Six Former Green Bay Packers Who Should Be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Green Bay Packers have seen many overdue players finally earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recent years. Deserving players like Jerry Kramer, LeRoy Butler, and Sterling Sharpe have been added to the hallowed halls of Canton, Ohio. But there are still Packers players and front office legends who deserve that honor but have yet to get it. Here are six former Green Bay Packers who should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The list is in no particular order.

Six Former Packers Who Should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Number Six: Lavvie Dilweg

Lavvie Dilweg played nine seasons in the NFL and eight with the Packers. The former Marquette star helped lead the Packers to three straight NFL titles from 1929-1931. He played both ways at end for the Packers and earned All-Pro honors five times.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame named Dilweg to their All-Decade Team of the 1920s. He is one of only two players on this list who are not inducted into Canton.

After he retired, Dilweg served as a U.S. Congressman from Wisconsin from 1943-1945.

Dilweg’s grandson, Anthony Dilweg, played quarterback for the Packers in 1989 and 1990.

Number Five: Jack Vainisi

Jack Vainisi was a scout for the Packers from 1950 until his sudden death in 1960 at the age of 33. Vainisi helped build the Packers dynasty teams under Vince Lombardi. He drafted eight future Hall of Famers for the Packers and helped bring Lombardi to Green Bay in 1959.

He ran the 1958 NFL Draft for the Packers which is considered the best in franchise history. Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke, and Jerry Kramer were all selected that year.

Other players Vainisi helped draft for Green Bay include Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Ringo, and Forrest Gregg. He also signed Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood as an undrafted free agent in 1960.

The Packers won their first championship under Lombardi in 1961. That year, 17 of the team’s 22 starters on offense and defense were added to the team by Vainisi. He remains one of the greatest scouts in NFL history and deserves recognition from the Hall of Fame.

Six Former Packers Who Should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Number Four: Bob Harlan

Bob Harlan joined the Packers as an assistant GM in 1971 and served in many front office capacities until 1989 when he became the team’s president. One major change Harlan made was to keep the team’s Board of Directors out of football decisions.

He also started a team store at Lambeau Field that would eventually become the Packers Pro Shop.

Late in 1991, Harlan hired Ron Wolf and left him in charge of all football-related moves. Shortly after that, the Packers hired Mike Holmgren as coach and traded for Brett Favre. A year later, they signed Reggie White, the biggest free agent available in the first NFL free agent class.

From 1992 until the present day, the Packers have been a perennial winner and contending team. It all started with the changes that Harlan made for the franchise.

Number Three: Boyd Dowler

Boyd Dowler spent 11 seasons with the Packers from 1959-1969 and one with the Washington Redskins in 1971. Dowler caught 474 passes in his career for 7,270 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was a key cog in all five of Lombardi’s championship teams in the 1960s.

Dowler earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1959 and earned Pro Bowl honors after the 1965 and 1967 seasons. He led the Packers in catches seven times. Dowler was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s, one of only two flankers to be given that honor.

After his retirement, Dowler worked for more than 30 years as a scout and assistant coach for various NFL teams.

Six Former Packers Who Should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Number Two: Gale Gillingham

Gale Gillingham had the misfortune of joining the Packers just as the Lombardi dynasty was ending. He became a starter in 1967, the year the team won their final championship of the decade and then played on some struggling Packers teams in the late 60s and 70s. He became an elite NFL guard.

The former University of Minnesota star was strong and lifted weights before that became popular among NFL players. He earned Pro Bowl honors five times and All Pro honors twice.

Head coach Dan Devine tried to move Gillingham to defensive tackle in 1972, but he suffered a knee injury early in the season and the following year, he was back where he belonged at guard.

While Gillingham was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1982, he has yet to get the call to Canton.

Number One: Clay Matthews

Clay Matthews made an immediate impact after the Packers selected him in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. The former USC star came from a renown football family. His father, uncle, and grandfather all played extensively in the NFL.

Matthews earned Pro Bowl honors in six of his first seven seasons in the NFL and was All Pro once. He made a key play in Super Bow XLV, forcing a fumble early in the fourth quarter that helped the Packers hang on and beat the Steelers.

Matthews proved to be unselfish. When injuries struck the team, he moved to inside linebacker even though it would hurt his sack totals. He continued to play well and earned Pro Bowl honors at inside linebacker as well.

Matthews finished his career with 91.5 sacks. He was one of the best players of his era and deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.