Best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 64 had an absurd amount of surgeries

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.

We've reached the midway point of the 60s, and we've got one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history here at No. 64, one who was with the franchise for every season of the Vince Lombardi era.

But before we break everything down, let's first have a look at every player who's donned the digit for the Green & Gold over the years.

Nate Barragar, C
Ben Braden, G
Steve Collier, OT
Ernie Danjean, LB
Jonathan Ford, DL
Ted Fritsch, FB/K
Kevin Hunt, OT
Alcender Jackson, G
Bill Johnson, DE
Smiley Johnson, G/LB
John Jurkovic, NT/DT
Syd Kitson, G
Jerry Kramer, G/K
James Lee, DT
Justin McCray, G
Tony Palmer, G
Mike Pennel, DT
Ernie Smith, OT
Greg Van Roten, G
Vince Villanucci, NT
Bruce Wilkerson, OT

There are three members of the Packers Hall of Fame on this list, one of whom was the first in franchise history to wear No. 64, that being center Nate Barragar, who sported it for a single season in 1934. The one-time NFL champion also wore Nos. 31 and 56 during his four-year run in Green Bay.

Then, we've got the great Ted Fritsch, who wore No. 64 for his entire nine-year run with the club from 1942 to 1950. There wasn't anything Fritsch didn't do well, as the Wisconsin native rushed for 2,200 yards and 31 touchdowns as a fullback on offense, tallied 10 interceptions as a linebacker on defense, and also served as the Packers' placekicker for much of his career, recording the first 50-yard field goal make in team history in 1947 at Wrigley Field against the rival Chicago Bears.

It's unfortunate that Fritsch can't be featured elsewhere, but the clear-cut call in this slot is guard Jerry Kramer, who's not only a member of the Packers Hall of Fame but is also the only one of this trio to also be enshrined in Canton.

Jerry Kramer underwent 22 surgeries during his 11-year career

A First-Team All-Pacific Coast Conference selection at the University of Idaho in 1957, Kramer was taken by Green Bay in the fourth round of the 1958 NFL Draft with the 39th overall selection. That '58 draft class, of course, is considered the best in franchise history and also one of the best in league history, as it also saw the Packers pick up future Hall of Famers Jim Taylor and Ray Nitschke.

Kramer began his professional career on the bench but took over as the starting right guard midway through his rookie campaign, which, as every Cheesehead well knows, was the year before Vince Lombardi came to town.

Upon Lombardi's arrival in 1959, he instituted his famed power sweep, and Kramer was undoubtedly one of the big reasons why it worked so well, as the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder was always at the forefront of the formation, as it was his job to drive the first defender outside the block of the tight end.

And he certainly did his job well, as he ultimately earned six total All-Pro selections during his 11-year career, receiving First-Team honors in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, and 1967 and Second-Team honors in his final season in 1968. As he was there for the entirety of the Lombardi era, like so many of his teammates, he retired with five championships to his name.

But not only was Kramer one of the best offensive linemen of his era, he, like Fritsch, also served as the Packers' placekicker at times, making 90 of 95 extra-point attempts during the regular season throughout his career and 29 of 54 field goals. In the 1962 NFL Championship Game, he actually single-handedly outscored the New York Giants on his own, connecting on three field goals and a PAT in the Packers' 16-7 victory.

What makes Kramer's resume all the more impressive is the fact that, despite having 22 different surgeries during his career, some of which were to repair extremely serious issues, including a colostomy and another to remove three wooden slivers that had been in his groin since a farming accident in high school, he only missed games in two of his 11 seasons.

Also a best-selling author, as he wrote several books detailing his NFL career, Kramer was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1975, and after waiting far too long, he was finally and rightfully inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

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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Jerry Kramer underwent 22 surgeries during his 11-year career

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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