Welcome back to our series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We kicked off the 70s with one of Aaron Rodgers' best blockers at No. 70, and while we nearly went in that direction again here at No. 71, we instead opted for the other side of the football.
But before we break everything down, of course, let's first run through our typical routine of looking at everyone who's donned this digit for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Kevin Barry, OT
- Michael Basinger, DE
- Anthony Belton, OT
- Kent Branstetter, OT
- Gary Brown, OT
- Gilbert Brown, DT
- Santana Dotson, DT
- Jeff Drost, DT
- Mike Fanucci, DE
- Tom Finnin, OT
- Bill Forester, DT/LB
- Cecil Gray, OT
- Melvin Jackson, G
- Boyd Jones, OT
- Scott Jones, OT
- Bill Lucky, OT
- Josh Myers, C/G
- Francis Peay, OT
- Kurt Ploeger, DE
- Mark Shumate, DT
- Josh Sitton, G
- Arland Thompson, G
- Lloyd Voss, DE
- Ricky Wagner, OT
There are three members of the Packers Hall of Fame on this list, but before we get to that trio, we certainly want to make sure Santana Dotson gets a shoutout, as he was a key piece of a Packers defense that helped the team win its first Super Bowl in 29 years to close out the 1996 campaign and racked up 26.0 sacks during his six-season run in Titletown from 1996 to 2001.
Packers Hall of Famer Gilbert Brown donned No. 71 during his rookie season in 1993 before switching to his more familiar No. 93. And our selection in the runner-up slot, Josh Sitton, who was a very close second, by the way, sported the number for the entirety of his eight-year run in Green Bay from 2008 to 2015, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and three Second-Team All-Pro selections over his final four seasons with the team.
But when all was said and done after looking through the list, we opted to roll with legendary linebacker Bill "Bubba" Forester. Some may not like this selection, but we're confident in our call.
Bill Forester's career went to another level once Vince Lombardi joined the Green Bay Packers
A First-Team All-SWC selection at SMU in 1952, Forester was taken by Green Bay in the third round of the 1953 NFL Draft with the 31st overall selection.
Green Bay toyed with the idea of using him as a fullback when he arrived to his first professional training camp, but he ultimately ended up playing mostly nose tackle during his first few seasons, which was then called a middle guard, while also occasionally lining up at linebacker. He took over the starting role at right linebacker in 1957 and basically remained in that spot for the remainder of his career.
While Forester was a good player in those early years, Green Bay was not a good team, as he never experienced a winning season from 1953 to 1958, as the Packers went a combined 20-50-2 during that stretch. He also played for three different head coaches in that time.
The fourth and final head coach for whom he played, of course, was Vince Lombardi, who arrived in Green Bay in 1959 and promptly turned the team into a title contender.
And Forester, who actually wore No. 69 during those first six seasons before switching to No. 71 ahead of that '59 campaign, was one of the big reasons for the franchise's success. In the four-season stretch from 1959 to 1962, he earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, while also receiving a First-Team All-Pro selection in the final three, all of which resulted in the Packers playing in the NFL Championship Game, with the final two ending with Green Bay winning the title.
Now, we'll admit that we're somewhat breaking a little rule we've had throughout the series, as we typically don't give the nod to a player who's worn multiple numbers unless the particular number we're covering is the one he wore longest.
But given how Forester's career went to the next level once he switched, combined with the fact that there was only a small difference in time, as he wore No. 71 for five seasons after wearing No. 69 for six, we're gonna let it slide, as a guy who spent seven seasons as the Packers' defensive captain, the last five under Lombardi, undoubtedly deserves to be included in this series.
Forester retired following the 1963 season and was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.
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
- No. 58: Kicked off the Packers' greatest draft class
- No. 59: Received a special Hall of Fame honor
- No. 60: Was involved in two famous trades
- No. 61: Was a reliable specialist for a decade
- No. 62: Put on the ultimate show of toughness
- No. 63: Was the first in NFL history to win six titles
- No. 64: Had an absurd amount of surgeries
- No. 65: Proved to be a seventh-round steal
- No. 66: Wildly wanted to play for the Bears
- No. 67: Once got a shoutout from John Madden
- No. 68: Nearly gave up football
- No. 69: Achieved a feat not seen in 50-plus years
- No. 70: Was a reliable blocker for Aaron Rodgers
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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