Jerry Kramer is the easy answer for No. 64 in Packers history, and the case only gets stronger the deeper you dig. He was there for the full Vince Lombardi run, he was one of the key pieces behind the power sweep, and he finished with a résumé that belongs in Canton.
Before Kramer took over the number, Green Bay had already seen a couple of notable names wear it. Nate Barragar was the first Packers player to do so, using No. 64 for one season in 1934 during his four-year run with the team.
Ted Fritsch then made the number his own from 1942 through 1950, and he did a little bit of everything: 2,200 rushing yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions as a linebacker, and even placekicking duties. One of his signature moments came in 1947 at Wrigley Field, when he hit the first 50-yard field goal in team history against the Chicago Bears.
Still, Kramer stands alone among that group. A First-Team All-Pacific Coast Conference pick at Idaho in 1957, he was drafted by Green Bay in the fourth round of the 1958 NFL Draft with the 39th overall pick. That class turned into a monster for the franchise, with Jim Taylor and Ray Nitschke also coming aboard.
Kramer started out on the bench, but he became the Packers’ starting right guard during his rookie year, which came before Lombardi arrived. Once Lombardi got there in 1959 and installed the power sweep, Kramer was right in the middle of it, doing the heavy lifting up front as the first defender outside the tight end’s block had to be handled.
The results were undeniable. Kramer made six All-Pro teams in all, landing First-Team honors in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, and 1967, then earning Second-Team recognition in 1968. He was also part of all five championships the Packers won during the Lombardi era.
And yes, he could kick, too. Kramer made 90 of 95 extra points in regular-season play and converted 29 of 54 field goals. In the 1962 NFL Championship Game, he outscored the New York Giants by himself, drilling three field goals and an extra point in Green Bay’s 16-7 win.
What makes his career even more remarkable is everything he played through. Kramer had 22 surgeries over 11 seasons, including a colostomy and an operation to remove three wooden slivers from his groin after a high school farming accident, yet he missed games in only two seasons.
Kramer was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1975, and after a long wait, he finally made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. He also became a best-selling author by writing several books about his NFL career.
In Other News...
Romeo Doubs Just Sparked A New Packers Debate
Romeo Doubs first game with the Patriots gave New England a quick look at why the former Packers receiver remains such an interesting player to track. Signed to a four-year deal in the 2026 offseason, Doubs was on the field in a recent game and saw three targets, with his night including one drop and an interception. For a Patriots offense dealing with injuries, even a modest debut carried extra weight because every available receiver is being asked to do a little more.
For Green Bay, the performance only adds another layer to the long-running conversation about why the Packers chose to move on from him. Doubs has already shown enough in his career to keep both sides of the argument alive, and a debut like this does not settle much either way. It does, though, remind everyone that once a player leaves, the debate usually turns less on what he did in one game and more on what the team thought it was giving up. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Still Appreciate What Mark Tauscher Became In Green Bay
When Packers fans look back at jersey No. 65, Mark Tauscher still stands out as the standard bearer. Drafted in the seventh round in 2000, he went on to carve out an 11-season career in Green Bay almost entirely at right tackle, becoming one of those steady, dependable linemen who rarely made headlines but always seemed to matter when the games got serious. He appeared in 142 games and eventually earned a place in the Packers Hall of Fame in 2018, which feels about right for a player whose value was built on consistency and toughness.
Tauschers story also carries a small bit of what-ifs, since injury kept him from taking part in the Packers Super Bowl 45 victory even though he still received a championship ring. For a franchise that has seen plenty of players pass through the No. 65 jersey, his legacy remains the one fans remember first, not just for how long he lasted, but for how well he fit in Green Bay once he got there. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Week 1 Depth Chart Hints At Whos Winning Key Job Battles
Following the roster cutdowns to 53 players, the Packers gave a clearer look at how some of their biggest training camp battles may have shaken out by releasing an unofficial Week 1 depth chart. It is not an official declaration, but it does offer a useful snapshot of where things stood coming out of camp and the preseason, with a few notable names showing up in spots that will matter once the games count.
Jacob Monk is projected to start at right guard, Barryn Sorrell is listed opposite Lukas Van Ness at edge rusher, and Keisean Nixon is still holding a starting cornerback role despite competition from newer draft picks and free-agent additions. For a Packers roster that kept several jobs open deep into August, those placements suggest some battles have tilted in certain directions, even if nothing is final yet. [Read more 🡒]