Chuck Carlson - Catching Excellence: The History of the Green Bay Packers in Eleven Games

Chuck Carlson is an award-winning journalist who has written numerous sports books on subjects ranging from golf to baseball. But his main focus had been on the players and history of the Green Bay Packers, having written on quarterback Brett Favre, Green Bays two most recent Super Bowl titles, the 1967 Ice Bowl, the best players at each position in team history and more. He is a frequent freelance writer and has written for newspapers in Virginia, Maryland, Nevada, Washington, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He lives in Marshall, Michigan.

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Copyright 2022 by Chuck Carlson

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ISBN 978-1-4930-6284-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4930-6913-2 (electronic)

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1. CHAPTER 1: The Greatest Football Team in the World Today
   Packers 20, New York Giants 6, November 24, 1929
2. CHAPTER 2: As Fine a Squad of Men as Ever Represented Any City
   Packers 21, Boston Redskins 6, December 13, 1936
3. CHAPTER 3: It Was a Team Effort
   Packers 9, Chicago Bears 6, September 27, 1959
4. CHAPTER 4: It Was a Hell of a Football Game
   Packers 16, New York Giants 7, December 30, 1962
5. CHAPTER 5: Everyone Knew Exactly What Was at Stake
   Packers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17, December 31, 1967
6. CHAPTER 6: Were Being Asked One More Time to Do This
   Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14, January 14, 1968
7. CHAPTER 7: Weve Put Our Future in His Hands
   Packers 28, Detroit Lions 24, January 8, 1994
8. CHAPTER 8: Hey, Maybe Green Bay Is for Real
   Packers 27, San Francisco 49ers 17, January 6, 1996
9. CHAPTER 9: Back Where It Belongs
   Packers 35, New England Patriots 21, January 26, 1997
10. CHAPTER 10: This Is Aarons Team Now
    Minnesota Vikings 38, Packers 26, November 1, 2009
11. CHAPTER 11: This Is Our Time
    Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25, February 6, 2011
12. EPILOGUE
    These Games Were Pretty Significant, Too

BY RON WOLF

I STILL REMEMBER VIVIDLY AND FONDLY WHAT I CONSIDER PERHAPS the greatest game in my 10 years as the Green Bay Packers executive vice president and general manager.

And it may not be the one you think it is. Obviously, there have been a lot of great games played by this remarkable franchise. And in my time there, from 1991 to 2001, I witnessed a lot.

But for me the pinnacle came on a cold, sunny afternoon at Lam-beau Field when I saw the historic old stadium that I had grown to love shake in ways I didnt know it could shake.

The seconds were ticking off the scoreboard, the sellout crowd was screaming, and Im watching the players, many of whom I had brought to the team over the previous seasons, celebrating and hugging and laughing and, yes, crying.

This was a big deal. On this January afternoon in 1997, I watched as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Carolina Panthers to win the NFC championship and earn Green Bays first trip back to the Super Bowl in 30 years.

The Packers would go on to win Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans, beating the New England Patriots, and afterward, when Mike Holmgren told his team that as important as winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy was to every other team in the NFL, it meant more to Green Bay, I smiled. He was right.

I think I can say that anybody who has ever played for the Green Bay Packers has been proud to do so. It is a franchise built on tradition and excellence. This is a special team and a special place.

I have often thought back to 1991, when I had the opportunity to join the Packers. I was certainly tempted, but I knew the Packers had struggled for years, and when I sought advice from friends and NFL colleagues about joining the Packers, they cautioned against it. It would be a dead-end job, they said, that would bring nothing but frustration and disappointment.

But when Packers President Bob Harlan told me that I would be in charge of all aspects of football operations, I was intrigued and flattered. I saw it as a great challenge.

So I said yes, and it was the best decision I ever made.

With the help of a lot of people, we were able to do some great work in Green Bay because, lets face it, we resurrected a franchise that wasnt really going anywhere. In fact, there were rumors for years that the Packers were headed to Milwaukee, but, as Im sure most football fans know, to have the Packers anywhere else but Green Bay just didnt make sense.

I was very fortunate because you cant have a better situation than being able to work for the Green Bay Packers. Its about their history and what they mean to professional football and just how unique the franchise is. Everything about it is unique. The uniqueness of the city, the uniqueness of the team. And I think we took that uniqueness and made it even more unique.

I also remember when free agency came into the NFL and people said Green Bay would be dead. Guess what? Green Bay is not dead. It had a rebirth, and Im very proud of what we were able to do to change the dynamic. And, again, its because of the tradition of the Green Bay Packers.

This book describes some of the most important games in the history of the Packers. Its amazing to see how those games span the decades, proving that great games can come at any time and from players with vastly different skills, perspectives, and goals.

But the games are played by men who have loved the game in ways that few outside the sport can understand. And for me, most of the guys who played for the Packers when I was there have a special place in my heart. For example, I placed my career in the hands of Brett Favre, and he didnt let me down.

So many guys came in and did so well. Two of them, Adam Timmerman and Mark Tauscher, were seventh-round draft picks and played at a championship caliber. Those are the kinds of guys who mean so much to me. They demonstrated so much and showed that if youre good enough, youll play. And thats the dynamic of the game.

I continue to watch the Packers and am pleased to see that the success and devotion to the game and to the franchise continues under guys like head coach Matt LaFleur, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, general manager Brian Gutekunst, and so many others.

I will always cherish my years with the Green Bay Packers and will always appreciate the opportunity I was provided. We had great players who played great games in front of great fans.

We had a pretty good run up there.

Ron Wolf was executive vice president and general manager of the Green Bay Packers from 1991 to 2001. In his time there, the Packers won one Super Bowl and played in another; posted a .639 overall winning percentage and .841 at home; set a team record with 25 straight wins at Lambeau Field; racked up eight winning seasons; and made the playoffs six times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.