Jerry Kramer

Packers guard and kicker, Hall of Fame inductee, author of 'Instant Replay'.

Gerald Louis Kramer (born January 23, 1936) is an American former professional football player, author and sports commentator. He played 11 years as a guard and kicker with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Quick Facts

Championships: Five NFL Championships (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967)

Lore & Background

Kramer played college football for the Idaho Vandals before being selected by Green Bay in the fourth round of the 1958 NFL draft. He was an integral part of the famous Packers sweep. Kramer was an All-Pro five times, and a member of the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Before his election into the Hall of Fame at age 82, Kramer was noted for being a finalist for the Hall ten times without being voted in. In 2008, he was rated No. 1 in NFL Network's Top 10 list of players not in the Hall. Kramer was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 4, 2018. At his induction speech, he quoted something his high school coach had often told him: 'You can if you will.'

Reader's Guide

Kramer's number 64 was retired by the University of Idaho in 1963, on his 27th birthday. He wore #74 as a sophomore tackle in 1955, and #57 on the freshman team in 1954. While at UI, Kramer was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, and also lettered in track and field (discus and shot put).

Did You Know?

He played every game in his rookie season of 1958 under first-year head coach Ray 'Scooter' McLean, but the Packers finished with the worst record (1–10–1) in the twelve-team league.
Kramer collaborated with Dick Schaap on his first book, the best-selling 'Instant Replay', a diary of the 1967 season.
He also scored ten points, on three field goals and an extra point, in the Packers' 16–7 victory over the New York Giants in the 1962 NFL Championship Game.
Kramer had 22 surgeries in 11 seasons, including a colostomy, which he described as 'a horror movie that hasn't been made yet.'