Welcome back to Lombardi Ave's series on the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
With the single digits and teens in the bag, it's time to dive into the 20s, and we've got quite the historic entry to kick things off. But before we get to the reveal, let's first have a look at every player who's worn No. 20 for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Marques Anderson, S
- Byron Bailey, HB
- Ed Berry, DB
- Atari Bigby, S
- Johnny Blood, HB
- Billy Bookout, DB
- Javon Bullard, S
- Kelly Cook, RB
- Makinton Dorleant, CB
- Rex Enright, FB
- Rudy Ford, S
- Joe Francis, QB
- Alex Green, RB
- Norm Greeney, G
- Jimmy Hargrove, RB
- James Jackson, RB
- Kevin King, CB
- Curly Lambeau, B
- Michael McGruder, CB
- Don Miller, B
- Dick O'Donnell, E
- Johnny Petitbon, DB
- Mark Roman, S
- Allen Rossum, CB/KR
- Dan Sandifer, B
- Walter Tullis, WR
- Maurice Turner, RB
- Wylie Turner, DB
- Ron Widby, P
- Delvin Williams, RB
- Kevin Williams, RB
- Chet Winter, RB
You undoubtedly noticed the great Curly Lambeau on the list, but like so many players in the early days of the franchise (and the league, for that matter), he wore several different numbers. And while he wore No. 20 in 1929, the year the Packers captured their first NFL Championship, he only appeared in one game that season.
From the modern era, defensive backs Atari Bigby and Kevin King certainly deserve recognition, but the call here goes back to the old days, as we're rolling with the only other member of the Hall of Fame on this list, Johnny Blood.
Johnny Blood scored 10 receiving TDs for the Green Bay Packers in 1931
Born John Victor McNally Jr., the Wisconsin native took on the name Johnny Blood as a youngster and carried it into the NFL. And he certainly made his rounds around the league during his 14-year career, as he suited up for four other teams outside of Green Bay, those being the Milwaukee Badgers, the Duluth Eskimos, the Pottsville Maroons, and the Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Steelers), serving as a player-coach during his run in the Steel City.
But he made his name with the Packers, playing seven years over two stints with the team, first from 1929 to 1933 and then from 1935 to 1936. Seriously, the guy got around.
Like Lambeau, Blood wore several different numbers for Green Bay. In addition to No. 20, he also sported Nos. 24, 14, 26, and 55. But it was while wearing No. 20 that he had his most historic season, and it's because of that campaign that he takes this slot.
After wearing No. 24 for the Packers' first two title runs in 1929 and 1930, he switched to No. 20 in 1931. Now, with a name like Blood, one might think he was a hard-nosed bruiser kind of halfback. But that wasn't the case, as he was more of the graceful type, using those skills to become the NFL's first big playmaker.
While Blood was a solid enough runner, he was absolutely explosive as a receiver. And in 1931, he scored a whopping 10 receiving touchdowns, which just wasn't done at that time. To prove just how wild it was, the league leader the following year was the New York Giants' Ray Flaherty with five, and in 1933, Blood tied with six others for the league lead with three. So, it was certainly something special.
So special it was, in fact, that all these years later, no running back in NFL history has tallied more receiving TDs in a single season than Blood did that year in helping the Packers to a third consecutive title. He also added a pair of rushing touchdowns that season, and that's not to mention the pick-six he recorded, as he was also an excellent defensive player, unofficially racking up 38 interceptions during his career, more than any other player in league history when he retired following the 1938 season.
Blood was one of 11 players to be included in the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame class in 1963 and also part of the first class to be inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1970.
Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees
- No. 0: There's literally only one choice here
- No. 1: Micah Parsons isn't the pick just yet
- No. 2: The Packers' all-time leading scorer
- No. 3: The second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired
- No. 4: There's no introduction needed here
- No. 5: This player should have been the last to wear the number but wasn't
- No. 6: A genuine ironman
- No. 7: This player was straight magic (until he wasn't)
- No. 8: This player has the second-most points in Packers history
- No. 9: The winner here has an extremely famous relative
- No. 10: A star on the rise
- No. 11: Packers' first title-winning QB
- No. 13: Had 'no weakness'
- No. 14: The first to have his jersey retired by the Packers
- No. 15: Owns a special piece of NFL history
- No. 16: Shares his name with an MLB legend
- No. 17: Had to beat out several Hall of Famers
- No. 18: Was one of the NFL's first dual-threat quarterbacks
- No. 19: Had his career cut short by the Bears
This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so be sure to check back in with Lombardi Ave for updates.
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