Best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 43 inadvertently created a new play

Welcome back to Lombardi Ave's series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

As we inch closer toward the midway point of our 100-piece journey, we've already covered a plethora of Packers legends, but the beauty of this franchise is that it has so many to cover, and we've got yet another one here at No. 43. And one with a sweet nickname to boot.

But before we break things down, let's run through our normal process of looking at every player who's donned this digit for the Green & Gold over the years.

Hunter Bradley, LS
Patrick Dendy, DB
Todd Franz, S
Buckets Goldenberg, G/B
Doug Hart, DB
M.D. Jennings, S
Daryll Jones, DB
Randy Kinder, CB
Jack Kirby, B
Ace Loomis, DB/HB
Dave Mason, DB
Herdis McCrary, FB/HB
Scott McGarrahan, S
Henry Monroe, DB
Larry Morris, RB
Les Peterson, E/OT
Maurice Smith, RB
George Svendsen, C/LB
Messiah Swinson, TE
Kiondre Thomas, CB
Aundra Thompson, WR
Dutch Webber, E
Don Wells, DE

Defensive back Doug Hart undoubtedly deserves a mention here, as he was a solid contributor for the Vince Lombardi-led squads that won back-to-back-to-back NFL Championships from 1965 to 1967, the last two of which also won the first two editions of what we now call the Super Bowl. Hart ultimately played eight seasons for Green Bay from 1964 to 1971, tallying 15 interceptions during his career.

We also have to give a shoutout to Packers Hall of Famer George Svendsen, who shined at both center and linebacker for five seasons in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Unfortunately, he will not be one of the Hall of Famers to be fully featured in our series.

As you've seen throughout these articles, many players back then wore several different numbers. And while Svendsen only wore two, he's not our call here, and we certainly can't give him the nod for the other one he sported, as that was No. 66, which will always be associated with Ray Nitschke. So, we at least had to give him a little love here.

But let's get to our official selection for this slot, that being the great Charles "Buckets" Goldenberg. See, we told you he had a sweet nickname. Goldenberg is one of those guys who wore several numbers, also sporting Nos. 21, 51, 44, and 73. But as has been our rule, since No. 43 was the one he wore most, this is where he gets his flowers.

Green Bay Packers legend Buckets Goldenberg is credited with originating the draw play

Born in the Russian Empire in 1911, Goldenberg moved to the U.S. at the age of four and grew up in Milwaukee before playing his college ball at the University of Wisconsin. While the Badgers kicked him off the team during his senior season in 1932, he still received several offers from the NFL, ultimately choosing Green Bay over the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants.

Offensively, Goldenberg spent the early years of his career splitting time between the line and the backfield as a fullback. As a rookie, he actually tied for the third-most rushing touchdowns in the league with four, adding another score as a receiver. The issue there was that Clarke Hinkle also played fullback, and simply put, Hinkle was the better runner.

As such, Goldenberg's carries dwindled over the next few years, and he didn't get a single offensive touch after 1937, as he became a full-time offensive guard in 1938 and was easily one of the best in the league at his position for the remainder of his career.

Now, what's wild is that Green Bay actually tried to trade him to the Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Steelers) in '38, but he refused to go and immediately retired. And when the Packers couldn't come to terms with the two rookies they'd acquired, the trade was nullified, and Goldenberg came out of retirement to play eight more seasons, all with Green Bay.

Getting back to the field, for as good as the 5-foot-10, 220-pounder was on offense, he might have been even better on the other side of the ball, as he typically had little problem getting through opposing offensive lines to break up plays before they even got going.

In fact, Goldenberg has been credited by many with inadvertently creating the draw play. And to make this story more beautiful for Cheeseheads, the reason so many believe that is because of how often he was able to pressure legendary Chicago Bears quarterback Sid Luckman. Because of Goldenberg's blitzing during these rivalry matchups back in the day, Luckman was continuously forced to hand the ball off after dropping back to pass. Thus, the draw play was born.

So, throw that into your next NFL trivia night.

Goldenberg ultimately played 13 seasons with the Packers, winning three titles, and while he's one of only a few players from the 1930s All-Decade Team not enshrined in Canton, he was at least inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1972.

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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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Green Bay Packers legend Buckets Goldenberg is credited with originating the draw play

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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