Ha Ha!

News out of Radio City Music Hall: with the twenty-first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, safety out of Alabama.

Clinton-Dix made a minor splash a couple weeks ago when he posted a photo of himself wearing a Packers t-shirt. Looks as though Ted Thompson liked the look on him.

The newest Packer is shown here holding a jersey bearing a proud number one. This is traditionally held up by the team's first draft pick every season. Even if NFL rules allowed a safety to wear it in a game, it would be unlikely; the number has only been worn by one Packer player: the immortal Curly Lambeau himself. Readers with sharp memories might remember that it has been issued in training camp, though.

Clinton-Dix will instead wear #21, and that jersey is already available from the Packers Pro Shop.

Note also the price point - looks like the Pro Shop has finally raised its prices to match Nike's new minimum price points.

An Ugly Game on a Beautiful Evening

Well, at least the snow looked good.

Green Bay Packers' Matt Flynn during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

It should have been such a great looking game; two traditionally-minded teams (shame about those Steeler numbers) playing in the snow and mud.

Green Bay Packers' Eddie Lacy (27) falls into the end zone for a touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Didn't end up well, though. Steelers 38, Packers 31.

I love a snow game, and have been hoping against hope that the Packers can earn the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl next February in New York. Today, that seems farther away than ever. The Packers take a loss they can ill afford, and Clay Matthews injured his right thumb while sacking Ben Roethlisberger.

Green Bay Packers' Clay Matthews walks off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Look what the super-sretchy fabric continues to do to his jersey numbers. Ugh. I do like the pom-pom sideline tuque, though.

A New Number 5

Several people have emailed me to report that there's a new player wearing Paul Hornung's #5.

This is Omarius Hines, an undrafted free agent WR out of Florida. He previously signed with the Baltimore Ravens on April 27, and was waived on July 22. The Packers picked him up on July 29.

Again, wide receivers are not eligible to wear single-digits (unless there has been an unannounced change in the rules), so even if Hines makes the roster I'd expect him in a different number by the beginning of the season.

There Can Be Only 1

Uh, oh.

Reader Tory Swanson emails me to point out that since backup quarterback Matt Brown has been waived, wide receiver Alex Gillett is now wearing Curly Lambeau's #1.

Gillett was originally issued #7, one of two players at the time to share it.

It's my understanding that WRs can't wear single digits, only 80-89, 40-49 (if all the eighties are taken) and 10-19. So this is likely only a training camp thing.

I hope.

"Number One in Your Programs," Part II

Something happened recently that the Green Bay Packers haven't seen in nearly 90 years.

A player has been issued jersey number 1.

As we discussed last year, Curly Lambeau is the only Packer to wear the digit in a football game. Vince Lombardi had the number emblazoned on his sideline gear. And to that select group, we add... Matt Brown?

Brown is a quarterback out of Illinois State, signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent. If he makes it through training camp and into a preseason game, he'll be the first number one since Lambeau in 1926.

Your Newest Packers, available now.

The 2013 NFL Draft has just wrapped up at Rockefeller Center, but you can already buy jerseys of your newest heroes.

They don't waste any time, do they?

Auction Gold - Early 1960s Paul Hornung Jersey

This early 1960s Paul Hornung jersey was recently sold by Grey Flannel Auctions. It provides an excellent look at Packers jerseys of the period, who made them and how they were worn.

Early 1960s Paul Hornung Green Bay Packers Game-Used & Autographed Home Jersey (JSA)(Photomatch)(20+ Team Repairs)(Pristine Provenance)

Paul Hornung is one of three players to have won the Heisman Trophy, been selected as first overall National Football League draft picks, and been inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the 1960's All-Decade team and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. On the left front tail of this green durene shirt is the "RED FOX" manufacturer's tag with jersey size "46". Above is a wash instructions label. Inside the rear collar is a flag tag with size "46". Player number "5" appears on the front, back and on both sleeves in white tackle twill. Hornung has signed the front in silver marker adding the inscription "5" rating a 7. The jersey is properly tagged, was presented to us as game-used and in our opinion, shows outstanding use with numerous large team repairs. Accompanied by a letter of provenance which states, in part, "In the 1960's, my father worked the sidelines as a member of the chain crew in the Orange Bowl. One day he brought me home Paul Hornung's actual game worn jersey which had been given to him by Packers equipment manager Gerald "Dad" Braisher...the jersey has been in my possession ever since". Further accompanied by a LOA from JSA as well as a photo of Hornung signing the shirt.

Outstanding.

"Red Fox Manufacturing Co." is a new one for me. Don't think I've heard of them before, but it gives us another piece in our timeline of uniform suppliers.

Here's a close-up of one of the shoulder numbers. The "5" is distinctive, with its angles along the top of the loop. I call this a "slashed-5", and it will be important when we're trying to narrow down the date of the jersey.

The repairs are remarkable. It was common in those days to keep repairing a jersey until it was ready to fall apart. In those days, before a fresh jersey at halftime, players would wear the same battered uniform again and again, even for years at a time.

Finally, Grey Flannel has a photo of Hornung wearing this jersey in a game, matching the team repairs and game markings to establish provenance.

Maybe we can narrow down the timeframe a little by looking at pictures of our own.

This team photo from 1960 indicates that the Packers were still using a sans-serif block style in that season (there's the Golden Boy in the back row, far right or next to the far right in all these photos).

1960

1961 seems to have seen the introduction of the serifed, slashed-5 numbers. Again, not everyone is wearing them, as some players carried jerseys over from season to season (look at Max McGee to Hornung's left). Still, there are enough examples here that we can say with some certainty that this was the new number style for '61.

1961

We can't see Hornung in these 1962 photos, but again his teammates are wearing the slashed-5s.

1962

Hornung found himself embroiled in a gambling scandal, and on April 17, 1963, he was suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Pete Rozelle for betting on NFL games. The suspension turned out to be little less "indefinite", and the Gloden Boy missed only one season before being reinstated in 1964. By that time, the Packers had changed uniform manufacturers, resulting in a small number change to the "hooked 5s" they wear today.

1964

That makes 1961 through 1963 the likely range of years this jersey was worn. Given the propensity for hanging on to old laundry, I think it'll be tough to narrow down any farther without more information.

But when did the consignor acquire it? Maybe the Orange Bowl connection can help tell us. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, sometimes known as the "Playoff Bowl" or "Runner-Up Bowl", was played in Miami between the runners-up in each conference. The Packers played twice during this period, after the 1963 and 1964 seasons.

I'm not aware of the Packers playing any other games in Miami during this period, so it seems likely that the jersey would have been given to the consignor after one of those games.

It seems strange that even a frugal team like the Packers would keep an old jersey around for a player who was suspended indefinitely. Possibly "Dad" Braisher gave it to a member of the chain crew following the game on January 5, 1964.

This beauty sold for $44,428 including buyer's premiums. It will undoubtedly be an important part of somebody's collection.

1983 Photo Gallery - Packers v. Cardinals

The Press-Gazette continues to open its amazing photo archives. In honor of the upcoming playoff game against Minnesota, they have brought us this gallery from the Lambeau Field playoff game against the St. Louis Cardinals on January 8, 1983.

Green Bay Packers receiver James Lofton (80) prepares to high-five receiver John Jefferson (80) after scoring on a 20-yard pass during the second quarter against the St. Louis Cardinals in an NFC first-round playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. The Packers won 41-16. Press-Gazette archives

I'm most struck by the customized sleeve stripes everyone seems to be wearing. They've cut the sleeves down so far that Lombardi's original double-Braisher stripe pattern has been reduced to the single version the Packers adopted in 1997.

St. Louis Cardinals running back Ottis Anderson (32) is tackled by Green Bay Packers safety Maurice Harvey (23) during an NFC first-round playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. From left are Packers defensive end Mike Butler (77), linebacker George Cumby (52), defensive end Ezra Johnson (90) and linebacker John Anderson (59). Cardinals guard Terry Stieve (68) is on the ground at right. The Packers won 41-16. Press-Gazette archives

This was during the era of silkscreen numbers, as you can see in this photo. Slightly different number font as well, straight and not the hooked 5 they wear today. Sewn-on numbers wouldn't be brought back to the Packers' greens until 1995.

Green Bay Packers linebacker George Cumby (52) looks out onto the field during an NFC first-round playoff game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. The Packers won 41-16. Press-Gazette archives

And, of course, we need at least one shot of head coach Bart Starr.

Green Bay Packers coach Bart Starr, right, talks with St. Louis Cardinals coach Jim Hanifan after the Packers' 41-16 victory in an NFC first-round playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. Press-Gazette archives

I love that jacket patch, with its single-bar gray facemask. The Packers had moved to green masks two years earlier, but there's something fitting about the old field general wearing an old-school image on the sideline.

Check out the rest of the gallery here.

Lions at Packers, 1960

Now that the Packers have beaten the Lions, preserving Detroit's losing streak in Wisconsin (22 straight games over 21 years!), we can enjoy this Press-Gazette photo gallery from 1960.

Here we see Jim Taylor (#31) running the ball. Taylor's 151 yards (only 16 shy of the then-team record) were the difference in this game.

I love the heavy sans-serif numbers on Vince Lombardi's earliest uniforms.

I'd love to see the Packers bring them back. With jerseys shrinking by the day, removing the extra serifs might preserve as much green space as possible.

Speaking of the numbers, take a look at this shot:

Did you notice the two different number fonts? Take a look at it again:

Check out the sevens on Henry Jordan (#74) and Bill Forester (#71). Jordan is wearing the serifed style, which the Packers first used in 1959, returned to around 1962 and still use today.


Other Packers also wore the serifed numbers, including Dave Hanner (#79). It seems strange to use today that you'd have a mix of old and new jerseys on the field at the same time, but all indications are that was fairly common in the early 1960s.

Below, we see quarterback Lamar McHan handing off to Taylor. McHan had been the Packers' starting quarterback at the beginning of 1959 before being pulled in favor of his backup, Bart Starr. As 1960 began, Starr and McHan alternated duties behind center.

In this game, it was all McHan.

Not to say that Starr didn't see any action on this October day. He held for Paul Hornung on the points after touchdown:

Always a team player, that Bart.

The Packers finished the season 8-4, top of the Western Conference, before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the championship game. In the locker room afterwards, Lombardi told the players "This will never happen again. You will never lose another championship."

And he was right. The Packers would return to the championship game the following season, with Bart Starr in all 14 games and with a new "G" logo on the side of their helmets. They also won the game against the Giants, 37-0, and Lombardi's dynasty was born.

"Number One in Your Programs, Number One in Your Hearts"

Football players, perhaps more than any other athletes, become identified with the numbers they wear. they don't have the same kind of effortless identification that baseball or basketball players have; professionals in other sports can go about the game with their faces in full view, but a football player's face is shrouded by his helmet.

His jersey number, therefore, takes on an enlarged importance. It's splashed across his chest, his back, his shoulders, so every fan watching can use it to pick him out on the field, out of the crowd of identically-dressed men wearing the same helmets.

Any Packer fan worth her salt knows the numbers. 14. 3. 15. 66. 92. Numbers than have become so identified with one man that the team has decided nobody will ever wear it again (even if there are a few glitches from time to time).

Then there is a second tier of retired numbers; numbers which aren't officially retired but are withheld anyway. Paul Hornung's number 5 has been kept off the field (except for 1987, when it was given to a player who later decided he didn't like the comparison). #4 is currently on the shelf, waiting for enough time to pass to heal the wounds between the Packers and Brett Favre.

Then there's good old number 1.

"King of the hill, top of the heap, A-number-one," if you listen to Old Blue Eyes.

One is, as the old song has it, the loneliest number. Everybody wants to collectively cheer "We're #1!", but few Packers have ever been personally associated with the number.

Packers fans rarely ever see the number 1 on a jersey, save annually in April at Rockefeller Center, where it is held aloft by a smiling freshly-minted young millionaire overflowing with confidence and promise.

The Packers have also occasionally used #1 for other special events:

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

But how about on the field?

According to John Maxymuk's excellent book Packers by the Numbers: Jersey Numbers and the Players Who Wore Them, the number one has only been worn by a single player, and then only for two seasons: 1925 & 1926.

That player was none other than Curly Lambeau.

Here's the beginning of Maxymuk's entry on the number. As he notes, Lambeau went on to wear #14 in 1927, #42 in 1928 and #20 in 1929 and 1930:

Technically, Maxymuk is right. No other player has worn the number 1 jersey. But we shouldn't be interpreted to mean that the digit hasn't been associated with anyone else in the organization. I can think of at least one other notable man who proudly wore the digit:

There it is, on the cap of Vince Lombardi. Where other men had their jersey numbers, Lombardi's gear was emblazoned with a proud number one. Truly "number one in their hearts".

It seems to me that the Packers have an unusual opportunity here. There is a uniform number that hasn't been worn in ninety years. It has only ever been identified with two men, both towering figures not only in Green Bay Packer history but the very history of the sport.

I propose that the team continues to keep the number out of circulation until August 2019, a mere seven ½ years away—it's lasted this long, why not?—and then retire it. If Lombardi and Lambeau both wore #1, I'm pretty sure no other Packer ever should.

"Number 53 in Your Program, Number One in Your Hearts"

The Packers have made it official - first round draft pick Nick Perry will wear number fifty-three.

Like most players taken in the first round, he was originally photographed with a #1 jersey:

James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

Stanford's Andrew Luck is the exception; the Colts had come to an agreement with him before the draft and therefore he could stand on the Radio City stage holding up the #12 that will define his career in Indianapolis.

"With the 28th Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft..."

Jason DeCrow / AP

The first round of the 2012 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Packers have selected USC's Nick Perry to bolster the defense.

The Draft has become an entertaining piece of theatre, with a prime-time presentation at Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan. I attended with my brother a couple years ago, and found it to be a combination of chaos (mostly from the facepainted fans whooping and/or booing) and formalized ritual.

The ritual begins with the Commissioner under the lights, announcing each pick in turn. The player ambles onstage and poses for a standard draft photo in his draft cap and holding a jersey with his name on it.

James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell introduces defensive end Nick Perry (Southern Cal) as the 28th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall.

In previous years, many teams used to take standard draft jerseys to Radio City. They would Velcro new nameplates on for every pick, or pose draftees with the front of jerseys, resulting in photos like this one of Rams' first-round acquisition Chris Long in 2008:

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Looking at the interior tagging (with its YEAR-SIZE designation), we see that the jersey he's holding was five years old at the time.

This year, Nike set up a heat press backstage to customize each draftee's jersey moments before he walked out on stage to hug the Commissioner.

Darren Rovell

The turnaround time was reportedly 90 seconds, so they were covered even in the case of last-minute trades. Good thing, considering how quickly the first round sped by and the amount of movement we saw between teams.