Welcome back to our series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
While we've seen a litany of linebackers here in the 50s, we've also seen some offensive linemen, and that's the direction we'll be taking here with our selection at No. 57.
But as we always do, let's kick things off by first taking a look at everyone who's worn the number for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Ron Acks, LB
- Ken Bowman, C
- James Burgess, LB
- Putt Choate, LB
- Brenton Cox, LB/DL
- Mike Curcio, LB
- Chris Gizzi, LB
- Derrel Gofourth, OL
- Jason Hunter, DE
- Joe Kelly, LB
- Jamari Lattimore, LB
- John Leake, LB
- Antonio London, LB
- Rich Moran, G
- Jim Nelson, LB
- Cyril Obiozor, LB
- Chet Parlavecchio, LB
- Ade Schwammel, OT
- Champ Seibold, OT
- T.J. Slaughter, LB
- Clyde Van Sickle, G
- Matt Wilhelm, LB
- Dick Zoll, G
As you can see, there aren't a ton of high-profile players on this particular list, as No. 57 simply doesn't carry the history that many others have. But that doesn't mean there aren't any solid players here.
Sticking with the O-line theme, there's Derrel Gofourth, who filled in at center as a rookie in 1977 before starting 70 games at left guard over his final five years with the club. And a few years after Gofourth left the club, Rich Moran stepped in and started 82 games for Green Bay from 1985 to 1993, also spending the majority of his time at left guard.
At the end of the day, though, there's only one real choice here, and that's the only member of the Packers Hall of Fame on the list, that being center Ken Bowman.
Ken Bowman played a big part in helping the Green Bay Packers win the first two Super Bowls
A Second-Team All-Big 10 selection at the University of Wisconsin in 1963, Bowman was taken by Green Bay in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL Draft with the 111th overall selection. He was also taken in the 10th round of the 1964 AFL Draft by the New York Jets but opted to sign with the Packers.
As the Packers had traded the legendary Jim Ringo prior to the '64 campaign, Vince Lombardi needed a new center, and he first tried to fill the void by moving veteran tackle Bob Skoronski to the middle of the offensive line. But Bowman took over midway through the season, and ultimately started 107 of the 123 regular-season games in which he appeared during his 10-year career and six of seven postseason contests.
The only playoff game he played in but failed to start was the Packers' Super Bowl 1 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, as he'd only appeared in four games during the 1966 season after separating his left shoulder during the preseason.
But when his replacement, Bill Curry, suffered a sprained ankle in the second quarter of that first edition of what was then called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, Bowman stepped in and was tasked with blocking Chiefs superstar defensive tackle and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Buck Buchanan, who'd been wreaking havoc on the Packers' offensive line.
But Bowman, who was a bit undersized for an NFL center at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, was able to keep Buchanan at bay for the most part, despite giving up four inches and 40 pounds to the 6-foot-7, 270-pounder. Bowman's shoulder actually popped out of place during the game, but in between plays, he himself popped it back in by slamming it against a teammate's body, allowing him to finish what turned out to be a 35-10 Packers victory.
The following year, Bowman was involved in one of the most famous games and plays in NFL history, as it was him and right guard Jerry Kramer who combined on the block that allowed Bart Starr to score the game-winning touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the famous "Ice Bowl" that clinched Green Bay's third straight NFL Championship and allowed the team to go on to win the second Super Bowl against the then-Oakland Raiders.
Shoulder injuries continued to hinder Bowman's career, but he consistently played through the pain, which led to Starr saying that he'd "never seen a guttier guy than Ken Bowman," which is obviously high praise.
Bowman was released ahead of the 1975 season and played with The Hawaiians of the World Football League that year before the league was shut down for good a few months into the season. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1981.
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
- No. 56: Was a steady presence during the 2000s
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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