JERRY KRAMER, G, GREEN BAY PACKERS

Career Highlights:

Played 11 Seasons for the Green Bay Packers, 1958-1968

Played in 4 League Championship games and two Super Bowls

Earned 5 Championship rings.

5-Time All-Pro and 3 Pro Bowls

The Case for Jerry Kramer:

A fourth round draft pick in 1958, (selected after Jim Taylor and Ray Nitschke), Kramer earned a starting job immediately. As a rookie, the 6′ 3″, 250-lb Kramer quickly gained the reputation as a tenacious player that could hold his own against the best defensive tackles. In 1959, a fiery new coach came to town and soon recognized Kramer’s talent. Years later, Vince Lombardi would say of Kramer, “He didn’t know how good he was…”

Lombardi helped develop Jerry Kramer into an All-Pro NFL guard.  Kramer became the key blocker to the success of the famous Green Bay Packer sweep. Along with fellow guard Fuzzy Thurston, it was Kramer’s job to provide the inside “seal” Vince Lombardi famously talked about, keeping pursuing linebackers or defensive backs away from Jim Taylor and Paul Horning.

While Hall-of-Fame membership has eluded Jerry Kramer, fame itself has not. In the historic Ice Bowl game against the Dallas Cowboys, Kramer threw the most famous and recounted block in the history of the NFL, giving Bart Starr just enough room to score the winning TD. Kramer also appeared in one of the most famous Sports Illustrated covers ever, the classic photograph of Kramer carrying Vince Lombardi off the field after the Packers’ Super Bowl II victory.

Kramer was famous for his physical ailments, injuries and multiple operations. Kramer underwent 22 surgeries in 11 seasons, his many scars earning him the nickname “Zipper”. Despite all of these obstacles, Kramer made it onto the field to play in 129 regular season games in his 11 years. As Bart Starr once said, “When Jerry wasn’t on his deathbed, he was making life miserable for defensive tackles.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Kramer also filled in as the Packers’ placekicker for two seasons. His three field goals helped the Packers win the 1962 championship game against the New York Giants, 16-7. He tallied 65 points in 1962 and was the team’s leading scorer the following season with 91 points.

In addition to his playing career, Jerry Kramer gained fame off of the football field. He became a best-selling author, with his first book, Instant Replay, a diary of the 1967 Packers championship season. He would go on to write three more books, “Farewell to Football”, “Lombardi: Winning is the Only Thing”, and “Distant Replay.” Kramer is also the original founder of Gridiron Greats, the non-profit organization Mike Ditka is associated with, dedicated to offering financial assistance to old-time NFL players with physical disabilities and difficult lives.

Kramer earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike, and was named All-Pro 5 times. If not for the Packers having so many other All-Pro players on their team, Kramer would have certainly been named to more Pro Bowls. Still, his playing career was not short on accolades. Kramer was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1960′s. He was named  a starting guard in “The Ultimate Super Bowl 40 Man Roster”, the 40th anniversary all-time Super Bowl team. And most impressively of all, he was the ONLY guard selected for the NFL’s 50th Anniversary all-time team. Incredulously, Kramer is the ONLY player on that that team that is NOT a member of the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame. How is that possible?

Jerry Kramer is a 10-time Hall of Fame finalist and thus, the only player named 10 times or more that has not been inducted. Many former teammates and competitors have come out and accused the voting writers of being jealous of Kramer’s success as an author. Joe Horrigan, Hall of Fame Vice President has said that 25% of the mail that the Hall receives on a daily basis is about Jerry Kramer. Steve Sabol, legendary President of NFL Films, named Kramer as his choice for the best player not in the Hall of Fame. Clearly, it seems that almost everyone except the Hall of Fame voters recognize that Jerry Kramer belongs. It’s beyond ironic that Kramer has earned so much fame, yet can’t get acknowledged by the Hall of Fame. The Seniors committee needs to nominate Kramer every year until all of the Hall of Fame voters come to their senses and this wrong is righted.

Editor's Note: The above article first appeard on ALLGBP.com, almost five years ago to the day. It's reprinted here as a tone-setter for our Jerry Kramer for HOF Day campaign.