Green Bay Packers Adderley, Davis, Murphy comment on Robinson’s HOF selection
Herb Adderley, Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer
Green Bay Packers Hall of Famers Herb Adderley and Willie Davis, in addition to President Mark Murphy had some good things to say about Dave Robinson’s selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced earlier today.
-CB Herb Adderley, 1961-69 (inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980):
“The things that made him a great linebacker were his size, speed and intelligence. Of course everyone makes mistakes, but Dave never made the same mistake twice. He was a great team player. He helped Tom Brown, our strong safety, to cover a tight end. He was one of the few linebackers in the league that could hold up the tight ends at the line of scrimmage, great tight ends like Mike Ditka and John Mackey. What people don’t realize is that Dave holding up the tight end gave Tom Brown more time to diagnose the play and to cover the tight end. It helped the defensive linemen to get in and rush the quarterback because it would throw the timing off and the quarterback would have to hold the ball longer. It also helped me when I was covering the split end.
“I have never really felt the full satisfaction for me being in the Hall of Fame without Dave being in there, and I would have felt the same way if Willie Davis wasn’t in there. With Dave making it, it solidifies my feelings about the three of us and how we played together, shutting down the run and the pass. Whenever I talk to Willie or Dave, it always comes up, how we shut down the left side of the field. It gives me tremendous satisfaction because Dave is a very dear friend of mine.”
Packers Hall of Famer Willie Davis
-DE Willie Davis, 1960-69 (inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981):
“With him as the left outside linebacker and me as the left defensive end, we lined up next to each other for a lot of years, and I never played with someone that was more knowledgeable. In many ways, he kind of set the pattern for a linebacker in Green Bay for a while. I would say that the greatest thing about him was how physical he was. I can tell you right now, there wasn’t a tight end that didn’t have great respect for Dave. They gave him that respect because of how he played. No one was better at holding up a tight end. I used to tell Dave all of the time, ‘Keep him off, keep him off.’
“He is very deserving and should have been in a long time ago. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be as appreciative as anyone who has ever been elected. It is a great moment for me to have Dave chosen. It is a fulfillment of something almost as important as if it was me personally. I think Dave was so overdue and it is so right for him to enjoy that hallowed ground called the Hall of Fame.”
Packers President Mark Murphy
Raymond T. Rivard photograph
Packers President Mark Murphy
“On behalf of the Green Bay Packers, I want to congratulate Dave on his well-deserved election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was such a vital part of those great defenses in the 1960s that helped the team win NFL championships and Super Bowl titles under Vince Lombardi. Dave’s contributions to the Packers have not been limited to the field, as he has also been a great ambassador for the organization over the years. We are thrilled that he received this honor.”