Jerry Kramer: Lombardiave talks football and life with Packers great – Part I

Author’s note: This first of a two-part interview was originally published in June 2013 and is brought back here to continue our appreciation of 80-year-old Jerry Kramer as so many push for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

We feel you will enjoy it …

Jerry Kramer, immortalized as a member of the Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s, was kind enough to spend a couple of hours recently with Lombardiave.com Editor Ray Rivard to talk football and life.

Kramer, who now lives in Boise, Idaho, in what he calls a comfortable apartment, spent many years on a ranch in the western state – loving every minute.

And he should …

He spent his professional football career in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a place he couldn’t quite find on a map when he was drafted by the Packers back in 1959.

All he knew was that it was “by a big lake.”

Much has transpired since those days prior to championships and legacies – not only for Kramer, but for all the coaches, equipment managers, trainers, and fellow teammates who were a part of the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s.

In this first of a two-part audio-video mini-series produced by lombardiave.com’s own P.J. Root, Kramer talks about being drafted by the Packers, some of the opponents he faced, who he thought was the toughest Packer and much more.

And of course, of Vince Lombardi’s, we can’t ignore the fact that Kramer was so affected by the man. And he tells us so.

So here you go … take a few minutes to listen to this man. He has a lot to say – important things to say … We’re sure you will enjoy it.

Next: How does Jerry Kramer stack up against HOFers?

And if you want to respectfully write to those who who do the nominating and voting for Hall of Fame candidates, see the list below.

We’ve been told that the people to focus letters of recommendation for Jerry are Frank Cooney, Jeff Legwold, John McClain & John Czarnecki.

But here is the complete list:

Pro Football Hall of Fame
Attention; Senior Selection Committee
2121 George Halas Dr. NW
Canton, OH 44708

HOF Facebook Page
HOF Twitter Account:

Seniors Committee

Frank Cooney   He runs NFLDraftScout.com and The SportsXchange, one of the country’s leading providers of sports data and analysis.
Sports Xchange
4632 Windsong St
Sacramento, CA 95834
415-897-8555

email: fcooney@sportsxchange.com
Twitter:
Facebook:

Dan Pompei has covered more than 500 National Football League games, including 26 Super Bowls. He was given the 2013 Dick McCann Award by the Pro Football Writers of America for long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football.
Bleacher Report

email: dpompei@bleacherreport.com
Twotter: DanPompei
Facebook: Dan.pompei.3

Rick Gosselin has covered the NFL for 31 years, including the past 14 as NFL columnist for The Dallas Morning News.
Dallas Morning News
508 Young Street
Dallas, TX 75202
214-877-8444

email: rgosselin@dallasnews.com
twitter: RickGosselinDMN
Facebook:  richard.e.gosselin

John McClain since 1976, has covered the Oilers, NFL and Texans for the Houston Chronicle. He has been a regular contributor to The Sports Xchange, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, the NFL Network, Comcast, Fox Sports 1 and Sirius Radio.
Houston Chronicle
4747 Southwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77027
713-362-7891

email:: john.mcclain@chron.com
Twitter: McClain_on_NFL
Facebook: john.mcclain.52493

Ron Borges  A sportswriter for the Boston Herald. He has also written for the Boston Globe. Borges has been named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Association of Sportswriters and Sports Broadcasters five times since 1999.
70 Fargo Street
Boston, MA 02210
617-619-6410

email: ron.borges@bostonHerald.com
Twitter: RonBorges
Facebook: RonBorges.73

Bernie Miklasz – American sportswriter and sports radio personality. He was the lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post Dispatch from 1999 to 2015. He hosts the morning show on 101 ESPN in St. Louis. Miklasz is a native of Baltimore, MD, and moved to St. Louis in 1985 to cover professional football for the Post-Dispatch. He has also worked at the Baltimore News-American and the Dallas Morning News.

101 ESPN St Louis
11647 Olive Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63141
314-983-6000

email: bmiklasz@101sports.com ???
Twitter: miklasz
Facebook: Bernie-Miklasz

John Czarnecki  whose first pro football interview was of Johnny Unitas in Buffalo’s War Memorial stadium for the Rochester Times-Union, has been the editorial consultant for Fox NFL Sunday since its inception 20 years ago. He previously worked at CBS Sports. The winner of four Sports Emmys for work on NFL studio shows, Czarnecki wrote the book “Football for Dummies” with Howie Long.  Czar’s first full season covering the NFL was 1979 and he worked for such newspapers as the Herald-Examiner in Los Angeles and the The National Sports Daily. He has served nine times as a Super Bowl pool reporter and is a longtime selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of its Seniors Committee.

FoxSports.com

email: czar5@aol.com
Twitter:
Facebook:

Ira Miller
Sports Xchange
4632 Windsong St
Sacramento, CA 95834
415-897-8555

email: millernfl@aol.com, imiller@sportsxchange.com
Twitter:
Facebook:

Jeff Legwold
ESPN

email: jlegwold@denverpost.com
Twitter: Jeff_Legwold
Facebook: Jeff.Legwold

Full List of HOF Voters: