The No. 13 debate for the Green Bay Packers is not nearly as clean as the No. 12 call, but the choice still lands on a player who could do just about everything. That player is Hank Bruder, the only other Packers Hall of Famer on the list, and the man Curly Lambeau once described in unmistakable terms.
Bruder spent nine seasons in Green Bay from 1931 to 1939 and wore several numbers along the way - Nos. 5, 18, 13, 27, and 47 - but No. 13 was the one he wore most often, which is why he gets the nod here. He arrived after dealing with injuries in college at Northwestern and made an immediate impact, starting six of the 13 games he played as a rookie in 1931 while helping Green Bay win its third straight NFL championship. He would add two more titles to his résumé, with the Packers finishing first in the league again in 1936 and 1939.
Listed simply as a “B,” Bruder was used all over the backfield. He lined up as a halfback, tailback, fullback, blocking back, quarterback, and even at a spot once called a blocking quarterback.
In his early years, he was more of a runner and receiver, scoring five rushing touchdowns in his first three seasons and adding four more through the air. As his career went on and his blocking role grew, his reputation for physicality only got stronger.
That toughness showed up on defense, too. Bruder played linebacker and was known as one of the hardest-hitting defenders in the league. He also handled punting duties at times, with his signature one-step punt, which he called a “rocking horse” kick.
Lambeau’s praise from the Packers’ 1936 championship season says plenty about how complete Bruder was:
"Bruder is one of the slipperiest field runners. He has perfect body coordination, timing, rhythm, and sense of distance.
He is a great pass receiver, is smart on defense, a good punter, a smashing tackler, a good passer, and a real hard blocker. He has no weakness.
He is the most valuable man on the team."
That kind of endorsement makes the decision at No. 13 pretty straightforward.
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