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 to the end of the 50s, we've got an intriguing entry here at No. 58, as our selection was the first player taken in the Packers' famed draft class of 1958, which many believe is one of the best team classes in NFL history.
We'll break everything down momentarily, but let's first run through our typical process of looking at everyone who's worn the number for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Sam Barrington, LB
- Bruce Beekley, LB
- Tom Bettis, LB
- Mark Cannon, C
- Joe Carter, E
- Mark Cooney, LB
- Dan Currie, LB
- Mike Flanagan, C
- Ruffin Hamilton, LB
- Don Hansen, LB
- Danny Johnson, LB
- Warren Kilbourne, OT
- Christian Kirksey, LB
- Joe Kurth, OT
- Bob Lally, LB
- Danny Lansanah, LB
- Larry Lauer, C
- Bob McCaffrey, C
- Isaiah McDuffie, LB
- Ed Neal, DT/OT
- Baby Ray, OT
- Larry Rubens, C
- Paul Rudzinski, LB
- Ade Schwammel, OT
- Champ Seibold, OT
- Steve Stewart, LB
- Ben Taylor, LB
- Clayton Tonnemaker, LB
- Jordan Tripp, LB
- Francis Winkler, DE
- Cal Withrow, C
- Frank Zombo, LB
Before we get to our winner, a couple of others deserve mentioning, starting with Packers Hall of Fame tackle Baby Ray, who sported No. 38 for the vast majority of his 11-year career in Green Bay from 1938 to 1948 but wore No. 58 for a single season in 1940.
Center Mike Flanagan deserves his flowers as well, as he manned the middle of the Packers' offensive line for eight of the later years of the Brett Favre era from 1998 to 2005, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2003.
The call here, though, comes from the other side of the football in the form of legendary linebacker Dan Currie.
Dan Currie was drafted by the Green Bay Packers ahead of three future Pro Football Hall of Famers
A two-time All-Big Ten selection and a two-time All-American at Michigan State, Currie was taken by Green Bay in the first round of the 1958 NFL Draft with the third overall selection.
In Round 2, the Packers used the No. 15 overall pick on fullback Jim Taylor, who still owns the second-most rushing yards (8,207) and the most rushing touchdowns (81) in team history. In Round 3, they used the No. 36 overall pick on linebacker Ray Nitschke, who is one of only six players in Green Bay history to have his number retired. And in Round 4, at No. 39 overall, they selected guard Jerry Kramer, who also handled kicking duties at times and ultimately earned First-Team All-Pro honors five times in his 11-year career.
Halfback Dick Christy was also taken in Round 3 at No. 27 overall, but he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers before his rookie season began.
Taylor, Nitschke, and Kramer were all eventually enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and while Currie never reached that level, he still put together a solid NFL career.
While Nitschke is considered one of the greatest linebackers in league history, it was Currie who actually got off to the better start, getting more playing time as a rookie under Ray McLean and then earning a permanent spot in the starting lineup when Vince Lombardi took over as head coach in 1959. Nitschke, meanwhile, didn't start every game of a season until 1962.
Furthermore, when Lombardi first arrived in Green Bay, he stated that after watching game film from the '58 season, the only three players he deemed indispensable were All-Pro center Jim Ringo, who'd already been in the league for six seasons, All-Pro safety Bobby Dillon, who'd been in the league for seven seasons, and Currie. Ringo and Dillon, of course, also ended up being enshrined in Canton.
Currie was solid in that first year under Lombardi in 1959, earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1960 in helping the Packers reach the NFL Championship, and was a pivotal piece of the defense that helped Green Bay win its first title in 17 years in 1961.
And in 1962, he earned First-Team All-Pro honors and then showed out something fierce in helping the team win back-to-back titles, recording an interception and a forced fumble in a 16-7 win over the New York Giants. But during the regular season that year, he suffered a knee injury after being blindsided by legendary Philadelphia Eagles wideout Tommy McDonald, one that ultimately hindered his career in the long run.
While Currie earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 1963, the 1964 campaign turned out to be his last in Green Bay, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he spent two seasons before he was released, thus ending his career.
The Packers, of course, would go on to win three consecutive NFL Championships from 1965 to 1967, with the last two earning them the right to represent the NFL in what we now know as the Super Bowl.
It's unfortunate that Currie wasn't able to share in that success, but that's life in the NFL. While not enshrined alongside Taylor, Nitschke, and Kramer in Canton, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1984.
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
- No. 57: Put on a gutsy Super Bowl performance
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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