Happy birthday to Don Hutson, the greatest Green Bay Packers player – ever

Hutson, Starr, Nitschke, White, Favre, Rodgers …

All of those names evoke emotions among fans of the Green Bay Packers.

Who is the greatest of them all?

Is it Bart Starr? Is it Ray Nitschke? Is it Reggie White? Is it Brett Favre? What about Aaron Rodgers?

They all have contributed to the tradition and lore of the Green Bay Packers organization.

But there is one player who was one of the greatest for the franchise and the the entire NFL: Don Hutson.

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Today happens to be the late wide receiver’s birthday. If still alive, Hutson would have been 104.

According to John Maxymuk, the author of Packers Past Perfect, a blog focusing on Hutson’s 104th birthday gives a strong argument why the wide receiver was the greatest in franchise history and the forerunner to the modern game.

After describing Hutson’s formative years on the gridiron at Alabama, Maxymuk goes into Hutson’s years in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and why he became such an icon in the league.

"His first start came … at home against the Bears, and he began establishing his legend from the game’s first offensive play when he snagged an 83-yard bomb from Arnie Herber for the game’s only score."

That initial catch was to set the stage for a receiving career that would stand the test of time. Not only did Hutson revolutionize the league, but he set records that wouldn’t be broken for decades.

"Over the next 11 years, he led the league eight times in receptions, seven in receiving yards and nine times in receiving touchdowns. He led the Packers to four title games and three championships. He caught 74 passes and 17 touchdowns in an 11-game season in 1942. He was named NFL MVP in 1941 and 1942. He scored 29 points in one quarter against the Lions in 1945. He retired the all-time leader in passes caught, yards receiving, touchdowns receiving, touchdowns scored and points scored…18 major league records in all. The list of accomplishments is seemingly endless."

Today, when we talk about route runners and how the good ones separate themselves from the rest of the field, we have to remember Hutson. After all, it was the Packers wide receiver who made it all happen.

Again, Maxymuk explains why:

"Add in the fact that Hutson is generally credited with developing many of the standard pass patterns of the game, such as the down-and-out, stop-and-go and post patterns, and you have a colossal pioneer of the game. Former teammate Tony Canadeo told ESPN, ‘He had all the moves. He invented the moves. And he had great hands and speed, deceptive speed. He could go get the long ones; run the little hitch, the down-and-out. He’d go over the middle, too, and he was great at getting off the line because he always had people popping him.’"

So, as we remember the football player who made the NFL what it is today, we could also probably say that it was his impact and innovations that make this guy one of the best, if not THE best player ever to don a Packers uniform (excuse the pun).

Happy birthday to Don Hutson.