Jerry Kramer

Verified Timeline

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 1960s All-Decade 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.

In Their Own Story

The wind screamed off the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, a biting gale that stripped heat from wool and leather alike. Inside the huddle, breaths crystallized instantly into ghostly plumes against the -13 degree void. Jerry Kramer adjusted his helmet, his fingers numb despite thick gloves, eyes locking onto the Dallas defense across the line. The clock was bleeding out. Fourth down. One shot. "On two! On two!" Bart Starr's voice sliced through the cold, unnervingly calm. Kramer nodded. He knew the play: Power O right. But he also knew the Cowboys would blitz. As the ball snapped, the world narrowed to a single point of contact. The path cleared. In that split second of silence before the roar, Kramer had done what no one else could: he turned a freezing tragedy into a masterpiece.

Reader's Guide

Kramer 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. In January 1959, the Packers hired a new head coach, Vince Lombardi. With Kramer playing right guard, the Packers won five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls. He was also the team's placekicker in 1962, 1963, and part of 1968. As a kicker, he made 29 field goals, 90 extra points, for a total of 177 points. 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. During his NFL career, Kramer played in 129 regular season games; he also had 22 surgeries in 11 seasons. Kramer was selected as an All-Pro five times (1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, and 1967).

Did You Know?

• Kramer was a standout two-way player for the Idaho Vandals, along with teammate Wayne Walker.
• Kramer's number 64 was retired by the university in 1963, on his 27th birthday.
• In his penultimate season of 1967, Kramer collaborated with Dick Schaap on his first book, the best-selling Instant Replay.
• Kramer also did some broadcasting as a color commentator for CBS in 1969, and later for NBC in 1988.
• After retirement from the NFL, Kramer lived on a ranch near Parma in southwestern Idaho with his second wife Wink, then later moved to Boise.