The best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 13 had 'no weakness'

Welcome back to Lombardi Ave's series on the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

After one of the easiest calls of the entire series at No. 12 in Aaron Rodgers, we don't have it quite so easy here at No. 13. But before we break things down a bit, let's first have a look at every Packers player to don the digit over the years.

Jake Allen, WR
Steve Bono, QB
Hank Bruder, B
Kevin Dorsey, WR
Chris Harper, WR
Les Hearden, HB
Don Horn, QB
Chris Jacke, K
Kelvin Kight, WR
Eddie Kotal, HB/QB
Allen Lazard, WR
Chester Marcol, K
Marty Norton, B
Bill Renner, P
Bucky Scribner, P
Dontayvion Wicks, WR

As we just mentioned Rodgers, we might as well mention one of his favorite targets over his final few years in Green Bay, Allen Lazard. And, of course, there's the guy wearing the number now in Dontayvion Wicks. But we're staying away from this century for this one.

Also of note on this list is a pair of kickers in Chester Marcol and Chris Jacke, both of whom are members of the Packers Hall of Fame. And either would have been a strong choice here, as Marcol was the 1972 NFC Rookie of the Year, a two-time First-Team All-Pro, and a two-time Pro Bowler. And Jacke, who was the kicker on the Brett Favre-led Packers that won Super Bowl 31, was a one-time First-Team All-Pro selection and owns the fourth-most points in team history with 820. But we're not going the kicker route either.

Instead, we're rolling with the only other Packers Hall of Famer on this list, Hank Bruder, who did absolutely everything for Curly Lambeau back in the early days of the franchise.

Curly Lambeau once said that Green Bay Packers legend Hank Bruder had "no weakness"

Now, I want to get a couple things out of the way here before we get rolling.

For starters, Bruder, like so many others in the 1920s and 1930s, wore a lot of different numbers, sporting Nos. 5, 18, 13, 27, and 47 during his nine-year run in Green Bay from 1931 to 1939. But as he wore No. 13 more than any of the others, we're giving him the nod.

And secondly, I'd like it known that just because he was born in Pekin, Illinois, which just happens to be where I live, and attended the same high school as my kids, that had nothing to do with my decision here. So, let's keep moving.

Despite battling some injuries during his collegiate years at Northwestern, Bruder signed with Green Bay ahead of the 1931 season and contributed immediately, starting six of the 13 games in which he appeared and helping the team to its third consecutive NFL Championship, the first of three titles he'd collect, as the Packers were again the top team in the league in 1936 and 1939.

If you didn't notice above, the letter next to Bruder's name was simply a "B," which stands for "Back," and he played all the backs you can imagine on offense, lining up as a halfback, a tailback, a fullback, a blocking back, a quarterback, and a position known back in the day as a blocking quarterback. And he excelled at every single one of them.

Used as more of a runner and receiver in his early years, he scored five rushing touchdowns in his first three seasons, adding another four through the air. And when he took on more of a blocking role as his career progressed, so many stories from various legends have all revolved around not wanting to get in his way if he was coming at you.

And that wasn't only on offense, as Bruder played linebacker as well and was viewed as one of the hardest-hitting defenders in the league. For added measure, he served as the Packers' punter at times as well, with his specialty being the one-step punt that he called a "rocking horse" kick.

During Green Bay's 1936 championship season, Curly Lambeau had this to say about his all-around star:

"Bruder is one of the slipperiest field runners. He has perfect body coordination, timing, rhythm, and sense of distance. He is a great pass receiver, is smart on defense, a good punter, a smashing tackler, a good passer, and a real hard blocker. He has no weakness. He is the most valuable man on the team."

When Lambeau says something like that, it's hard not to pay attention, So, you can obviously see why we went in this direction with Hank Bruder being the best to wear No. 13.

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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Curly Lambeau once said that Green Bay Packers legend Hank Bruder had "no weakness"

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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