Welcome back to our series on the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
While we've got a no-brainer coming up at No. 12 in Aaron Rodgers, we had a few options to consider here at No. 11. But before we get to our selection, let's first have a look at every Green Bay player who's worn the number over the years.
- Myrt Basing, HB
- David Beverly, P
- Al Bloodgood, B
- Jarrett Boykin, WR
- Steve Broussard, P
- Wes Carlson, OL
- Trevor Davis, WR
- Ty Detmer, QB
- Red Dunn, QB/HB
- Jug Earp, OL
- Eddie Garcia, K
- Moose Gardner, G
- Roger Grove, HB
- Matt Hasselbeck, QB
- Leo Katalinas, OL
- Rick Norton, QB
- Joe Prokop, P
- Jayden Reed, WR
- Alan Risher, QB
- B.J. Sander, P
- Bernie Scherer, E
- Sammy Watkins, WR
- Cowboy Wheeler, E
As you can see, there are a few names that stand out, obviously including the man currently donning the digit, Jayden Reed, who was a second-round pick of the Packers in 2023 and led the team in receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. Reed may end up taking this title down the line, but for now, we're going to head in a different direction.
He's obviously not the winner, but we have to make mention of quarterback Ty Detmer, who played an interesting part in Packers history. The 1990 Heisman Trophy winner and a two-time All-American at BYU, he was drafted by Green Bay in 1992, the same year the team traded for Brett Favre. When Don Majkowski went down with an injury early in that '92 campaign, many Cheeseheads weren't overly fond of Favre taking over, as they wanted to see what Detmer could do. But we all know how that turned out.
David Beverly deserves a nod as well, as he was a solid punter for the Packers for parts of six seasons from 1975 to 1980, and his 18,785 yards are still the most in team history.
In the end, though, our decision came down to a pair of Packers Hall of Fame members, those being Jug Earp and Red Dunn. Those who have followed this series thus far know that Earp has already been included, but even if that hadn't been the case, we'd still be inclined to roll with Dunn here, given the position he played (well, one of them) and the fact that he wore the number for longer.
Red Dunn led the Packers to their first three NFL titles
Now, we should note that, like pretty much every player during the early years of the NFL's existence, Dunn wore several numbers, also wearing Nos. 15, 16, and 17 during his five-year run in Green Bay from 1927 to 1931. But he wore No. 11 more than any of the others, so we're just rolling with it.
So many players back in the day played multiple positions on both sides of the ball, but Dunn, whose given name was Joseph, by the way, did it all, playing quarterback and halfback on offense and safety on defense, while also sometimes serving as both the placekicker and the punter.
An All-American at Marquette, Dunn suited up for two other teams before making his way to Green Bay, playing the 1924 season with the Milwaukee Badgers and the next two campaigns with the Chicago Cardinals, leading the latter to an NFL Championship in 1925.
Traded to the Packers ahead of the 1927 season, the Wisconsin native was naturally a favorite among fans, and he ultimately led Green Bay to back-to-back-to-back NFL titles from 1929 to 1931, with the team posting a combined record of 44-5-2 during that stretch. And at the end of that three-peat, the two-time All-Pro simply stepped away to become a coach at his alma mater.
Now, stats from back then aren't always accurate, but according to the Packers' official website, Dunn was credited by The Football Encyclopedia, which was published in 1994, with 4,641 passing yards, the second-highest total in the pre-stat era, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Benny Friedman, who was viewed by most as the top QB in the league back then. Dunn's 29 touchdown passes in the 1920s were also second only to Friedman's 42, and he tacked on another 19 in his final two seasons to kick off the 1930s.
Dunn is also unofficially credited with having recorded 19 interceptions on defense, 113 points on field goals and extra points, and 67 punts.
So, you see now why he was our choice, right?
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
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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