Welcome back to our series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
Two of the first three slots in the 50s have been won by linebackers, and we're now making it three of four, as yet another linebacker gets the nod here at No. 53. But first, as per usual, let's kick things off by taking a look at everyone who's worn the number for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Aric Anderson, LB
- Diyral Briggs, LB
- Fred Carr, LB
- Frank Chesley, LB
- John Corker, LB
- Mike Douglass, LB
- Dick Evans, E
- Jonathan Garvin, LB
- Lou Gordon, OT
- Spencer Havner, LB
- Ken Iman, C
- Bob Ingalls, C
- George Koonce, LB
- Paris Lenon, LB
- Bobby Leopold, LB
- Mike Morton, LB
- Arron Mosby, DL
- Andre O'Neal, LB
- Urban Odson, OT
- Sam Palumbo, C/LB
- Nick Perry, LB
- Ade Schwammel, OT
- Maurice Simpkins, LB
- Dave Stephenson, OL
- Bud Svendsen, OL/LB
- George Timberlake, LB
- Miles Turpin, LB
This was a pretty tough call, as we had four genuine options from which to choose, three of whom have been inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.
First, there's Bud Svendsen, who, in addition to playing linebacker also played on the offensive line back in the ironman days. He wore two numbers during his three-year run in Green Bay, first sporting No. 7 in 1937 and then No. 53 in 1938 and 1939.
Then, there's Mike Douglass, who was a good player on some bad Packers teams from 1978 to 1985. Like Svendsen, Douglass also wore two numbers, donning No. 65 for his first year with the club and No. 53 the rest of the way.
While not a Packers Hall of Famer, George Koonce certainly deserves his flowers, as he played a part in the Packers' success in the 1990s, racking up 554 total tackles during his eight-season run in Titletown from 1992 to 1999.
While each of those players would have been a solid call, we opted to roll with Fred Carr.
Fred Carr made three Pro Bowls with the Packers just after the Vince Lombardi era ended
A First-Team All-American in 1967 at UTEP, where he also played basketball, Carr was taken by Green Bay with the fifth overall selection in the first round of the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft, thus making him one of Vince Lombardi's final selections.
Coming off back-to-back Super Bowl victories, Lombardi stepped down as Green Bay's head coach the day after that '68 draft ended but remained with the organization as general manager, only to leave the team altogether a year later to become the head coach and executive vice president of the team now known as the Washington Commanders.
But getting back to Carr, some were a little surprised that he was taken where he was, as the Packers were loaded at the linebacker position. But Lombardi loved his athleticism and genuinely believed he was the best overall player in the entire draft, which is certainly saying something, given the level of talent in that class.
Carr may not have reached the level of success that Lombardi envisioned, but he proved to be a strong player for Green Bay. While he spent his first two seasons in a reserve role, he cracked the starting lineup at linebacker in his third year and made an immediate impact, earning the first of three trips to the Pro Bowl, also receiving the honor in 1972 and 1975.
And Carr was as reliable as could be, as he never missed a single game during his decade-long run with the team from 1968 to 1977, appearing in 140 consecutive regular-season outings. Sadly, as the Packers just weren't a very good team after Lombardi left, Carr only appeared in one postseason game, that being a 16-3 loss to Washington in the Divisional Round of the 1972 playoffs.
Also sadly, he left the team on bad terms, as he was released ahead of the 1978 campaign following a bitter battle on how a knee injury he'd suffered should be treated. Upon his release, Carr signed with the San Diego Chargers but never took a snap for the Bolts.
Despite how the way things ended, Carr, who tallied 13.0 sacks and eight interceptions for Green Bay, was welcomed back into the fold a few years later, as he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1983.
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
- No. 28: A good defender on some bad teams
- No. 29: Still holds an unofficial team record
- No. 30: It's not the one who's the Packers' all-time leading rusher
- No. 31: Had his jersey retired by another team
- No. 32: Is a member of another team's Ring of Honor
- No. 33: Did so much more than people may realize
- No. 34: An underrated dual-threat back
- No. 35: Gave the Packers a unique win over the Bears
- No. 36: Invented the Lambeau Leap
- No. 37: Suited up for the Packers at the wrong time
- No. 38: Left the Packers as the NFL's all-time passing leader
- No. 39: Was taken in three different MLB drafts
- No. 40: The only man in both the Baseball and Pro Football Hall of Fame
- No. 41: Made a big impact in a little time
- No. 42: Was the charter member of an elite club
- No. 43: Inadvertently created a new play
- No. 44: Made the Hall of Fame despite only having one eye
- No. 45: Left the NFL with the most TDs in history
- No. 46: Was underappreciated in the Lombardi era
- No. 47: Later played on the PGA Tour
- No. 48: Just missed out on the Lombardi era
- No. 49: Was one of the best O-linemen of his era
- No. 50: The Packers' all-time leading tackler
- No. 51: Is a member of three Halls of Fame
- No. 52: Is a member of a royal NFL family
This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so be sure to bookmark this page or check back in with Lombardi Ave for updates.
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