Welcome back once again to Lombardi Ave's series on the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 all the way to No. 99.
We've got some solid options here at No. 7, but before we get to the reveal, let's first have a look at every player to don the digit for the Green & Gold over the years, a list that's actually the biggest we've had yet over these first eight entries.
- Corey Bojorquez, P
- Javon Bullard, S
- Jug Earp, C
- Dick Gordon, WR
- Chris Hanson, P
- Brett Hundley, QB
- Ed Jankowski, RB
- Jeremy Kapinos, P
- Sean Landeta, P
- Ace Loomis, B
- Dewey Lyle, OL
- Don Majkowski, QB
- Ingle Martin, QB
- Joel Mason, E
- J.T. O'Sullivan, QB
- Walt Schlinkman, RB
- Red Smith, G
- Bud Svendsen, C
- Quay Walker, LB
- Whitey Woodin, OL
- Danny Wuerffel, QB
As you can see, there are a number of notable names on this list, including Packers Hall of Fame members Ed Jankowski, Bud Svendsen, and Whitey Woodin, all of whom got a long look here, and Quay Walker certainly got a look as well.
In the end, though, we're rolling with "The Majik Man" himself, Don Majkowski, who had one of the greatest seasons of any Packers quarterback in history before injuries set in, the last of which altered the course of the franchise forever.
Don Majkowski was just the second Packers QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season
Taken by Green Bay in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft with the 255th overall pick, Majkowski was originally assigned No. 5, which, of course, had been worn by the legendary Paul Hornung. While that number was unofficially retired in 1967 by Vince Lombardi, it never became official, and four players actually ended up wearing it in the years that followed.
Thinking it was going to be retired, though, Majkowski switched to No. 7 in 1988 and wore it for the remainder of his run with the Packers.
Over his first two years, the Virginia alum split time with Randy Wright before finally getting the gig on a full-time basis in 1989, quickly proving that the organization made the correct choice. In leading the Packers to a 10-6 record, their first winning season since 1978 (not including the strike-shortened '82 campaign), Majkowski threw for a league-high 4,318 yards with 27 touchdowns en route to earning a trip to the Pro Bowl, a Second-Team All-Pro selection, and a second-place finish in the NFL MVP voting.
At the time, he was just the second QB in Packers history to hit the 4,000-yard mark, with those 4,318 yards being the second-most behind only the 4,458 from Lynn Dickey in 1983. Those 27 touchdown passes were also the second-most in team history at that time, trailing only Dickey's 32 from that same '83 campaign.
But that was as good as it got for Majkowski. A little over midway through the 1990 season, he suffered a torn rotator cuff and simply never got the "Majik" back. A hamstring injury hindered his 1991 season, a year during which Mike Tomczak took over the starting role, and while Majkowski resumed QB1 duties to start the 1992 campaign, he suffered a torn ligament in his ankle during a Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, thus paving the way for a young Brett Favre to step in and lead Green Bay to a comeback victory.
And the rest, as they say, is history, as Favre never gave up the starting role and became one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Majkowski left Green Bay following that '92 season and closed out his career playing two seasons each with the Indianapolis Colts and the Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2005, and his 10,870 passing yards are still the seventh-most in franchise history.
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
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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