Welcome back to our series on the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We're a few entries into the second quarter of our 100-part journey now, and as it's gone with so many of the pieces up to this point, we've got yet another member of the Packers Hall of Fame here at No. 28. But before we get to the reveal, let's first have a look at everyone who's donned the digit for the Green & Gold.
- Don Barton, HB
- Matt Bowen, S
- Tony Brown, CB
- Willie Buchanon, CB
- Ahmad Carroll, CB
- Paul Christman, QB
- Trevon Diggs, CB
- AJ Dillon, RB
- Lee Harden, S
- Josh Hawkins, CB
- Joe Kurth, OT
- Kregg Lumpkin, RB
- Buster Maddox, OT
- Herdis McCrary, B
- Mike McLeod, DB
- Mike Michalske, OL
- Basil Mitchell, RB
- Roderick Mullen, DB
- Ron Pitts, CB
- P.J. Pope, RB
- Sean Richardson, S
- Clarence Self, B
- Bobby Thomason, QB
- Brandon Underwood
- Elbert Watts, DB
Among the batch of players from this century, the most notable name would be running back AJ Dillon, who racked up 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground from 2020 to 2023, adding another 763 yards and two scores as a receiver. But after a neck injury cost him the entire 2024 campaign, the Packers opted not to bring him back.
While not the selection, old-school offensive lineman Mike Michalske is certainly worth mentioning, as he's a member of both the Packers Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But as he wore No. 28 in just one of his eight seasons in Green Bay, that being in 1931, he's not the call.
Instead, we're rolling with cornerback Willie Buchanon, who was a good player on some bad Packers teams in the 1970s.
Willie Buchanon is the only Green Bay Packers player ever to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
A Second-Team All-American at San Diego State in 1971, Buchanon was taken by the Packers in the first round of the 1972 draft with the seventh overall selection. At the time, only one other cornerback had ever been taken higher, that being Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson, who went sixth overall to the San Francisco 49ers in 1961.
Starting all 14 regular-season games in his first year as a pro, the California native wasted no time making an impact, recording four interceptions en route to winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. To this very day, no other player in Green Bay history has won the award.
Two years later, in 1974, Buchanon earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl, and in 1978, which turned out to be his final season with the Packers, he earned a second Pro Bowl nod as well as a First-Team All-Pro selection after leading the league with nine picks, one of which he returned for a touchdown against the then-San Diego Chargers.
And it was in that same game that he tied an NFL record that still stands to this day, as he recorded four interceptions. He's one of just two Packers players to share that single-game mark, as the great Bobby Dillon also accomplished the feat in 1953. Oddly enough, Buchanon spent the last four years of his career with those same Chargers, retiring after the strike-shortened 1982 campaign.
In his seven seasons in Green Bay, Buchanon tallied 21 interceptions, returning two for scores. Sadly, he only appeared in one postseason game for the Packers, which was in his rookie season and resulted in a 16-3 loss to the team now known as the Washington Commanders. In the seven-season stretch he was with the team, Green Bay had a combined regular-season record of 42-55-3.
Buchanon may not have the rings that other great Green Bay players do, but he was at least acknowledged for his accomplishments when he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1993.
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. 12: Obviously isn't up for debate
- 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
- No. 20: Has held a record for nearly 100 years
- No. 21: Has the most defensive TDs in NFL history
- No. 22: Also served in the U.S. Congress
- No. 23: Holds several NFL kick-return records
- No. 24: Owns a unique piece of Super Bowl history
- No. 25: Might not be who you think
- No. 26: Holds a historic place in NFL history
- No. 27: Started hot but fizzled fast
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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