1940 Packers Film in Color!

Absolutely have to share this - Ryan Dowgin posted this amazing video to YouTube, showing the 1940 Packers in full color!



Based on the unusual and short-lived helmets the other team is wearing, this footage has been identified as being from the September 29, 1940 game against the Chicago Cardinals at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.

What a rare treat.

Super Bowl I Like You've Never Seen It Before

A CBS cameraman shoots Super Bowl I on Jan. 15, 1967 at Los Angeles California's Memorial Coliseum. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-21. - Image credit: National Football League

Fantastic news from the NFL Network, as they have assembled a complete cut of the very first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl I: The Lost Game will premiere this Friday on their network, and will give us the most complete look ever at this historic game.

NFL Network to re-air Super Bowl I for first time

Forty-nine years to the day after the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs squared off in Super Bowl I, NFL Network will be the first network to ever replay this historic game on television.

Super Bowl I was broadcast by both NBC -- the official broadcaster of the AFL- and CBS -- the official broadcaster of the NFL and remains the only Super Bowl to have been broadcast live in the United States by two television networks. Considered to be the Holy Grail of sports broadcasts, the CBS and NBC tapes of the game were either lost or recorded over and no full video version of the game has existed ... until now.

In an exhaustive process that took months to complete, NFL Films searched its enormous archives of footage and were able to locate all 145 plays from Super Bowl I from more than a couple dozen disparate sources. Once all the plays were located, NFL Films was able to put the plays in order and stich them together while fully restoring, re-mastering, and color correcting the footage. Finally, audio from the NBC Sports radio broadcast featuring announcers Jim Simpson and George Ratterman was layered on top of the footage to complete the broadcast.

The final result represents the only known video footage of the entire action from Super Bowl 1 and NFL Network will show it to the world for the first time on the 49th anniversary of the game between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, January 15.

Super Bowl I: The Lost Game will air on Friday, January 15 at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network. The three-hour program is enhanced with pregame, halftime and postgame segments, modern broadcast graphics and coverage, social media interaction, facts and information, with studio contributors and guests live reaction and storytelling throughout.

Host Chris Rose and Steve Mariucci anchor the broadcast and are joined by a plethora of NFL Media talent, such as Terrell Davis, Daniel Jeremiah, Steve Wyche, and Elliot Harrison. Additionally, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end for the Packers Willie Davis and former Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman join in-studio, while former Packers greats Jerry Kramer and Dave Robinson join the show from remote.

In addition to the broadcast of the game, Super Bowl I: The Lost Game includes the following features:

• Wired sound from Packers head coach Vince Lombardi
• Footage of a postgame interview with Chiefs head coach Hank Stram and NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle being interviewed by Pat Summerall
• In-depth discussion on how the Super Bowl I broadcast was lost and then re-assembled using NFL Films footage
• A feature on the merger between the well-established National Football Leagueand the upstart American Football League, giving birth to the modern-day NFL and the uniquely American spectacle called the Super Bowl.
• An interview with Super Bowl I CBS producer Bill Creasy on why the second half kickoff was kicked twice

All 145 plays of game footage from Super Bowl I: The Lost Game were compiled from NFL Films video shot at the game. The NFL Films crew for Super Bowl I were John Butterworth, Joe Fain, Morris Kellman, Stan Kirby, Stanley Leshner, Dave Marx, Skip & Ken Nelson, Walt & Jim Porep, and Art Spieller. There were only two ground cameras and just one sound camera, the rest of the staff were top cameras or assistants. By comparison, there will be approximately 35 NFL Films cameras at Super Bowl 50 and an additional support crew of well over 50 other NFL Films personnel.

Outstanding. What a rare treat for those of us who missed the game the first time it came around.

I don't have the NFL Network, but I'm confident they'll soon make it available to the rest of us on iTunes and the like. Until then, settle in, grab a beer and watch your Packers make history.

Video - 1936 Championship Game Highlights

Tomorrow, the Packers will be in suburban Washington for the first round of the NFL playoffs. Although the two teams have collectively played 180 seasons in the NFL, and account for a combined eighteen world championships, this is only the third time the teams have met in the postseason.

The first time was in 1936, when the other team was still in Boston and our Packers were in their second year of experimenting with green and gold uniforms.

The game was the 1936 Championship game, the fourth in league history (until 1933, titles were awarded by records) It was played at the Polo Grounds in New York City, the first title game to be contested on a neutral field.

The Bostonians were the host team, but had struggled for support in their home city. Team owner George Preston Marshall chose not to play in their regular Fenway Park, but New York.

The Packers dominated the game 21-6 to claim their fourth World Championship, the first to come via championship game.



Just a few days after the loss, Marshall announced that he was moving his club to Washington, DC, where they reside today. Let's hope the Packers can bring a little of their 1936 magic to Landover today.

48 Seconds of the 1936 Championship Game

Some amazing silent footage on YouTube:

December 13, 1936: Teams run onto Polo Grounds Field. Toss of coin. Packers throw back Boston team on kickoff play. Packer's Arnie Herber passes to Don Hutson for TD. Boston's star Cliff Battles leaves game with serious leg injury. Herber passes 52 yards to Johnny Blood McNally to eight yard line. Herber passes to Milt Gantenbein for TD and 14-6 lead.

Amazing catch by Hutson there.

The Packers scored first, and Boston came back to almost tie in, but in the second half the Bays pulled away and cruised to their fourth World Championship.

	1	2	3	4	Total
Green Bay Packers	7	0	7	7	21
Boston Redskins	0	6	0	0	6

Now *That's* a Trophy

Press-Gazette Media

Yesterday, the Packers unveiled a new monument at Lambeau Field; a 50-foot replica of the Lombardi Trophy in the lobby just inside the new American Family Insurance Gate.

H.M. Larson/Press-Gazette Media

Whoa. This thing is absolutely massive. Designed and built by a company in Florida, it was shipped in ten pieces to Miron Construction in Neenah, where it chromed by a team of 16 craftsmen over ten weeks. The pieces were then brought to Lambeau Field, where Miron assembled it in place.

H.M. Larson/Press-Gazette Media

It completely dominates the lobby, and will be visible from the new Packers Hall of Fame and the new atrium restaurant replacing Curly's Pub.

The new gate was added to ease traffic flow, but I wonder what this massive installation will do to hamper the movement of thousands of fans trying to enter the stadium at once. How many will want to stop and take photos, and will that create long lines?

H.M. Larson/Press-Gazette Media

Stunning. But where are the five-foot tall fingerprints?

H.M. Larson/Press-Gazette Media

The Packers also released this infographic:

Packers.com

Green Bay's very own Colossus of Rhodes.

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UPDATE 11/20/2015:  The Press Gazette has this video with fan reactions to the new sculpture:

Press-Gazette Media

Awesome. In the true sense of the word.

"A Letter to Reckon With"

Jeff Ash of the Green Bay Press-Gazette sent me a note about this new video from St. Nobert College. It's about John Gordon, who as an art student at the college in 1961 designed the Packers' iconic "G" logo.

We've talked about this story before, but it's great to hear it from his own mouth.

I'm going to send Mr. Gordon an interview request; I have some new questions for him after seeing this video.

"The Monday Night Miracle", or "He did WHAT?!"

NFL.com is currently holding a vote for "Greatest Play of All Time", and one up for discussion comes from Green Bay Packers history.

That play is the "Monday Night Miracle". November 6, 2000, the Packers hosting the Vikings on a cold and rainy evening. The game was 20-20 at the end of regulation and went into overtime. On their first possession in overtime, Brett Favre's pass to Antonio Freeman was deflected off Minnesota defender Chris Dishman and then again off Freeman's shoulder before he snagged it with a fingertip catch. Freeman had the presence of mind to realize that the ball was live, and he hopped up and sprinted into the endzone to seal the victory before most of the Vikings realized what happened.



Ah, that magical year of 2000. The teams were identified as "VIKES" and "PACK" in ABC's scorebug, and Dennis Miller was a color commentator on Monday Night Football.

The call by Al Michaels still resonates with Packer fans: "He did WHAT?!"

Packers.com worked up this infographic commemorating the moment:

1950s Packer Home Movie

This amazing home movie on YouTube gives us a (very blurry) look at a 1950s Packer team in action.

The video quality is poor, but it's well worth watching for a glimpse of head-to-toe gold uniforms.

This is about the best screengrab I could get, of three unidentified Packers on the sideline:

Amazing.

The opponent could be the Detroit Lions - looks like silver helmets/pants with blue jerseys. I have a photograph of a game against Detroit on October 26, 1952.

Very hard to tell, but that could be the same game.

The gold jerseys were introduced in 1950 by incoming head coach Gene Ronzani. I don't know how common the all-gold combination was, but they gold jerseys were scrapped in 1954 when Lisle Blackbourn took over the team.

Video - Making the Super Bowl Rings

Jostens has posted this video, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the rings.

Black and Blue in '41

One of the best things about the NFC Conference Championship game against the Bears (excepting the final score, of course) is the rare look backward it inspired in the press.

The NFL has a particular myopia when it comes to the pre-Super Bowl era. It's rare to see much coverage of those games, but the fact that the Packers and Bears haven't met in the postseason since November 14, 1941 is a compelling enough story to overcome that.

On that day, a mere week after Pearl Harbor, Curly Lambeau and his Packers journeyed south to Wrigley Field for the Western Division playoff.

The Packers would take a long train ride back to Green Bay after the game, falling to the Bears 33-14. The Chicago Bears' site provides us a six-minute highlight film of the loss on their site.

The New York Times offers a retrospective of the era through the eyes of the last two surviving players from that game, John Siegal of the Bears and Ed Frutig of the Packers.

Frutig can be seen far left in second row of this team photo, one of the only pieces of memorabilia he still has:

The Green Bay Press-Gazette offers us a great photo gallery of that 1941 postseason game.

The ball bounces free after the Packers' Baby Ray fumbles on a kickoff return during the first quarter of a 33-14 loss to the Bears in the Western Division playoff game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. Bears lineman Ray Bray (82) is on the ground in front of Packers lineman George Svendsen, whose legs are showing, but the Beras' Dan Fortmann (21) and John Siegel (6) are among those eyeing the ball. The Bears' Ray McLean -- who in 1958 was the Packers' coach -- recovered the ball.

Chicago fullback Norm Standlee (22) heads upfield during the first quarter of the Bears' 33-14 victory over the Packers in the Western Division playoff game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. Packers defenders Cecil Isbell (17) and Don Hutson (14) are among those closing in on Standlee.

Chicago defensive end George Wilson clotheslines Packers quarterback Cecil Isbell after he makes a throw during a 33-14 loss to the Bears in the Western Division playoff game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941.

Fullback Norm Standlee scores the Bears' second touchdown of the second quarter on a 2-yard run in a 33-14 victory over the Packers in the Western Division playoff game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. The Packers' Herman Rohrig (8) stands between the officials and Charley Brock (29) is at right.

Packers end Hal Van Every hands the ball to an official after scoring on a 10-yard pass from Cecil Isbell in the third quarter of a 33-14 loss to the Bears in the Western Division playoff game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. Packers end Carl Mullineaux (19) is at left, next to the Bears' George McAfee (5). Bears defensive end Hampton Pool (76) is at right.

The Green Bay Packers defense takes down a Chicago Bears ball carrier during the Western Division championship game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. Among the Packers in the photo are Charles Schultz (60), Clarke Hinkle (30) and Cecil Isbell (17).

Action from the Western Division championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. The next photo shows the play in close-up detail.

The ball comes loose during the Western Division championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 14, 1941. Clockwise from lower left are Bears guard Dan Fortmann (21), Packers guard Bill Kuusisto (45), Bears end John Siegal (6), Packers tackle Bill Lee (40) and Packers end Larry Craig (54).

The Chicago Tribune offers up a sharper look at the first photo:

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame guard Danny Fortmann (21) and Bears end John Siegel (6, far right) reacts to the ball in the air after a tackle by Bears guard Ray Bray (82) in the Western Division Playoff game against the Green Pay Packers played at Wrigley Field on Dec. 14, 1941. Other players are unidentified.

Not wanting to miss the party, the Chicago Sun-Times gives us a few of the same photos and two more:

This image from the December 14, 1941 NFC Championship game featuring the Green bay Packers against the Chicago Bears, Bears Norm Standlee runs the ball during the game at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame running back Clarke Hinkle runs around Chicago Bears end Hampton Pool on a 12-yard run in a 33-14 loss on 12/14/1941.

While that is indeed Clarke Hinkle, it's not from the game in question (unless Hamp Pool was the only Bear wearing white). I don't know exactly when the photo was taken, but from the two gold sock stripes I'm guessing late 1930s, as the Packers had abandoned them in favor of solid blue socks by 1941. It would have to be 1940, Pool's first year in the league, if that is indeed him.

Still, that's an awful lot of black and white to find in the press.

It's a rare and wonderful treat for sportswriters to remember the game's pre-Super Bowl past. Even more to do so in the context of a Packer win, avenging the playoff loss from seven decades ago.

1944 Championship Highlights

On December 17, 1944 at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, the Packers squared off against the New York Football Giants in the 1944 title game. The Packers took the contest 14-7, to claim a sixth World Championship for Coach Lambeau.



Interesting to see the color-on-color matchup, with the Packers' navy and gold jerseys against the Giants' royal blue.

Video - Hutson to Herber

Another short video featuring Don Hutson, this one from the NFL itself - Top Ten Pass Combos: Arnie Herber and Don Hutson.

Some of the footage is shared with the Don Hutson TD-leading seasons video, but there's plenty of new stuff here as well.

"Hutson and Herber were the absolute perfect combination for a quarterback and a receiver. You had a guy who could throw the ball 65 yards in the air, and you had a reciever who could get downfield and outrun everybody. I mean, the first time Herber completed a pass to Hutson was in a game against the Bears for 83 yards for a touchdown."

- Dan Daly, The Washington Times

That's evident in this set of screencaps showing Herber dropping back and tossing a bomb to Hutson, who separates himself from the defenders and runs it home:

No color this time, unfortunately. But we are treated to a few seconds of the 1937 short film Pigskin Champions, which featured the World Champion Packers in an intrasquad exhibition of football skills.

That's Herber leading the offense in borrowed white jerseys. The defense is wearing the 1935-1936 uniform, kelly green shirts with gold sleeves and pants, topped off with the striped helmets.

As Curly leads the men in calisthenics, we get a pretty good look at the uniforms:

This might have been the last appearance of this uniform set - by the time the film was distributed in October of 1937, Lambeau had brought back the navy-and-gold color combination and introduced his classic gold-yoked uniform.

Pigskin Champions is extremely hard to find. I know that it was played on Green Bay television as part of special programming around Super Bowl XXXI. Taped copies of that presentation circulate every now and then - if anybody has a copy, please drop me a line.

Further Review - the Throwback Alts

Okay, we've had all weekend to digest the new 1929-style throwbacks.



Here's my take, a few days on. The first thing we need to do is recognize the constraints of creating a 1920s football uniform in the 2010 National Football League. There are two kinds of retro uniforms - throwback, and fauxback.

A throwback uniform tries to give the impression of actually being "back in the day." It replicates the styling and construction of the original, sometimes even using the original materials. This is more common in baseball, as in this 2007 Washington Nationals game (note the baggy 1940s uniform fit):

A fauxback uniform is essentially "what the team would wear now if they never changed their uniform style". It allows for innovation in manufacture, cut and construction, everything except the uniform's style.

This is what we see in the NFL, where the uniforms are old style but perfectly modern right down to the League's shield at the neck. It's not disparaging—all modern NFL throwbacks are actually fauxbacks, and have been for years. We're not likely to see Reebok forgo its logo off just because Johnny Blood didn't wear one.

So we're not going to pretend that Rodgers & Company will take the field in leather and wool. This is the Packers' interpretation would be if the 1929 look had taken hold like the Yankees' pinstripes, or like Lombardi's late 1960s uniforms.

Jerseys

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My initial reaction when we saw the jersey was that the number circle is huge.

In context, on the players, it looks more reasonable. It's still larger than I would have liked, but not as overwhelming.

If this is the best the Packers could do within the constraints of the NFL's uniform regulations, then I'm all for it.

I can't have been the first to note a resemblance to Marquette's racing-stripe basketball uniforms from the late 1960s and early 1970s (right). A friend mentioned that it reminded him of an old Porsche or Vette. A classic Le Mans sort of vibe.

The circle's really grown on me, especially since it's the only gold visible on the front of the uniform. It's sporty, distinctive. And gives Rodgers a nice target to hit.

On the back, we have the standard names and numbers.

Obviously, names weren't there on the originals. I'm not sure about the numbers. We know that the Packers were using thin numbers, possibly gold, on the backs of their jerseys in 1932. It's certainly possible that the '29 Packers had gold block numbers on the back.

Pants and socks

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The pants are simple tan, a visual echo of the canvas pants worn by the original club. Socks are navy, apparently worn without any whites at all. Not much to say about either of these, except that I approve wholeheartedly. A clean, classic look.

Helmets

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Here's where the limitations of a fauxback design start to show themselves. Helmets of today bear no resemblance to the leather helmets of yore.

In 1929, helmets were strictly optional—the NFL didn't mandate helmet use for all players until 1943—and there was no standard team design. The construction of the leather panels provided its own design, completely lost on the modern helmets.

The old helmets didn't need a logo or stripes to have visual appeal - the construction gives it texture. Blank modern shells just don't look right - too much unbroken material. For the record, this was a problem I had with the 1994 throwbacks as well:

The originals look great, but the modern interpretations look unfinished and awkward.

While I appreciate what the Packers are trying to do with the brown helmet, I can't help but think that there's a better approach than blank brown shells with gray facemasks.

Perhaps if they added some subtle shading, a slightly darker shade of brown, it might hint at the old leather strips (excuse the rushed Photoshop job):


This would be similar to what the Michigan Wolverines (and less famously, the Delaware Blue Hens and Princeton Tigers) do with their helmets. Although these schools abandoned the winged leather helmets half a century ago, they retained the old layout. The pattern, once painted onto alternating strips of leather, gives a visual echo of old construction on the contemporary shells.

The Packers could do something similar by layering browns, giving the helmet more visual interest than a blank shell. I think it would be a huge improvement, and it would patch the only real problem I have with the throwback uniforms.

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So there you have it. Although not without minor problems, on the whole it's a great look. I'm glad that the Packers are reaching back into their long storied history, and taking a pretty big risk in doing so. They could have "thrown back" to the 2001 Thanksgiving Day whites, or to the 1994 classics, either of which would be easier to translate to the modern uniform template. Instead, they went out on a limb with a classic needing a great deal of interpretation. I give Mark Murphy a lot of credit for this move.

So in the end, I'm with Nick Collins:

Rumor mill - throwback uniform in 2010? (UPDATED)

Surprising news out of the Uni Watch blog this morning:

NFL News: A little birdie who’s in a position to know sent me some NFL tips the other day. I can’t confirm any of it, but I feel the info is solid enough to pass along, with the proviso that it’s all subject to change:

I got a memo mentioning new third jerseys for the Packers and Colts. The memo also mentioned “updated” third jerseys for the Cardinals, Eagles, Patriots, and one other team (I think it was the Bears, but I’m not positive).

Based on something I saw earlier, I’m almost certain the Packers will be wearing 1929 throwbacks. Those are dark blue jerseys with a dark blue numeral inside a gold circle over khaki pants and dark blue socks. Of course, per today’s uniform standards, the circle and numeral on the front would be much larger, and I believe the style guide showed a solid brown helmet with gray mask to simulate the leather ones some players wore in 1929. It’s gone from the server now, however — I guess I’m lucky I saw it.

So there you go — completely accurate, authoritative information. Unless it’s not.

Wow.

If true, this would be a very unusual move for the Packers. They've done plenty of throwbacks over the past fifteen years, but only to commemorate special events. With this, they would join a growing group of teams who wear throwback looks as their regular alternate uniforms. The Jets, Buccaneers, Vikings, Steelers, Bills, and Falcons all have adopted them in recent years, joining the Lions and Cowboys, who have worn them on and off since the NFL abandoned the "Thanksgiving Classics" throwback promotion.

And under the NFL's current guidelines, they wouldn't be able to introduce another alternate until 2016.

UPDATE: Fox 11 in Green Bay has picked up on the story:

Packers in blue jerseys?

Team wants to add official third jersey to lineup

Updated: Monday, 22 Feb 2010, 6:40 PM CST
Published : Monday, 22 Feb 2010, 4:37 PM CST

Reporter: Lou Hillman

GREEN BAY - They may be the "Green and Gold" but the Packers haven't always worn those two colors.

"We've had a lot of different uniforms and colors," said Mark Murphy, the Packers President and CEO.

On Monday, Murphy confirmed with FOX 11 that the team wants to have a historical throwback jersey for some games next season. It would be the Packers official third jersey.

"I think one of our biggest advantages as a team and an organization is the history that we have and I think this is really a chance to enhance that and celebrate it," said Murphy.

Some think they already know the Packers pick.

According to uniwatchblog.com , a Web site about jersey-related news, it will be the 1929 "blue" one. In fact, the Packers unofficial nickname used to be "the blues."

So is that the plan?

Murphy told FOX 11 the team is not ready to reveal its plans.

"No, not yet," Murphy laughed.

Fans we spoke with say a throwback jersey is a good idea for the team.

"We have probably the most history of all of them, we probably should have one. Like I said, I wouldn't want to see them wear it every game but I certainly wouldn't mind a game or two each year," said Don Harms, of Sobieski.

"I had no idea until we came in here that they weren't always green if not green and gold until I saw this and I thought 'oh, we were blue,' it just makes you more interested in the past," said Bonnie Jeranek, of La Crosse.

You may remember the Packers played in the 2001 Thanksgiving game in their 1939 jerseys. The team also played several games in 1994 in their 1937 jerseys.

Murphy said the team is now looking to have something that it can use for several years, but there are NFL rules.

"You can have a third jersey, whether it's a different color or a historical throwback, and you have a 5-year window. Those are some of the details we really need to work out," said Murphy.

So will the green and gold, be blue too next season? The Packers say an official announcement is still months away.

There's our confirmation. This thing is a go.

UPDATE 2: Jeff Ash, of the Green Bay Press-Gazette's fantastic "Out of Bounds" blog, has also joined the conversation. He adds this colorized photograph of Johnny "Blood" McNally wearing the original uniform in question:

He also gave this blog a shout-out, which is always appreciated.

(updates h/t: Johnny O, Tim O'Donnell)

Video - Don Hutson's TD leading seasons

Today we have some rare video of the Lambeau-era Packers in action, including a few fleeting seconds of great color footage: Top Ten Records That Will Never Be Broken, #5: Don Hutson Leads the League in Touchdowns Eight Times. Well worth checking out.

Some screen captures (click for larger):

Yet another color-on-color matchup against the Bears:

This three-image sequence shows Irv Comp passing up the middle to Hutson, who catches it, spins and runs for a few extra yards:

Interesting - those pants look a lot like the canvas-colored version the Packers wore as part of their 1994 throwback.

This is from 1935 or 36, Hutson running in for a touchdown (love the official's snow-white getup and flat cap):

So why won't Hutson's record be broken? He led the NFL in touchdowns eight times - his closest competitors are Lance Alworth, Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith, who each led the league in touchdowns three times.

Hutson was such a dominant player that you can't just compare him to other players of his era—his stats compare favorably to those of entire teams. In 1942 (in which he earned his second consecutive MVP), Hutson made more receptions than three entire teams: the Detroit Lions, the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. In that same season, he scored 17 touchdowns, as many as the Pittsburgh Steelers and more than the Eagles, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions. More, even, than the Cardinals and Lions combined.

There's hardly a word to describe his accomplishments. "Dominant" is diminished through overuse, but if it ever applied to a player it would be Hutson. From his bio at the Hall of Fame website:

Don Hutson’s first touchdown came on an 83-yard pass from Arnie Herber in just his second game as a Green Bay Packer. He wound up with 99 career touchdown receptions, a record that stood for more than four decades. When Hutson retired in 1945 after 11 superb seasons, he held 18 NFL records, including 488 career receptions. That was 200 more than his closest competitor.

Hutson invented modern pass receiving. He created Z-outs, buttonhooks, hook-and-gos, and a whole catalog of moves and fakes. Although he had been an All-America at Alabama in 1934, there were plenty who doubted the skinny speedster could stand the pace of pro football. But it wasn't long before his mere presence on the field had changed the defensive concept of the game.

Don could outmaneuver and outrace virtually every defender in the league. He led the NFL in receiving in eight of his 11 seasons and in scoring five straight years. Twice, in 1941 and 1942, he was named the league’s MVP.

Like everyone in the days before free substitution, Hutson was a 60-minute player who spent most of his career as a very fine safety on defense. In his final six seasons, he swiped 30 opposing quarterbacks’ passes. Often after scoring a touchdown, he would kick the extra point. In one quarter of a 1945 game, he caught four touchdown passes and kicked five PATs for an amazing 29 points.

Curly Lambeau had the vision to bring the passing game into pro football, but it was Don Hutson who made it work.

There will never be another like him.