Best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 45 left the NFL with most TDs in history

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

So, we need to admit right here at the get-go that we're breaking a rule we've had in place throughout the series for this entry at No. 45. That said, we think you'll understand when we break things down. But before we do that, let's first run through our usual process of looking at every player who's worn the number for the Green & Gold over the years.

Vince Biegel, LB
Art Bultman, OL/LB
Derek Combs, CB
Kerry Cooks, S
Keith Crawford, DB/WR
Dave Hathcock, DB
Arnie Herber, QB/HB/TB
Ervin Hunt, DB
Quinn Johnson, RB
Bill Kuusisto, G
Verne Lewellen, B/P
John Lovett, FB
Dexter McNabb, RB
Collin Oliver, DL
Mike Prior, DB
John Rowser, DB
Vai Sikahema, KR
Ernie Smith, OT
Perry Smith, DB
Lavale Thomas, RB
Emlen Tunnell, S
Danny Vitale, FB
Dick Wildung, OT/DT
Eric Wilson, LB

Ahead of our selection, we certainly have to shout out the other two members of the Packers Hall of Fame on this list, those being quarterback/halfback Arnie Herber and all-purpose tackle Dick Wildung.

Safety Emlen Tunnell deserves his flowers as well, even if most of his success came with the New York Giants, as he helped Vince Lombardi win his first NFL Championship in 1961 and was also the first Black player ever to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But our call is Verne Lewellen, who was one of the best players in the NFL at two positions back in the day.

Verne Lewellen scored 50 total TDs for the Green Bay Packers and was also one of the top punters in the league

So, here's the deal.

If you've been following this series, then you're aware that in the early days of the NFL, it was very common for players to wear multiple numbers throughout their respective careers, sometimes even donning multiple digits during the same season. As such, the rule we've been using for these old-school Green Bay legends is to feature them when we get to the number they wore the most.

But the fact of the matter is that it's been tricky to do that with Lewellen.

For starters, there simply isn't one that he wore more than any other, as the longest he ever wore any of the six that he did during his nine-year run with the club was two seasons. But beyond that, allow me to run you through his lineup.

He started with No. 15, which we couldn't do because of Bart Starr. Then, he went to No. 4, which undoubtedly belongs to Brett Favre. Next up was No. 21, which is Charles Woodson. After that, it was No. 45, which we're obviously giving him. Up next was No. 31, which was Jim Taylor. And then it was No. 46, and while we maybe could have gone in that direction, that was at the end of his career, and we've got someone else in mind for that next entry.

So, while Lewellen may have only worn No. 45 for one season, that being in 1928, we simply couldn't in good conscience have this series without him, so that's why he gets this slot. And for those not familiar with him, he certainly deserves to be included. And since he did earn First-Team All-Pro honors in that '28 campaign, he actually did earn this specific slot.

After a standout career in his hometown of Lincoln at the University of Nebraska, Lewellen signed with the Packers ahead of the 1924 season and played all but three games of his career for Green Bay, as the team actually loaned him to the New York Yankees for a trio of contests at the end of the 1927 season. Wild times back then, you know?

Now, as the NFL didn't officially begin tracking stats until 1932, we don't really know how many yards he gained as a back in any given season except for his last, when he was credited with just 115 rushing yards and no touchdowns and 33 yards on three receptions, one of which went for the final score of his career.

And since we're on that topic, while we don't know yardage, we do at least know touchdowns, as those were tracked, and Lewellen ultimately scored 50 throughout his career, going for 37 on the ground, 12 as a receiver, and one on an interception return because those were the ironman days, and he also played some defense.

Those 50 TDs stood as the most in league history until another Packers legend, Don Hutson, set a new mark in 1941, and Lewellen's 37 rushing scores are still good for the fifth-most in Packers history all these years later.

But even beyond what the five-time All-Pro did as a back, he was also one of the top punters in the NFL at a time when that was arguably the most important position in the sport, as the game was so vastly different back in those days.

Simply put, Lewellen, who also threw nine touchdown passes and even kicked one extra point, could do it all and is one of the big reasons the Packers won back-to-back-to-back titles from 1929 to 1931.

Nearly two decades after his playing career ended, he rejoined Green Bay in 1950 as a member of the front office, first as a member of the executive committee, then as general manager from 1954 to 1958, and then as business manager from 1959 to 1967. In that capacity, he played a role in hiring Vince Lombardi and drafting the players who made the Packers the most dominant team of the 1960s.

For whatever reason, he has never been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is honestly one of the biggest snubs of all time, but he was at least enshrined in the original Packers Hall of Fame class in 1970.

So, now you see why we couldn't leave him out of this series, right?

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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Verne Lewellen scored 50 total TDs for the Green Bay Packers and was also one of the top punters in the league

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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