Green Bay Packers: 50 greatest players in franchise history

Greatest players in Green Bay Packers history: 6. Forrest Gregg

No, the Packers weren’t going to win all those NFL championships during the Vince Lombardi era without a terrific tackle. Fortunately, the Packers had an outstanding right tackle in the form of Forrest Gregg for 14 seasons. Gregg was a former second-round pick out of SMU by the Packers in the 1956 NFL Draft.

He established himself as an iron man along the Packers offensive line. Gregg started in what was an NFL record of 188 straight games from 1956 to 1971. Overall, he made nine trips to the Pro Bowl, seven All-Pro first teams and two All-Pro second teams in his Pro Football Hall of Fame career. Of course, Gregg won a ton during his playing career. He won five NFL championships, three Super Bowls, including one with the Dallas Cowboys.

Gregg would retire from playing after winning Super Bowl VI with the Cowboys in 1971. He would go on to have a noted coaching career. Gregg led three NFL teams, including the 1981 Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. He would replace former teammate Bart Starr on the Green Bay sidelines in 1984 for four seasons.

Gregg is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame, made the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1960s and the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. In 1977, Gregg would be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. His Canton classmates include Frank Gifford, former Packers teammate Starr and Bill Willis. While Gregg turned out to be a decent NFL head coach, he will go down as one of the greatest offensive tackles in NFL history for his time with the Packers.