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.)

Custom cards in a variety of styles.

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.

Custom Cards two and three are colorized.

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.

Custom cards are colorized.