playing time, the two backups were swapped for each other.

In New York, Johnson backed up Fran Tarkenton in 1971 and Norm Snead in 1972. By 1973, Randy was fed up and on October 9th after the fourth game of the season, he announced his “retirement” in order to shake things up. Owner Wellington Mara wished Randy well and said the team would go on without him. Ten days later, Johnson was back and apologetic. Ten days after that, he started for the first time of the year and lost. Johnson went 1-6 as a starter that year, and then jumped to the Hawaii franchise in the WFL in 1974.

Johnson returned to the NFL with the Redskins in 1975, lost both his starts and signed with the Packers in November 1976. In the season finale played in a downpour in Atlanta in front of roughly 22,000 fans, Johnson had his finest hour. Trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, Randy led the Packers on two 69-yard drives to beat the Falcons (ironically quarterbacked by former Packer Scott Hunter) 24-20. His teammates gave Johnson the game ball for what would prove to be his final NFL game. He was cut by Green Bay the following September.

At the time I wrote The Quarterback Abstract, Johnson’s career winning percentage of .214 for a 10-38-1 record was the lowest ever for quarterbacks who started at least 30 games. Randy had great physical tools, but made poor decisions on the field, throwing nearly twice as many interceptions as touchdown passes for his career. In his defense, he played almost entirely for awful teams. He died at age 65 on September 17, 2009 in Brevard, North Carolina.

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Pid Purdy

Everett Virgil “Pid” Purdy was born on June 15, 1904 in Beatrice, Nebraska and would die there just 46 years later. Despite standing just 5’6” and weighing between 145 and 150 pounds, Pid went on to play two professional sports, football and baseball. He was a star athlete at Beatrice High from 1920-22, but did not accumulate the credits to graduate with his class.

Purdy, a centerfielder, signed with a local minor league team in 1923, but that ended his football eligibility at the University of Nebraska when he tried to enroll there. After some prep academic work, Pid enrolled at Beloit College in 1925 and appeared in two games at quarterback before he was ruled ineligible again. In 1926, he signed with the Packers and spent two seasons in Green Bay.

His coach at Beloit, Tommy Mills, was quoted in the Green Bay Press Gazette saying, “Purdy in my estimation is one of the greatest football players I have ever laid eyes on. He is a natural on the gridiron. Purdy would fight his weight in wildcats if it meant another yard or two, and when it comes to booting the ball, either dropkicking or punting, he sure is a wizard.”

In ’26, he appeared in 11 games for the Packers, kicked 2 field goals and 14 extra points, threw a touchdown pass to Verne Lewellen, intercepted three passes and returned 29 punts for an 11-yard average (unofficially). One of his field goals was for 45 yards against the Bears. The next year he got into eight games, ran for a touchdown, kicked one field goal and one extra point and returned seven punts for a 13-yard average (again unofficially).

At the same time, Purdy was called up by the White Sox in September of ‘26 and moved on to the Cincinnati Reds in ’27. Before the 1928 baseball season, Purdy retired from football, saying, “No more playing. I don’t want to take the chance of getting hurt and having to quit baseball.” Pid played 170 games for the Reds through 1929 and batted an even .300 although with just two home runs. He continued playing in the minors through 1938. Altogether, Purdy played in 1,437 minor league contests and batted .328.

After baseball, Purdy held odd jobs or was unemployed and battled alcoholism. He became involved with Alcoholics Anonymous and worked in rehab until he fell off the wagon himself. He checked himself into the hospital to shake the alcoholism again on January 1, 1951 but died from a heart problem two weeks later. He was survived by a former wife and two sons.

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Shawn Patterson Turns 57

Born on June 13, 1964 in Oahu, Hawaii, Shawn Patterson was a star defensive lineman for Arizona State in the late 1980s. Green Bay selected the 6’5” 265-pound Patterson with the 34^th overall pick in the 1988 NFL draft. The team’s scouts saw him as a Pro Bowl player who could be expected to garner 10 sacks a year. It didn’t work out that way.

Patterson would appear in 48 games and start just 13 over the six years he was with the Packers. His biggest problem was that he suffered three major knee injuries in that period. He missed ten games in 1989, all 16 in 1992 and 11 in 1993, his final year in the league.

Patterson played both at defensive end and tackle and accumulated 11 sacks in his tenure. His career highlight was an interception and nine-yard touchdown jaunt with a Rich Gannon pass in 1990. In retirement, he built houses and worked in home security. The youngest of his four children is currently a tight end for the Air Force Academy.

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Dick Pesonen Turns 83

Dick Pesonen was born on June 10, 1938 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from the University of Minnesota at Duluth, where he starred at halfback on the gridiron and as a guard on the basketball court. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1960 by the Packers, he was not converted to defensive back until just before the final preseason game, but he made the team as one of three rookie DBs with Willie Wood and Dale Hackbart.

On November 6 against the Colts, the rookies’ inexperience was exploited by Johnny Unitas in a 38-24 Packer loss. When cornerback Jesse Whittenton left the game early with a leg injury, he was replaced first by Wood and then by Pesonen. Neither could contain Raymond Berry who caught ten passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns.

While Wood went on to a Hall of Fame career at safety for Green Bay, Pesonen was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by the Vikings. Pesonen started 11 games at cornerback for Minnesota and nabbed his first NFL interception, but was traded in the offseason to the Giants for linebacker Cliff Livingston. From 1962 through 1964, Dick appeared in 32 games as a safety for the Giants, started 13 and grabbed three interceptions. In his five-year NFL career, Pesonen went to three NFL championship games, but never won a ring.

Pesonen played for the minor league Newark Bears in 1965 and then the Orlando Panthers in ’66 and ’67. With Orlando, he also served as defensive coach and ascended to the head coaching position in 1968. In two years at the helm of the Panthers the team went 20-4 and won one Continental League title. Dick later served as an assistant coach for the Long Island Bulls in 1970, Idaho State in 1971-72, with Houston of the WFL in 1974 and the same league’s San Antonio squad in ’75.

Pesonen settled in the Orlando area as a businessman and was elected to the Minor League Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1984.

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A Look Back at 1990

1990 was quick thud back to earth for Lindy Infante and his Packers. The off season was marred by holdouts, most prominently by quarterback Don Majkowski and leading rusher Brett Fullwood. Majik worked himself back into shape after signing, but the newly-resigned Fullwood was traded to the Browns for a seventh round pick after pulling himself from a week five game against the Bears only to be seen clubbing that night. Majkowski’s season ended in week ten when he was sacked and tore his rotator cuff. The 5-5 Packers closed the season 1-5 to finish in a four-way tie for second in the Central Division with a 6-10 record. They were 5-4 against losing teams, 1-6 against winners and 3-5 both at home and on the road.

Majik was 4-4 as a starter and completed 56.8% of his passes for 1,925 yards, ten touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He averaged 7.3 yards per pass. Anthony Dilweg was 2-5 as a starter, completing 52.6% of his passes for 1,267 yards, eight scores and seven picks, while Blair Kiel lost his one start, completed 60% of his passes for 504 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. Dilweg averaged 6.6 yards per pass and Kiel 5.9.

Michael Haddix led rushers with a paltry 311 yards and averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. Rookie Darrell Thompson added 264 yards and a 76-yard kickoff return touchdown. Sterling Sharpe caught 67 passes for 1,105 yards and six scores. Perry Kemp added 44 grabs. Chris Jacke led the team with 97 points.

On defense, Tim Harris dropped to seven sacks but still led the team. Mark Murphy, Jerry Holmes and rookie Leroy Butler all grabbed three interceptions. Sharpe was the only Packer selected for the Pro Bowl and was a second team All-Pro as well. One-year Packer Ted Hendricks was elected to the Hall of Fame. The rookie class, aside from Thompson, did represent promise with Butler, linebackers Tony  Bennett and Bryce Paup and tight end Jackie Harris.

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