Welcome back to our 100-piece series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
As you saw from the headline, we've got one of the more unique stories of the series here at No. 78, as our selection for this slot was straight-up shot just a little over six months before making the lone Pro Bowl of his career.
But before we break all that down, let's first run through our usual routine of looking at every player who's worn No. 78 for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Cliff Aberson, B
- Allen Barbre, OT
- Bob Brown, DL
- Louis Cheek, OT
- Bill Cooke, DE
- Dalton Cooper, OT
- Tom Dahms, OT
- Marquis Hayes, G
- Jim Hobbins, G
- Gary Hoffman, OT
- Ezra Johnson, DE
- Norm Masters, OT
- Casey Merrill, DE
- Brian Price, DL
- Terdell Sands, DE
- Derek Sherrod, OT
- Jason Spriggs, OT
- Luke Tenuta, OT
- Cole Van Lanen, OT/G
- Ross Verba, OT
- Carl Wafer, DT
There is one member of the Packers Hall of Fame on this list, that being defensive end Ezra Johnson, who played 11 solid seasons in Titletown from 1977 to 1987, tallying 92.0 sacks in that time. But as he only wore No. 78 in one of those seasons, wearing No. 90 for the other 10, we took him out of consideration.
Yes, that one season he wore No. 78 was the only year he made the Pro Bowl, but we've had a consistent rule throughout the series that says we typically only highlight a player who's worn multiple numbers when the one he wore the most rolls around, and we're sticking to that here.
There are a couple of others who deserve to be mentioned, with one being offensive tackle Norm Masters, who won a couple of championships with Vince Lombardi in the early 1960s, and another being versatile offensive tackle and guard Ross Verba, who was a solid four-year starter for the Packers from 1997 to 2000.
At the end of the day, though, our call here was a versatile player on the other side of the ball in defensive lineman Bob Brown.
Bob Brown was shot in the neck the same year he made his first and only Pro Bowl with the Green Bay Packers
After spending his collegiate years at Arkansas AM&N, which is now Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Brown was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the 13th round of the 1964 NFL Draft with the 169th overall selection.
Cut by the Niners in both 1964 and 1965, he kept himself sharp by suiting up for the Wheeling Ironmen, who belonged to the United Football League in '64 before becoming a charter member of the Continental Football League in '65.
Brown signed with Green Bay ahead of the 1966 season, and while he started just one game during the regular season, he tallied 4.5 sacks and added another in the Packers' 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the first edition of the AFL-NFL Championship Game, which, of course, we now call the Super Bowl.
Bouncing all over the defensive line, Brown continued to serve in a reserve role for the Packers over the next couple of years before taking over as the starter at right defensive tackle during the 1969 season, a year in which he recorded a career-high 9.0 sacks. He then started at both left defensive tackle and left defensive end in 1970 before moving back to right defensive tackle for good in 1971.
In March 1972, Brown was shot in the neck while in his car in Memphis, reportedly by an acquaintance over a dispute from a card game. As a result, he had his jaw wired shut and obviously spent some time in the hospital.
But just a little over six months later, there he was in his No. 78 jersey for the Packers' season opener against the Cleveland Browns, and he ultimately played every single game that season and earned the first and only Pro Bowl selection of his career in helping the team to its only playoff appearance of the decade. He played one more season in Green Bay before closing out his career with one year with the San Diego Chargers and another two with the Cincinnati Bengals.
In his eight years with the Packers, Brown appeared in 109 total games between the regular season and postseason and recorded 30.5 sacks.
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
- No. 71: Was Vince Lombardi's first defensive captain
- No. 72: Knows he didn't get the credit he deserved
- No. 73: Made a little NFL draft history
- No. 74: Made Vince Lombardi look like a genius
- No. 75: Was Vince Lombardi's most decorated star
- No. 76: Was the reason for an NFL rule change
- No. 77: Did the dirty work so others could shine
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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