Welcome back once again to our series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We've got an interesting list of players here at No. 56, as a pair of Pro Football Hall of Famers have worn it for the Green & Gold. And that doesn't include the one member of the Packers Hall of Fame. But none of the players from that trio gets the nod here.
We'll explain momentarily, but let's first run through our usual process of looking at every player who's worn No. 56 for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Nick Barnett, LB
- Nate Barragar, C
- Jack Coco, LS
- Edgerrin Cooper, LB
- Tommy Crutcher, LB
- Burnell Dent, LB
- Tom Greenfield, C
- Ted Hendricks, LB
- Lamont Hollinquest, LB
- Rob Holmberg, LB
- Cliff Lewis, LB
- Tom MacLeod, LB
- Terrell Manning, LB
- Kivuusama Mays, LB
- Eugene McCaslin, LB
- Hardy Nickerson, LB
- Rick Nuzum, C
- Ed O'Neil, LB
- Oran Pape, B
- Julius Peppers, LB
- Tom Perko, LB
- John Pointer, LB
- Randy Ramsey, LB
- Blane Smith, LB
- Korey Toomer, LB
- James Willis, LB
- Harry Wunsch, G
The lone Packers HOF'er here is center Nate Barragar, who wore three different numbers during his four-year run with Green Bay in the 1930s, sporting No. 56 in 1932.
Running down the list, we've got Hall of Fame linebacker Ted Hendricks, who earned eight trips to the Pro Bowl and six total All-Pro selections during his 15-year career. But as he only played one season with the Packers in 1974 in between his stints with the Baltimore Colts and the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, albeit a great season in which he earned a Pro Bowl selection, a First-Team All-Pro nod, and a third-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, he's not the call.
And then there's Julius Peppers, who earned nine Pro Bowl selections and six total All-Pro nods of his own during his 17-year career. But again, he only spent a short time in Green Bay, and while that three-year run with the Packers from 2014 to 2016 saw him tally 25.0 sacks, he's not the call here either.
Instead, we've opted to roll with Nick Barnett, who may have never been a superstar but was a strong contributor in the middle of the Green Bay defense for many years.
Nick Barnett tallied at least 100 total tackles in six of his eight seasons with the Packers
A First-Team All-Pac-10 selection at Oregon State in 2002, Barnett was taken by Green Bay in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft with the 29th overall selection.
The California native cracked the starting lineup at middle linebacker as a rookie and made an immediate impact, earning All-Rookie Team honors and a third-place finish in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after tallying 112 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, six passes defended, and three interceptions.
And his career simply stayed steady from there.
As already stated, Barnett was never considered a superstar, he did earn one Second-Team All-Pro selection in 2007, and he was just a strong presence in the middle of the Green Bay defense, hitting 100 total tackles in six of eight seasons with the team, the only exceptions being 2008 and 2010, with both of those campaigns coming to an early end due to injuries.
Sadly, that second injury (wrist) in 2010 cost him the chance to play in the Packers' Super Bowl 45 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he was released ahead of the 2011 season, closing out his career playing two years with the Buffalo Bills and one year with the team now known as the Washington Commanders.
In eight seasons with the Packers, Barnett recorded 789 total tackles, 52 tackles for loss, 19 QB hits, 15.5 sacks, 36 passes defended, and nine interceptions, one of which he returned 95 yards for a touchdown, which stands as the third-longest in team history.
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
- No. 53: Didn't miss a single game for a decade
- No. 54: Was 'The Rock' way before Dwayne Johnson
- No. 55: Had a solid career after going undrafted
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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