Matt Hasselbeck

In the stadium where he began his pro career, Matt Hasselbeck leaned into the referee when Seattle won the overtime coin toss in their 2004 Wild Card game against the Packers in Lambeau and said, “We want the ball, and we’re going to score.” One thing Hasselbeck didn’t realize was that the referee’s mike was live, and his bold prediction was heard throughout the stadium and on television. The other thing he didn’t realize was that the game would indeed end on one of his passes, but on an Al Harris interception return for the winning touchdown minutes later.

Born on September 25, 1975, in Westwood Massachusetts, Matt is the son of former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck and the brother of former backup quarterback Tim Hasselbeck. Both brothers played quarterback at Boston College. As a sixth-round pick of Green Bay in 1998, Matt played well in exhibition games each preseason to attract attention behind iron man Brett Favre. Former Packer coach Mike Holmgren made a draft day deal for Hasselbeck in 2001, and Matt was the Seahawk starter for ten years, going 69-62 and taking Seattle to one Super Bowl. He then spent two seasons in Tennessee and three in Indianapolis. Overall, he threw 212 TDs and 153 interceptions. He proved himself an accurate touch passer with fine timing.

The 6’4” 220-pound Hasselbeck was a good scrambler and a creative playmaker. Like his friend Favre, Matt threw into coverage sometimes, but once told Sports Illustrated, “A quarterback can’t play scared, and I never will.” 

(Adapted from The Quarterback Abstract.)

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Mark Brunell

Mild-mannered Mark Brunell, born on September 17, 1970, in Los Angeles, did not shy from competition. In college, he played for a Washington Husky powerhouse that went 31-5 and won three consecutive Rose Bowls. However, Mark tore up his knee in his junior year and lost the starting job to Billy Joe Hobert until Hobert was suspended by the NCAA during the following season. Due to his injury history, Brunell was not drafted until the fifth round – the 118^th pick – by Green Bay in 1993. By contrast, the fast-living Hobert was picked in the third round by Oakland, 60 slots ahead of his teammate. While Hobert floundered in Oakland, Brunell sat behind Brett Favre in Green Bay. Coach Holmgren grew frustrated with Favre’s impulsiveness early in his career and strongly considered switching to Brunell, but it never happened. When Packers’ assistant coach Ray Rhodes took over the Eagles in 1995, he worked out a deal for Brunell, but Philadelphia’s management objected to Mark’s salary demands. Instead, Brunell was traded to the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars soon after.

By midseason, the much more mobile Brunell swept aside starter Steve Beurelein and took over the 1-5 Jags. Brunell led Jacksonville to a 4-12 record in their first year, and then to a playoff berth the next. In that second season, Brunell joined Johnny Unitas and Tobin Rote as the only three players in history to lead all quarterbacks in both passing and rushing yards. Brunell threw for 4,367 yards and ran for 480 in 1996 as the Cinderella Jags went all the way to the conference championship. Although he passed for more than 3,000 yards six times and accumulated over 2,400 rushing yards in his career, Mark would never have a better season.

In his eight years as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback, Brunell drove the team to the playoffs four straight years before salary cap problems caused the team to disintegrate under Coach Tom Coughlin. Mark was supplanted as starter by rookie Byron Leftwich in 2003 under new Coach Jack Del Rio. He then spent three years with the Redskins, two with the Saints and two with the Jets before retiring at age 41 in 2011 with 184 TD passes and 108 interceptions. He was 78-73 as a starter.

Since Brunell was a scrambling, left-handed quarterback who wore the number eight, he often was compared to Steve Young. Mark was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, but he could not approach the precision passing of Young, although he did set the NFL mark for consecutive completions with 22 while with the Redskins. By that point, though, Brunell had lost a good deal of mobility and arm strength and was no longer the same quarterback. Even then, Brunell remained a true professional who always played the game with heart.

(Adapted from The Quarterback Abstract.)

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John Kuhn Turns 40

Born on September 9, 1982, in York, Pennsylvania, John Kuhn has made a life for himself in Wisconsin. Kuhn was a schoolboy star fullback at Dover High near York and then excelled at nearby Shippensburg University. Signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005, he made the Pittsburgh practice squad that year and made the Steelers’ roster in 2006. He earned a Super Bowl ring as a rookie. Waived in September 2007, Kuhn was claimed by the Packers and found a home at fullback in Green Bay for nine seasons.

When Kuhn joined the Packers, fellow Shippensburg alumnus Rob Davis was finishing his 11-year tenure as the Green Bay long-snapper. Between the two players, Green Bay had a Raider on the roster for 19 straight years from 1997-2015.

Generally, he was on the field for about one-third of the offensive snaps, but the six-foot 250-pound Kuhn became a fan favorite for his blocking and his work on the kicking teams. When he would run the ball, the Lambeau faithful would yell “Kuuuuuhn.” He gained 601 yards rushing and caught 81 passes for another 642 yards as a Packer. He also scored 23 of his 28 total touchdowns as a member of the Pack. Kuhn gained a national reputation in Green Bay. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2011, ’14 and ’15, was second team All-Pro at fullback in 2011 and first team in 2014. He signed with the Saints in 2016 and spent his last two seasons in New Orleans. Kuhn officially retired after signing a one-day contract with the Packers in 2019. He has worked for the Packers TV and Radio Networks ever since.

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Breezy Reid

Born on September 4, 1927, in Bridgeton, NJ, Floyd “Breezy” Reid grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, near Cincinnati, the same town where Packer defensive end John Martinkovic was raised. Reid enrolled at the University of Georgia and, as a freshman, played with Charlie Trippi. He missed the 1946 season due to injury, but then starred for the Bulldogs from 1947-49 in the backfield with quarterback John Rauch.

Drafted by the Bears in the ninth round in 1950, Reid could not crack Chicago’s roster and was waived. He was claimed by Green Bay two days after the 1950 season opener. Two weeks later, he played against the Bears and scored the final touchdown in the Packers’ 31-21 upset victory on October 1.

In his seven seasons with Green Bay, Reid did not miss a game until his final year playing in 1956. He became a regular starter in 1952 and paced the Pack in rushing in 1953 and ’54 with 492 and 507 yards respectively. Overall, he gained 1,964 yards rushing with a 4.3 average and scored 13 touchdowns. He scored five more times via his 72 receptions for which he averaged 12.1 yards per catch. His most memorable moment was probably when he caught a fourth quarter 44-yard touchdown pass from Paul Christman on November 26, 1950, to clinch a 25-21 victory.

The 5’10” 187-pound Reid had good speed and power as a runner. His friend Martinkovic said, “He was a pretty good back. He never got injured and could always play the next week.” He retired in 1957 and was hired as a Packer game scout. A year later, he joined Scooter McLean’s staff as backfield coach. When McLean was fired in 1959, Reid became an assistant coach at Virginia Tech before returning to the pros in 1960 as the backfield coach for the nascent Buffalo Bills of the AFL. In 1962, he moved on to the University of Maryland and then left coaching altogether to work for General Motors in his hometown.

Reid died of a heart attack while playing golf on March 15, 1994. He was 66. Martinkovic recalled Reid as a friend, “He was an outgoing, likeable person. We always had a lot of stories to tell.” Breezy’s grandson Tyler Minges played minor league baseball in the Indians’ system.

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