Attempting to list the Greatest Green Bay Packers of all time is a difficult task. The Packers have 13 NFL Championships and a history that spans over 100 years. The oldest team in professional football, the Packers provide a very long list of candidates. With 34 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (second only to the Chicago Bears), finding five names to single out is nearly impossible. Still, this is the list of the best of the best.
How We Chose the Best Green Bay Packers Players of All Time?
There are many different factors to consider. With 34 Hall of Famers to consider,there are plenty of players who left a mark with their statistical prowess. Some of these players played in eras where certain statistics were not kept. Guys like Arnie Herber played prior to the keeping of passing statistics. Willie Davis played before sacks were counted. So, the individual performance of some players is based on play that was not kept in official records.
With 13 NFL championships, all these players had varying degrees of team success. Players like James Lofton did not even reach the playoffs in their time in Green Bay. Meanwhile, Cecil Isbell or Henry Jordan played through dynasties. Some of these successful players joined successful teams and some turned the team into something more than they were.
One other thing that is important in a team like the Packers is the impact on the community. With the Packers being owned by the community and the small city nature of Packers football, the impact on the city is different. When you drive around the facilities and see Lambeau Field, The Don Hutson Center, Ray Nitschke Field, and Lombardi Drive, you can see the enduring feelings of the fans. Many great players came and did not make the community a priority. That is fine, but the lasting legacy is diminished. Meanwhile, players like Donald Driver and John Kuhn have cemented themselves into the legends.
5. Reggie White
Reggie White’s free agent signing was a sea change in the team’s history. Suddenly the Packers became a place players wanted to go. This was in a time when the Packers had not been to the playoffs in a generation. This was before the NFL introduced a salary cap. The signing of Reggie White moved the Packers from 14th in the NFL in salary to first. It signaled the beginning of the Packers being willing spenders.
Beyond just the large contract (large for the time), the contract showed Green Bay was a legitimate contender. Sean Jones joined in 1994. Santana Dotson and Desmond Howard in 1996. By 1999, the Packers were doing a full renovation project for Lambeau Field and it’s surrounding facilities. The signing of Reggie White kicked off a reinvigoration in the organization.
More importantly, the contract more than paid off. Reggie White came in as one of the greatest pass rushers in NFL history and he did not disappoint in Green Bay. Reggie White retired with 198 sacks. 68.5 of those came in his six seasons in Green Bay. Only twice did he register fewer than 10 sacks. Reggie White set a Super Bowl record with three sacks of Drew Bledsoe in Super Bowl 31. Reggie left Green Bay as the team’s all-time sack leader (acknowledging that sacks were not an official statistic until 1982).
Reggie White’s number was retired in 2005, just under a year after his death.
4. Brett Favre
With an acknowledgement that Favre’s recent issues with Welfare in Mississippi have definitely tarnished his legacy in Wisconsin, he is a central figure in the rebuilding of the modern team. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Packers struggled. There was very little success. The Packers only reached the playoffs twice in those two decades, and one was the 1982 strike shortened season (when the Packers went 5-3-1). Brett Favre was a back-up and was brought in through a trade with Atlanta so he could learn behind Don Majkowski. After Majkowski was injured, Favre took over and held on for 297 straight starts. Along the way, he broke the NFL career records in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and (of course) interceptions.
The Packers 1994 Wildcard Playoff win over the Detroit Lions was the first non-strike playoff appearance in 22 years and the first playoff win in 26 years. Favre led the Packers to a Super Bowl title and one other Super Bowl appearance. Additionally, he was the first player to win three straight NFL MVPs.
Beyond the long list of accolades, the most important contribution to Packers history was his first season filling in for Don Majkowski. Favre’s sound play and infectious attitude showed people around the league that there was life and hope in Green Bay. The Packers went 8-5 with Favre under center in the 1992 season. With Sterling Sharpe netting 108 receptions for an NFL record and the offense starting to move, the Packers looked like a team with a future. Reggie White felt this way and it led to maybe the most impactful free agent signing in league history. Sean Jones and Santana Dotson soon joined Reggie on that front line. The Packers 1996 team is only the second team to have the #1 ranked offense and #1 ranked defense. Favre’s initial impact created the momentum that carries through Rodgers and Love.
3. Ray Nitschke
Every year, new Pro Football Hall of Famers are welcomed into the community in a meal in Canton, Ohio. The meal is named the Ray Nitschke Luncheon. This says a great deal about the player and person he was. Ray Nitschke is in the conversation as one of the greatest linebackers of all time. He anchored the middle of the Packers defense as they won five NFL titles in seven years. Additionally, he was the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game. He is the only linebacker named to all the NFL’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary teams.
The hardest part of discussing Nitschke is tackles and sacks were not widely recorded. Tackles are still not officially NFL stats, but a quick review of his stats will tell you he had 25 interceptions and 23 fumbles recovered. You can also see the lone reception he had for a 34 yard touchdown in his final NFL game. Still, he personified the toughness of the game. Every Packers fan knows the story of how a camera tower fell on him during a water break and Coach Vince Lombardi told the team to keep practicing once he found out it was Nitschke. The helmet Nitschke was wearing, with the hole from a bolt penetrating it, is still in the Packers Hall of Fame.
Nitschke had his number retired by the Packers in 1983. Beyond that, he remained a figure in the Green Bay community. He attended events and even owned a car dealership in Green Bay. The Packers named their outdoor practice facility Ray Nitshke Field. Also, a bridge over the Fox River is named the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge. He remains one of the most iconic figures in the history of the NFL.
2. Bart Starr
Maybe no player is more connected to the image of the Green Bay Packers than Bart Starr. Bart Starr Plaza abuts the Don Hutson Center and Ray Nitschke Field. Bart Starr and his wife Cherry were fixtures in the community. The two of them were part of the founding and supporting the Rawhide Boys Ranch, a camp for at-risk boys. Starr famously did not charge money for autographs, but would ask recipients to donate to Rawhide. He was a quiet example of dignity that draw all people to him. His personality and dedication to the community is part of his enduring legacy in Green Bay.
He was also the MVP of the first two Super Bowls. These were the fourth and fifth NFL championships of his career. He played in an era where Quarterbacks were routinely hit late, offensive lineman could not extend their arms to block, and Quarterbacks called their own plays. In an era where interceptions were far more common, Starr was routinely among the best in completion percentage and interception percentage.
Starr was the player who stood in the pocket and took all the hits to ensure he got the ball in the hands of his receivers. He was far grittier than his soft-spoken image portrayed. He made everyone around him better. It must also be mentioned that he is the center of the most iconic image in NFL history, the winning play from the Ice Bowl.
Starr’s central role in Packers stardom brought him abc as a head coach. White those years were difficult and he did not go down as a winning coach, he handled it all with grace and never spoke ill of the organization that he led and that gave him his chance.
1. Don Hutson
Don Hutson is in the discussion for greatest receiver in NFL history. While many media sources make the statements that Jerry Rice is the only answer, it is not that simple. Jerry Rice averaged 5.11 receptions for 75.6 yards and 0.65 touchdowns in his career. Hutson averaged 4.21 receptions, 68.9 yards and 0.85 touchdowns. Jerry Rice (and Steven Largent for that matter), only ever caught Hutson’s touchdown record because they played 16 game seasons and Hutson played in 10 game seasons. Hutson’s record for Touchdown Receptions stood for 44 years. That is an unbelievable number. Hutson led the NFL in receiving yards seven times, Rice just six. Huston led the league in receptions eight times, Rice just twice. Also, Hutson was league MVP twice while Rice was MVP just once.
Don Huston’s era should increase his status rather than decrease it. Don Huston was a two way star. He was an All-Pro Defensive Back and led the NFL in Interceptions in 1940. He finished his career with 30 Interceptions. Additionally, rules changes starting in the 1970s have made it far easier to pass the football. Defensive holding and illegal contact downfield were just things Don Hutson had to live with. Furthermore, the technological advances in fields and equipment have made catching and throwing far easier. The gloves, turf and even the footballs themselves are all more precisely honed.
Don Hutson’s 1942 season might be the most statistically significant season in the history of the league. Huston had more receiving yards than several teams. Huston led the league in receptions, touchdowns and receiving yards. Ray McLean finished second in yards with just 42.7% of Huston’s total. Pop Ivy was second in receptions with just 36.5% of Huston’s mark. Hutson had set the NFL record for receptions in a season in 1941. Then he broke that record by 16 receptions in 1942. The distance between Huston and any contemporary is the largest of any player in any position in any era.
Hutson’s name remains plastered around Green Bay. His number was the first retired number in Packers history. When the Packers built their large indoor practice facility, they named it the Don Huston Center.
Sign Up For Our Sports Fan Newsletter
Get Access to Exclusive Giveaways, Deals, and Events from our favorite brands and stores.