Packers 60s Championship Era : Most Underrated

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Jim Grabowski, Donny Anderson, Elijah Pitts?

My fellow-Steeler-fans may gripe about Rocky & Franco not being available for the infamous '76 AFCCG, but imagine something like both of them leaving in the off-season and the Steelers still winning-it-all in '76? Well, something like that did happen 9 years prior - Green Bay winning-it-all without Jim Taylor & Paul Hornung!

Overall, in-general, none of us can really say that Bart Starr is...underrated! But on an "all-time-greatest-QBs" level, he just might be! Now he said while still alive that he thought Brett Favre was better than he was. Modesty? Maybe, maybe-not. I, however, personally have Bart just outside my 'Rushmore' of QBs - '#5', if you may. And if the wind blows just right, he could supplant someone. Who would that be?

Yes! Like we discussed with Bradshaw, Starr is somehow left out of the all-time great discussions despite his seemingly unmatched poise in championship games. One of the all-time great QBs from a leadership standpoint. That's what made Starr exceptional, IMO, leadership and poise. Those don't show up on a stat sheet -- other than perhaps the win column.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

The thing about both the 60s Packers and the 70s Steelers is there were so many guys who contributed so much. For the Packers, they had several unsung heroes like Henry Jordan, Boyd Dowler, Bob Skoronski, and Ron Kramer, Fuzzy Thurston. I love that someone mentioned Phil Bengston on this post.

If I had to pick just one guy, that would be super tough. But I think I'd go with Boyd Dowler because he was ROY in 59 and still was a starter in SB 2. Helped them make the -60 Championship with a long TD against the Rams and made big catches in the Ice Bowl. Yet, he's not really a guy people think of as a big cog in the machine. He was very important, however. "Big Play Boyd" might be a good nickname for him.

[Oszuscik]

Though it may be a cheat because he only played for Lombardi for two years, I'd have to say Gale Gillingham by a mile. Of any player not in the Hall of Fame from those 60's championship rosters, he's the most deserving to be enshrined. Teammates and opponents from his era consistently praised him as one of the best guards to play the game. Unfortunately, almost all of his career after Lombardi was spent on mediocre Packers teams.

Sticking to the 60's though, I'd probably say Ron Kramer. Though he was overshadowed by Ditka, Kramer was one of the first and best pass-catching tight ends of his time. For four straight years from 1961-64 he put up over 500 receiving yards. Beyond that he was a phenomenal blocker. He had a huge day in the 1961 NFL Championship game paving the way for Hornung (as well as catching two TDs). I think there's a decent chance he'd be in the Hall of Fame had he finished out his career with the Packers. He asked for a trade to Detroit after '64 to be closer to his family and missed out on the three-peat from '65-'67.

[Brian wolf]

Though Willie Wood was a HOF player, some Packers thought he was the true captain over the defense over Nitschke and made many plays himself. Not bad for a former QB, who learned alot from Emlen Tunnell when he was with the team.

I always thought Fuzzy Thurston had more accolades but after 1964, got banged up more and was replaced by Gillingham but was a key member of the early championships. The running attack seemed more like a machine with Ringo at center but Taylor was still great in 1964 after he left but both backs ground to a halt by 1965. Tom Moore ran well for them as well, easily replacing Hornung's production when he was suspended in 1963. For me, Hornung was a great Packer but more HOVG than HOF ...

[Bryan]

Though Willie Wood was a HOF player, some Packers thought he was the true captain over the defense over Nitschke and made many plays himself. Not bad for a former QB, who learned alot from Emlen Tunnell when he was with the team.

Ripped from PFRA headlines!


I've been watching a lot of 1960's Packers games, and I wanted to weigh in on these two guys. They both stand out on film, especially Wood. They were both smart, sure tacklers, and covered a lot of ground. I think you could make a case that Adderley was the best CB in history based on the success of his career. I think Wood was better than any of the 50's-60's safeties...better than Tunnell, Wilson, Lary, Robinson. I guess the Packers had so many stars that Wood kind of got lost in the shuffle, and he had to wait awhile before he was enshrined in Canton.

I think Adderley and Wood are what set the Packers apart from other teams in the 1960's, especially their top rival throughout the decade...Baltimore. The Packers' pass defense was always top notch, even as the defensive players started to collectively age. Think of the Colts in big games...Gary Collins beating Bobby Boyd for 3 TDs in a stunning 27-0 upset...then the next year the Packers hold the Browns to 12 points and 161 yards as Wood and Adderley intercept Frank Ryan. Colts lose SB III as George Sauer burns Lenny Lyles...Packers win SB I on Wood's big INT, and Adderley has INT TD in SB II Packers win.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

You could put Herb Adderley and Willie Wood together on an NFL all-time team and I'd be fine with that. They were both that good. Incredible to think that they were in the same secondary.

[rhickok1109]

Though Willie Wood was a HOF player, some Packers thought he was the true captain over the defense over Nitschke and made many plays himself. Not bad for a former QB, who learned alot from Emlen Tunnell when he was with the team.

I always thought Fuzzy Thurston had more accolades but after 1964, got banged up more and was replaced by Gillingham but was a key member of the early championships. The running attack seemed more like a machine with Ringo at center but Taylor was still great in 1964 after he left but both backs ground to a halt by 1965. Tom Moore ran well for them as well, easily replacing Hornung's production when he was suspended in 1963. For me, Hornung was a great Packer but more HOVG than HOF ...

Don't forget that college football didn't have unlimited substitution back then. Wood was a QB on offense but he played safety on defense at Southern Cal.

[rhickok1109]

Ringo, Kramer, Gregg, Starr, Hornung, and Taylor are all in the HOF, but Skoronski was the Packers' offensive captain during those years.

[Bryan]

Ringo, Kramer, Gregg, Starr, Hornung, and Taylor are all in the HOF, but Skoronski was the Packers' offensive captain during those years.

This is one of my favorite photos for some reason.

[Sonny9]

I wondered who #65 was for the Chiefs.

On that cover, is a picture of the coin toss before the game at midfield—standing there as a captain is Gilliam.
Sadly, Gilliam never got to play. That season, he injured his knee and was sidelined.
Though, he still remembers supporting his fellow offensive lineman as a captain during the game.
“I didn’t go hoo-rah or anything, I got my 5 guys and we got to work,” Gilliam said.

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