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.
Well, we've come to the end of the 70s, and we've got a special entry to close things out here at No. 79 with a man who was not only a Pro Bowl player for the Packers but also spent three additional decades with the franchise once his playing days came to an end.
But before we break everything down, of course, let's first run through our usual routine of looking at everyone who's worn No. 79 for the Green & Gold over the years.
- Bob Adkins, B/G/DE/LB
- Ross Browner, DL
- Jim DeLisle, DT
- Mike Estep, G
- Angelo Fields
- Travis Glover, OL
- Dave Hanner, DT
- Donnie Humphrey, DT
- Tunch Ilkin, OT
- Dennis Kelly, OT
- Mark Koncar, OT
- Dick Moje, E
- Bob Nelson, DT
- Ryan Pickett, DE
- Anthony Rush, DT
- Harry Schuh, OT
- Ron Spears, DE
- Marcus Spriggs, OT
- Barry Stokes, G/OT
- Alex Urban, E/DE
- Evan Vogds, G
- Josh Walker, G
- Will Whitticker, OT
While our selection is an old-school guy, not to mention the only member of the Packers Hall of Fame on this list, our runner-up comes from this century in longtime defensive lineman Ryan Pickett, who spent the first five years of his career with the then-St. Louis Rams before signing in Green Bay ahead of the 2006 season.
In eight seasons with the Packers, Pickett started 113 of the 119 regular-season games in which he appeared, racking up more than 300 total tackles, and 10 of 11 postseason contests, including Super Bowl 45. And the 6-foot-2, 340-pounder was responsible for a big play that night in Dallas.
With Green Bay clinging to a 21-17 lead late in the game, it was Pickett who held up Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall in the backfield on the first play of the fourth quarter, thus allowing Clay Matthews to come in and force a fumble. Green Bay scored on the ensuing drive to take an 11-point lead and ultimately held on for a 31-25 victory.
Pickett was a fine player, but the easy call here is defensive tackle Dave Hanner.
Dave Hanner played 13 years for the Packers and spent another 31 years with the team as a coach and scout
A back-to-back First-Team All-SWC selection at the University of Arkansas in 1950 and 1951, Hanner was taken by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 1952 NFL Draft with the 52nd overall selection.
If you were with us a couple of entries ago, you know Hanner wore No. 77 for the first two years of his career, earning his first Pro Bowl selection donning the double sevens in 1953 and then a second in 1954 in his first season wearing No. 79.
The 6-foot-2, 260-pounder continued to be a good player on some bad Packers teams as the 1950s progressed, but he finally got a taste of some team success when Vince Lombardi arrived in Green Bay in 1959.
Lining up in between future Hall of Famers Willie Davis and Henry Jordan, Hanner was one of the key components of an incredible defensive line that helped the Packers win back-to-back NFL Championships in 1961 and 1962, doing the dirty work in the middle that allowed Davis and Jordan to become two of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
If that sounds familiar, it's because you read something similar at No. 77, as the man who eventually took Hanner's job, Ron Kostelnik, was our pick at that number and did the exact same thing.
After losing his starting spot to Kostelnik midway through the 1964 campaign, Hanner, at Lombardi's request, retired just ahead of the 1965 season. But, as mentioned, he certainly wasn't done in Green Bay, as Lombardi immediately hired him to be the Packers' defensive line coach, a role he held until 1971. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1972, a role he held until 1979, also adding assistant head coach to his resume in 1975.
Hanner was fired following the '79 season, and seemingly in an act of revenge, he signed on to be a scout for the rival Chicago Bears, spending a couple of years in the Windy City before returning to Green Bay in 1982. After one year as a quality control assistant, he transitioned into a scouting role and remained with the team through its 1996 Super Bowl-winning season.
All in all, Hanner spent 44 years with the Packers in some sort of capacity, but even had that not been the case, just his 13 years in uniform were enough to give him this title of the best Packers player to wear No. 79.
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
- No. 78: Made a Pro Bowl shortly after being shot
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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