Best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 92 has the second-most sacks in NFL history

Welcome back once again to Lombardi Ave's 100-part series highlighting the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99

This entry, of course, is particularly special, as No. 92 is one of only six ever to be officially retired by the Packers, with the others being No. 3 (Tony Canadeo), No. 4 (Brett Favre), No. 14 (Don Hutson), No. 15 (Bart Starr), and No. 66 (Ray Nitschke). And there's obviously no need to hide the reveal here, as it's certainly no secret that No. 92 is no longer in circulation because of the legendary Reggie White.

But before we break down the career of one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, let's first have a look at everyone who's worn the number for the Green & Gold.

Rich Dimler, DT
John Jurkovic, DT
Matt Koart, DE
Ben Thomas, DE
Reggie White, DE

Well, that didn't take very long, did it? While the number being retired is obviously one of the reasons why this list is as short as it is, the fact that nobody wore it for the franchise's first sixty-plus years of existence plays into that as well, as the first to sport No. 92 in Green Bay was defensive tackle Rich Dimler, who wore it for three games in 1980, which turned out to be the final three games of his short NFL career.

Fifth-round rookie defensive end Matt Koart wore it for six games in 1986, but those were actually the only six games he ever played in the NFL, as he was released and never signed on with anyone else, instead opting to go to law school. Defensive end Ben Thomas, who'd started that same 1986 season with the New England Patriots, who waived him in October, was claimed by Green Bay and wore it for nine games.

The next to don the digit was defensive tackle John Jurkovic, who wore it in both 1991 and 1992. But when White signed with Green Bay ahead of the 1993 season, he gave it up and switched to No. 64.

So, with that short history out of the way, let's get things rolling with "The Minister of Defense."

Reggie White tallied 68.5 of his 198.0 career sacks during his six-season run with the Green Bay Packers

A First-Team All-SEC selection, the SEC Player of the Year, and a unanimous All-American in 1983 at the University of Tennessee, White was selected by the Memphis Showboats in the 1984 USFL Territorial Draft, which was held four months before the 1984 NFL Draft. Instead of waiting things out,, White, who was born in Chattanooga, found the opportunity to continue playing in his home state too enticing to pass up, so he just went ahead and signed with the Showboats, with whom he played two seasons before the league folded.

A little over a month after the 1984 NFL Draft took place, a supplemental draft was held specifically for teams to draft players who'd already signed with either the USFL or the CFL. And in that draft, White was taken fourth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles, so when he joined the NFL in 1985, his rights belonged to the Birds.

It certainly didn't take the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder long to establish himself as one of the top defensive ends in the league, as he earned a second-place finish in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after recording 13.0 sacks. And he only got better from there.

In his next seven seasons in Philly, White earned seven trips to the Pro Bowl, seven All-Pro selections (six First Team, one Second Team), and four top-four finishes in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, winning the award in 1987 after posting a career-high 21.0 sacks. In his eight years with the Eagles, he tallied a ridiculous 124.0 sacks. So, even if he never played another down after that, he'd still rank among the top 30 on the all-time list.

But he obviously did play more downs, as in 1993, which was the first year of the unrestricted free agency era that we all know today, White signed a four-year, $17 million contract with Green Bay, thus making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league and the third-highest-paid player overall, trailing only legendary Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.

Oh, how times and salaries have changed, am I right?

While White never quite hit the numbers he had in Philly, he continued to be one of the most dominant players at his position during his six-season run with the Packers, earning six more trips to the Pro Bowl and six more All-Pro selections (two First Team, four Second Team) while tallying 68.5 sacks.

More importantly, after never advancing past the Divisional Round of the postseason with the Eagles, he helped Green Bay make its first-ever appearance in the NFC Championship Game in 1995, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. But the following year, the Packers not only returned to the NFC title game but won, then went on to defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 31, a game in which White had 3.0 sacks. The team returned to the Super Bowl the following year but lost to the Denver Broncos.

White's best season in Green Bay was in 1998, as he tallied 16.0 sacks en route to winning Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career. But that turned out to be his last season with the team, as he opted to retire, although that only lasted one year, as he returned to the NFL in 2000 to play one season with the Carolina Panthers before actually retiring for good.

With 124.0 sacks with the Eagles, 68.5 with the Packers, and 5.5 with the Panthers, White's 198.0 career sacks are the second-most of any player in NFL history, trailing only the 200.0 posted by Bruce Smith. And despite playing just those six seasons in Green Bay, his 68.5 sacks are still good for the fifth-most in team history, as he trails only Willie Davis (99.5), Clay Matthews (83.5), Ezra Johnson (82.0), and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.

Tragically, White passed away in December 2004 from an arrhythmia at the age of 43. Tennessee, the Eagles, and the Packers all retired his No. 92 in 2005, with Philly also putting him in the team's Hall of Fame. He was inducted into both the Packers Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

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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Reggie White tallied 68.5 of his 198.0 career sacks during his six-season run with the Green Bay Packers

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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