Green Bay Packers: Who wore #87 best?
The video above is a must-see to understand who Willie Davis was and what he meant to the Green Bay Packers’ organization – and to the world.
With 87 days left until the start of the Green Bay Packers NFL season, our countdown to the big day, Sunday, Sept. 11, when the Packers travel to Jacksonville to take on the upstart Jaguars will focus on the the number that represents the days remaining … today it’s #87.
We highly recommend “Packers by the Numbers: Jersey Numbers and the Players Who Wore Them,” by John Maxymuk. The book, which chronicles every Packers jersey number was published in 2003 and provides a strong background of information about Packers players and their jersey numbers.
Yesterday, we focused on Hall of Famer Ron Kramer, who was, without question, the most popular and productive player to wear #88.
With our apologies to Jordy Nelson, today, we highlight the best Packers player ever to wear #87 – defensive end Willie Davis.
In addition to Nelson, there have been several players since 1950 who have worn the number well. We could have considered Robert Brooks, Alden Roche, or even Jordy Nelson, right?
Who can forget how Brooks came out of nowhere to gain the starting wide receiver position and not only refine the Lambeau Leap, but helped lead the Packers to two straight Super Bowls?
And how about Nelson, who didn’t even start in his first couple of years, but jumped to the forefront in Super Bowl XLV.
Had he not had a couple of drops in that game in which he caught nearl 150 yards in passes, he could have easily been named the Super Bowl MVP.
Those three were very good players for the Packers, but nobody had more of an impact on the team and the league than Mr. Davis.
But like yesterday’s number, there were those failures who wore #87, such as Corn Redick, John Thompson, and Bill Larson.
No, I had never heard of those guys either.
Refer to the list on the next page for the players who have worn #87 over the past 50 years … most of these guys you may not remember – no, neither do I.
In the meantime, we’ll take a closer look at Davis and his career in Green Bay.
Next: Willie Davis: He did it all