70s Grounds Crew Jacket on eBay

This eBay listing caught my eye, purporting to be a Lambeau Field grounds crew jacket from the 1970s:

The jacket itself is fairly unremarkable, a simple green nylon shell with sheepskin lining.

The jacket features a single-bar gray facemasked helmet graphic common to the period. What's uncommon, and what caught my eye, is the logo on the helmet: the green and white are reversed.

Ordinarily, this might be considered the mark of bootleg merchandise, except that the Packers themselves used a reverse-colored logo on occasion. The earliest example I can think of was in 1962, when the watch given out in lieu of a championship ring featured a reversed logo.

That was only one year after the logo itself was introduced. More recently, the 1997 stock certificates also featured this green-on-white logo.

For a while, the reversed logo was even seen on the side of Lambeau Field, such as this glimpse from the 1980s:

So it's certainly possible that this is an authentic grounds crew jacket. Is it worth $559.99 plus shipping? That is entirely up to you.

ESPN The Magazine: "Inside Bart Starr's Drive..."

Bart Starr, 81, continues to recover from multiple strokes and a heart attack he suffered last fall. Here, he is joined by his wife, Cherry, who continues to be the backbone of his recovery. The couple has been married for over 60 years. (Photograph by Gerry Melendez for ESPN)

ESPN has an incredibly emotional story about Bart Starr's declining health and his desire to be at Lambeau Field this Thanksgiving to see Brett Favre's number retired.

It's a touching story of a couple who have been together for 61 years, their challenges and their strength. I don't think I'll ever be able to hear "Unchained Melody" again without thinking of Bart.

See the New Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame

Packers.com

This morning, the revamped Packers Hall of Fame opened to the public, and we're seeing some great views of what's in store for visitors to Lambeau Field.

The new museum displays are very impressive.

Packers.com

Gone are the old plaques; each inductee is now represented by a sculpture of a football.

Packers.com

It's a stunning representation, even more impressive close up. Each football is engraved with the inductee's name, picture, years with the team and year of induction.

Packers.com

Jeff Ash of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has suggested that these football sculptures would make excellent souvenirs if the Hall of Fame should ever sell them.

Packers.com

I think he's on to something there.

The reminds me a little of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, which ditched its plaques about ten years ago in favor of staggered rows of busts. Using footballs, however, emphasizes the team nature of the game. From a distance, it's all a unified whole. Only when you get close can you see the individuals comprising the team.

Of course, there's a lot for uniform fans to like. This is the new locker room section:

Packers.com

How could they get these reproductions so right and yet the new 2015 on-field alternate uniforms so wrong?

Of course, it's not all reproductions. The authentic Don Hutson jersey is still on display:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

I think my favorite area has to be this overhead display of Packers uniforms, arranged in a chronological timeline:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

As you move from right to left, the figures appear to be throwing a pass, and you advance through the highlights of the team's uniform history from the earliest days to modern times:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

I'm a little jealous; the effect is one I was planning to use for a lithograph to celebrate the team's Centennial in a couple years.

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

There are two items of note I see in this tableau, which we'll address in separate posts.

Overall, the new Hall looks outstanding. Can't wait for my next trip to Lambeau Field.

R.I.P. Lee Remmel, Packers Historian

Sad news out of Titletown; Lee Remmel, who has been associated with the Packers since the Curly Lambeau days, has passed away at the age of 90.

Remmel was a true icon in a sport which tends to over-use the word. He started covering Packers games for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in 1945.

Reporters wait while the Packers’ board of directors meets for four hours in the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay on Nov. 30, 1949, deliberating the fate of coach and general manager Curly Lambeau. From left are Lee Remmel, Art Daley and Dave Yuenger of the Green Bay Press-Gazette; Packers publicity director George Strickler, Don Arthur of radio station WDUZ, Bob Savage of radio station WBAY and Earl Gillespie of WJPG, the Press-Gazette’s radio station. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

For nearly thirty years, he reported on the ins and outs of the team, and when he finally left his beat in 1974, it was to join the Packers as their public relations director. Remmel's second career was as long and illustrious as his first, through the lean years of the 1970s and 1980s and finally renewed glory days that continue today. In February 2004, he was named team historian. Aided with an uncanny memory and a true gift for personal stories, he has done as much to educate modern football fans as anyone in the sport.

Lee Remmel stands next to the plaque erected in the Lambeau Field press box after it was named for him in August 2003. (Green Bay Packers archives)

The Press-Gazette has a wonderful gallery of Remmel's life. Of course, there are a few uniform gems in the gallery, including these two glimpses of 1950s uniforms. This period has been almost forgotten, lost between Curly's famous gold-yoked jerseys and the world-famous Lombardi design that endures (with a few tweaks) to this very day.

Packers fullback Fred Cone walks past Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel, left, on the sideline at old City Stadium during the Packers’ 37-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts on Oct. 18, 1953. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel kneels along the sideline during the Packers’ 17-13 victory over the New York Giants in a preseason game at old City Stadium on Aug. 25, 1956. He’s flanked by Packers coach Lisle Blackbourn, left, and end Gary Knafelc. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

It's fascinating to watch the evolution of his career, as he starts out covering the players for the paper and transitions into working with them to manage that paper's coverage.

Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel interviews Packers quarterback Bart Starr after Green Bay’s 13-10 victory over the Baltimore Colts in overtime in the Western Division championship game at Lambeau Field on Dec. 26, 1965. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

He flips from one side of the notebook to the other, but maintains the same intense look on his face.

Packers director of public relations Lee Remmel, second from right, stands between Press-Gazette sports writer Cliff Christl and Packers coach Bart Starr during an interview during the 1979 season. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

I love this look at a Lindy Infante's press conference, partly for the peek at 1989's sideline gear but also the guy next to Remmel wearing a Bucks jacket; you're more likely to find Packer apparel inserted in the background of unrelated sporting events than the other way around.

Lee Remmel, the Packers' director of public relations, stands at second from right as coach Lindy Infante meets the media during the 1989 season. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

For generations, Remmel has been a living link to the club's history. For people of my generation, it was to Lambeau and Lombardi. To younger fans, he was an official witness to those long-ago glory days of White and Favre.

Lee Remmel enjoys a laugh with Packers quarterback Brett Favre in the team's locker room during the mid-1990s. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

The Packers have created a tribute page to Remmel on their site with links to press releases and galleries covering his career (with an emphasis on his most recent recognitions). It's well worth a read.

Longtime Packers public relations man and historian and former Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel talks about his life with the Packers at his home on Feb. 10, 2009. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

It is perhaps inevitable that loss seems to stalk any team with the long history of the Packers, as every year we lose one more human connection to that glorious past. I've long enjoyed reading Remmel's reminisces on that history, and we are the poorer now for his voice being silenced. R.I.P., Mr. Remmel.

"The 26 Teams"

This poster comes from the 1970s, showing the wordmarks of all the teams in the league at the time.

Information on these old wordmarks is hard to come by, but we can narrow down the timeframe. The presence of all the former AFL teams, and the absence of the Seahawks and Buccaneers, helps us date it between 1970 and 1976.

What strikes me today is how many clubs are still using these marks. Here's a version I worked up using the logos from 2013:

In addition to the Packers, the Bears, Bills, Cowboys, Colts and Washington have retained their classic looks virtually unchanged. Those old Browns and 49ers wordmarks endured until relatively recently (2003 and 2004, respectively). Also worth noting that the Vikings have since reverted to an earlier wordmark that predated our poster (the Browns might have, too).

Then there are the minor changes; the Chiefs introduced a modified upper-case version of their old lower-case logo sometime before 1983, the Raiders tightened up their kerning a bit, and the Saints made the most subtle change, losing the dot over their "i".

As for the others, you can see a trend towards arcs, arches and protrusions, meaning the names don't all fit together in my version as neatly as their 1970s counterparts did.

1970 Team Photo Calendar

MEARS Auctions in Milwaukee sold this 1971 calendar a few years ago.

Lot #188: 1971 Green Bay Packers team photo calendar

At first glance this piece looks like a very impressive calendar issued by Production Steel of Illinois, featuring the 1970 Green Bay Packers squad. But, this may hold closer to a Packers fan's heart due to the fact that Hall of Famer Tony Canadeo, and former Packers head coach Gene Ronzani were sales reps for the company. Measuring at 18" by 27 1/2", this NM promo is in virtually unimprovable condition and preserved between foam board and shrink wrap.

This calendar is interesting to me for the look at the 1970 squad, a team often overlooked.

This was a time of great turmoil and transition for the Packers, one year after the departure of Vince Lombardi for Washington. They still had Lombardi-era greats such as Ray Nitschke and Bart Starr in uniform (second row, fourth and fifth from the left, respectively). That's Forrest Gregg, in the front row right. Lombardi himself had passed away during his second training camp in Washington.

1970 was Phil Bengtson's third year as head coach, and his last; by the time this calendar was printed he had been fired and replaced with former Notre Dame coach Dan Devine.

The uniforms were the same, and the coaches dressed much the way they were when Lombardi was at the helm—the "GB" caps make another appearance here—but these weren't the Packers of old.

Photo Gallery - Dr. Eugene Brusky

Green Bay Press-Gazette Assistant online editor Jeff Ash brings us a marvelous photo gallery of team physician Dr. Eugene Brusky, who passed away last week.

Brusky was hired by Vince Lombardi in 1962 and served the club until 1990. He had been inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame three years earlier.

Brusky was apparently known as "Dr. B"; at least, that was chainstiched on the watch cap he wore on the sidelines.

Dr. Eugene Brusky, the Green Bay Packers' team physician, in an undated photo. Vernon and Jim Biever photo

Brusky was on the sidelines for one of the Packers' dynasties, the greatest single decade any team has had in the NFL.

Dr. Eugene Brusky, the Green Bay Packers' team physician, works with quarterback Bart Starr in this undated photo. Green Bay Packers photo

Note the 1966 World Championship ring on the doctor's finger. He also saw the team through some less-than-glamorous times:

Dr. Eugene Brusky, the Green Bay Packers' team physician, examines quarterback Lynn Dickey during a game in the mid-1980s. Vernon and Jim Biever photo

Lynn Dickey's uniform helps us narrow down the date for that particular photo, at least to a three-year period; numbers on the pants were introduced as part of head coach Forrest Gregg's general re-design for 1984 and eliminated after the 1987 season. Dickey himself retired after 1985, which leaves us with a two-year window.

Brusky appears to be wearing the same outfit in this photo with quarterback Randy Wright, who wore the green and gold from 1984-88. If the two photos are from the same season, that would make it 1984.

Dr. Eugene Brusky, the Green Bay Packers' team physician, left, helps quarterback Randy Wright from the field in this photo from the 1980s. Packers trainer Dominic Gentile is at right. Green Bay Packers photo

In warmer weather, it would seem that Dr. Brusky spent much of his time on the sidelines in a gold sport shirt, either on its own:

Dr. Eugene Brusky, the Green Bay Packers' team physician, left, talks to linebacker Mike Hunt in this undated photo. Vernon and Jim Biever photo

or under a green jacket:

Dr. Eugene Brusky, left, the Green Bay Packers' team physician, talks with injured linebacker John Anderson during a game at Milwaukee County Stadium in an undated photo. Vernon and Jim Biever photo

In this photo, the gold shirt is paired with a mesh-back gold cap.

Dr. Eugene Brusky, center, the Green Bay Packers team physician, looks at medical supplies on the sideline before a game at Milwaukee County Stadium in this undated photo. Packers trainer Dominic Gentile is at left. Vernon and Jim Biever photo

I love the helmet graphic on those caps, with its single-bar gray facemask. The Packers switched to green facemasks in 1980, but continued to use a gray-masked logo as late as 1993.

When Dr. B retired after the 1990 season, the Packers presented him with a bronze medical bag.

Dr. Eugene Brusky is honored for his 29 years of service as the Green Bay Packers' team physician before the game between the Packers and the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on Dec. 15, 1991. Press-Gazette Media archives

There's the "Dr. B" cap again.

The full gallery is here. Once again, the Press-Gazette illuminates a chapter in the Packers' history that could easily have gone ignored.

Dave Robinson, Class of 2013

One of the more exciting events to come out of Super Bowl week was the announcement that Packer linebacker Dave Robinson has been elected to the Hall of Fame in Canton, the 22nd Packer so honored.

Which is a great excuse to post some pictures of Lombardi's classic 1960s uniform, if we really needed one.

Robinson played ten seasons for the Packers (1963-72) before finishing up his career with two seasons in Washington. As a Packer, he was a three-time Pro Bowler, named first-team All-Pro two times and selected as part of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s.

Robinson's career in green and gold spanned into the 1970s, meaning he was among the first players to wear his name on the jersey. Names were added in 1970 as part of the merger agreement with the AFL.

Last year, Robinson published a book with Herb Adderly entitled Lombardi's Left Side. With Willie Davis, they anchored the left side of the defensive line during the glory days of the 1960s. Most quarterbacks of the era were right-handed, meaning that offenses were weighted towards the right for passing and running, and a defense's left side was with stopping them. Davis, Adderly and Robinson were perhaps the strongest defensive left side in NFL history, and with Robinson's selection, they are all enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

In 2010, Robinson was immortalized in a different way, as one of three Packer players represented in the Broadway play Lombardi, played by Robert Christopher Riley (far left):

Here he the man himself, attending the Broadway opening:

Congratulations, Mr. Robinson. An honor well-deserved.

Evolution of the NFL Football Helmet

The NFL has posted a very interesting graphic, charting the evolution of the football helmet from Curly Lambeau to Wes Welker. Great to see three references to the Packers. You can't tell the history of the NFL without Green Bay.

I am a little disturbed to see the note about the Revolution helmet in the '00s. I know it makes us all feel better to talk about reducing concussions , but 1) we can't innovating our way out of the NFL's current health crisis, and 2) it's not about concussions. But perhaps that's a longer discussion for another time.