Thirty Sundays to NFL football: 30 reasons why we love the Green Bay Packers

Herb Adderley

Like Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi, Herb Adderley was a champion.

Not only did he win NFL championships and Super Bowls with the Packers, but he went on and won even more championships when he finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys.

As one of the best cornerbacks to play the game, Adderley wasn’t always a defenseman. He was drafted as a running back, but it was Packers head coach Vince Lombardi who transformed him into a defensive back.

Lombardi made the move mainly because the Packers, in Jimmy Taylor and Paul Hornung, already had a full offensive backfield.

The change to defense was a stroke of genius.

In his nine years in Green Bay, Adderley picked off 39 passes, returning seven for touchdowns, including one in Super Bowl I that helped turn that game for the Packers. He also recovered 13 fumbles while with Green Bay.

His best years came in 1962, 1965 and 1969 – which was his final year in Green Bay. In 1962 he had seven interceptions, in 1965, he had six and in 1969 he picked off five passes. The lowest number of interceptions he had during his stay in Green Bay was in 1968 when he had three picks.

An athlete who changed the way teams played defense, Adderley is a Hall-of-Famer who soon won’t be forgotten.

Next: Brian Noble