Reasons why Jerry Kramer should be in the NFL Hall of Fame
There are many reasons why Green Bay Packer great Jerry Kramer should be inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame. Below is a master list of those reasons:
Reason No. 1: Kramer is a staple of the early fabric of the NFL, one of the primary figures in some of the most historic games from the golden age of football.
A true football player, he could pull from his guard position and make a crushing block for a touchdown, then line up and kick the ensuing extra point. When was the last time an offensive lineman kick field goals? Kramer once kicked three field goals and an extra point in a 16-7 win over the New York Giants in the 1962 NFL championship game.
He’s far too classy to hold a grudge for what is clearly a slight, instead talking about how small it would be to resent a game that has been so good to him. Folksy, funny and dripping with down-home charm, his acceptance speech would certainly be one for the ages.
So take heed NFL Hall of Fame voters, the time is now to honor one of the true greats of the game.
—ERIC PLUMMER, SANDPOINT
Reason No. 2: I had the privilege of watching Jerry play football in Green Bay. His accomplishments are of record and legend. It’s a gross injustice he’s not been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame long before now.
Visiting Green Bay from Sandpoint during those years when Jerry was at his peak as a professional player I saw first hand how he played and how the people of that area viewed their team and especially Jerry. They know football and he IS football.
There’s a story around that the Packers have too many players from that era already in Canton. That, if true, should never be a determining factor. Extraordinary play is THE factor for those who get inducted. Jerry had that and much, much more.
Classy guy. Gross injustice for sure. Induction is long overdue.
—BILL CURRIE, HOPE
Reason No. 3: Without a doubt Jerry Kramer should be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Touting that there are already too many players from that era of Packer All-Stars in the Hall is a joke. He was one of the best pulling guards of his time and he was an integral part of a formidable football dynasty and powerful offense that wrote the book on getting to the outside and containing and controlling the defense.
Yes, the entire Packer football team was awesome but they were a team and not individuals. So why should one starting guard be left out? It took them all to accomplish greatness under the tutelage of coach Vince Lombardi. I am sure if coach Lombardi were around he would be in Jerry Kramer's corner for an absolute unquestionable induction into the Hall of Fame and that would have happened a long time ago.
He was the epitome of an offensive lineman with great athleticism and ability to get to the outside and help Paul Hornung and Bart Starr put points on the board and form that dynasty.
I am certainly not biased being raised in Sandpoint and playing at Barlow Stadium. He absolutely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He was and still is good for the NFL, just read his books. I read the first one when I was in 5th grade at Kootenai School and I always looked at Jerry Kramer as a great role model for me when I was growing up and playing football in Sandpoint.
He needs to be inducted.
—DARYL HAGEMANN, OAK HARBOR, WASHINGTON Oak Harbor, Washington
US NAVY
Reason No. 4: I was shocked earlier this year to find out that Jerry Kramer was not in the NFL Hall of Fame. Having played for 10 years in the NFL, it came as a surprise to me that one of the most lauded football players ever, not to mention one of the most widely known offensive lineman to have ever played the game, was not enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
I assumed that Jerry Kramer already had a bust sitting in Canton. Maybe there are countless others making this same assumption, thus keeping Jerry Kramer from finally joining the other great players already enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
It's time that one of the classiest legends of the game finally be inducted into the NFL Hall Of Fame. You have my vote Jerry!
—JAKE PLUMMER, SANDPOINT
NFL Quarterback 1997-2007
Reason No. 5: I think it's a joke that Jerry Kramer is not in the NFL Hall of Fame. I have a special interest in Mr. Kramer as he played football for my grandfather Cotton Barlow in high school. I remember hearing stories about his playing days when I was growing up. He always stayed in touch with Cotton and kept him up to date on his career at Green Bay. When my father became head football coach Kramer found time to come home and speak to his teams. In his retirement he was a spokesman for a company my grandfather started, endorsing the Barlow Knee Support. Mr. Kramer has always been an outstanding citizen and is an asset to both the NFL and Sandpoint.
During his playing years he won two Super Bowls, he was named All-Pro nearly every year he played, and also played in three Pro Bowls. He had the key block in the famous “Ice Bowl” that some regard as the toughest yard in football. The play is simply referred to as “The Block” by football experts.
Let's rally together and get Jerry Kramer into the NFL Hall of Fame while he still has time to enjoy it.
—TYE BARLOW, SANDPOINT
Reason No. 6: Jerry should be in the NFL Hall of Fame because he blocked for my good friend Paul Kelly (SHS Hall of Fame QB) and kept him safe! Just kidding.
Jerry is one of the best offensive lineman in the history of the game. “The block” is immortal but is more than just one play, it represents his entire body of work.
—STEVE KIRBY, SANDPOINT
Reason No. 7: To the Hall of Fame selection committee: Without question Jerry Kramer belongs on the ballot for the Hall of Fame. I was shocked and mystified when I found out that he is not already in the Hall.
Jerry is one of the all-time greats in the history of the NFL. He exemplified what a great NFL offensive lineman should be. He played through injury and adversity. He played with toughness. He would knock a d-lineman on his back and then just as quickly pick him back up again. He made “The Block.” There is not a more famous block by an offensive lineman in the history of the game. I would have loved to have played with him during my time in the league.
His credentials speak for themselves. He's a two-time World Champion. He was named All-Pro five times. He's a member of the 1960's All-Decade team and is a member of NFL's 50th Anniversary team. He's the only man on that anniversary team that is not currently in the Hall of Fame. Achieving any one of these feats alone would be very impressive. He's also received about every other award possible — several Hall of Fame inductions, retired jerseys, etc.
Achieving greatness in the NFL is obviously only part of the process in considering a nominee. Jerry is also a man with great character and integrity. Off the field Jerry has been very charitable with both his time and his money. He is an incredible public speaker and a great humanitarian. He has been a great ambassador for the NFL and continually is doing work to help with the retired players and their needs.
He's been very successful in every facet of his life. He gives an awful lot of the credit because of what he learned from coach Lombardi. If coach were here today he would be dumbfounded that Jerry's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame hadn't already happened a long, long time ago.
—JOHN FRIESZ, COEUR d’ALENE
NFL QUARTERBACK 1990-2000
Reason No. 8: Add me to the list of folks who believe Jerry Kramer should be in the Hall of Fame. If I may bore you with my story, I am a retired LA cop. I have lived in Hayden Lake for 10 years now. I drive school bus for the Coeur d’Alene school district and was at Sandpoint High a few years ago at a sporting event. I was checking out the high school’s “Hall of Fame” and noticed Jerry's picture. It brought back great memories from the sixties when I enjoyed watching him mow down the opponents with seeming ease.
I was a Green Bay fan and all my pals were Ram fans. Every year my beloved Packers would stomp the Rams and it was most enjoyable! One of the famous Rams was Deacon Jones. He was a great player but our beloved Jerry had no problem blocking him.
I was shocked to find out he is not in the Hall.
—MARTY COON, HAYDEN LAKE
Reason No. 9: Jerry Kramer is iconic to pro football and it is a travesty that he is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
You may say I am biased growing up in Sandpoint and hearing about the legends of Jerry Kramer from my father, Don Albertson, coach Cotton Barlow, and my high school football coaches, but I believe Jerry Kramer epitomizes what a football lineman should be and he defined the position of pulling guard.
When I played at Sandpoint High School in 1979-81 for Chris Lassen, the No. 64 was always the number assigned to the best lineman in honor of Jerry. This number was coveted and was worn with a sense of pride. Just playing at Memorial Field knowing that Jerry played on the same field was a great privilege.
Chris Hanburger? A great player but my Hanburger 1971 Topps pro football card does not hold value to a Kramer Topps 1964 card or a Kramer 1959 rookie card. It is time for the icon pro football player Jerry Kramer to be voted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
—TOM ALBERTSON, SANDPOINT
Reason No. 10: Oh yeah, I’ve heard of Les Richter. He played for L.A. while I was still knocking mud off my high school and college cleats. I never paid him much regard. Tight ends had no love for any defensive players, especially linebackers who lived half a continent away.
Eight years of organized football were all that were ever offered to a kid who was too small (6-3, 215 pounds), too slow (11 flat 100) and too lacking in talent to mix it up with the big boys in the NFL. That lesson was learned over 50 years ago from a monster defensive end playing for Ohio State. I attribute my spliced spine and two replaced knees today to my being under par in those long-ago days.
Why all the superfluous data above? It’s to let you know that I do know a little something about football of yesteryear.
It was the early 1960s and several of us high school chums who played our college ball away from LaGrange, Illinois had returned to the old home town. We were rabid Bear fans and had season tickets to their games, then being played at Wrigley Field. Oh how we hated the Packers! All of ‘em. Star, Taylor, Hornung and that ugly linebacker — what was his name? Nit- something or other. By then Lombardi has perfected his famous “power sweep” — seal the interior, then “escort” the ball carrier around end with the rest of the team. Wow, how it did work!
Why couldn’t the Bears, or even the rest of the NFL execute like that? I’ll tell you why. Because of a guy named Jerry Kramer, that’s why. I watched him at Wrigley and at Milwaukee County Stadium. The guy was amazing. He really wasn’t that big, but he played like he was part bulldozer and part magician. Even though he played for the despised Packers I couldn’t hate him. He was mesmerizing to watch. Boy how I wished that Halas could get him for Chicago. A futile and foolish wish. Lombardi would never let him go. My old teammate “Meathead” (who later played a little for San Diego) was a tough pulling guard himself. He told me that Kramer played for Idaho. Where the heck was Idaho anyway? Someplace way out west I heard. They grew potatoes that I liked out there. But football players? Never heard of any before.
Well now that I’m a 36 year Idaho resident, back to the point. I’ve seen many good, even very good offensive guards and tackles over the years. I have yet to see one of Jerry Kramer’s caliber. I still root for Chicago, but, in all fairness, I have to say that football’s Hall of Fame is diminished by the lack of Jerry Kramer in its fold. What are the Selection Committee Members thinking?
Get Kramer in there and turn the Hall of Fame into the class act that it was designed to be.
—RAYMOND DANLY
Reason No. 11: As a former NFL Player this guy is still talked about amongst the linemen. He should have been a first balloter.
—RON HELLER, CLARK FORK, NFL PLAYER FOR 12 YEARS
Reason No. 12: I graduated from Sandpoint High in 1962. I had the honor of playing sports for Cotton Barlow, like many young men at that time. During the winter vacation of 1962, when we had basketball practice, Jerry Kramer attended and scrimmaged with us. In the locker room we were able to see the abuse his body had taken by playing pro football. He spent time with us telling us about the NFL. It was a real eye opener. He is a classy individual and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
—JIM CURRIE, ALASKA
Reason No. 13: As a longtime Packer, from Lombardi era players, we were both supprised to learn that Jerry Kramer has been left out of the Hall of Fame.
We saw the “Ice Bowl” and have disliked those crybaby Dallas Cowboys ever since — as if it was only cold on our side!
We now reside in Idaho and have become reacquainted with the Kramer story. We wish Jerry the best of luck with the campaign to do justice.
As an aside — I grew up with Bud Grant in Superior, Wisconsin, and have viewed his image in Canton.
—JOHN ALMQUIST, COEUR d’ALENE
Reason No. 14: I don’ t believe there is a more deserving candidate for the NFL Hall of Fame than Jerry Kramer. Knowing and playing football with Jerry in high school was a great experience. Jerry was just a common guy with lots of ability. He was easy to get along with, never being a bully and leading by example not by blowing his own horn.
Jerry is a man of great determination; when he almost lost an arm in a hunting accident, I believe he and Cotton Barlow were the only two that thought he would play football again.
I taught school for 33 years and coached some football. I could always use Jerry as a role model with a clear conscience. My sons grew up using Jerry as a role model and one of them won the Kramer Award.
My point is that there is more to Jerry Kramer than being a great high school, college and professional ball player. He is deserving in all aspects to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
I would like to hear why he has not been selected. The only excuse I’ve heard is that too many Green Bay Packers have already been selected, which seems like a lame excuse. In my opinion they have left the best one out.
—DON ALBERTSON, SANDPOINT
SHS CLASS OF 1955
Reason No. 15: Being born in 1955 in Iowa, the Green Bay Packers were all my idols when I was a kid. Fran Tarkington and The Purple People Eaters were coming along and gaining popularity as an expansion team, but the Packers were the pinnacle of professional football.
Getting regular season tickets to Lambeau Field was impossible, but during the preseason it was possible to buy a ticket from a scalper. My Dad took us to several Packer preseason games and we always had a steak dinner after the game at The Left Guard, which was owned by Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston. The restaurant was a known hangout for the Packers so we were always on the lookout for potential autographs and a chance to meet the Packers. I remember each encounter I had with a Packer like it was yesterday.
Max McGee had the largest hands I had ever shaken and Hornung epitomized a “Golden Boy,” but meeting Jerry was something extra special. He actually sat down at our table and talked for awhile and seemed to remember us from the year before when we ate at The Left Guard.
It is a matter of fact that Jerry Kramer was the best guard to ever play the game, but to me he is more famous for being a genuinely fine person. Jerry deserves to be in the Hall of Fame just for being a good guy. Not having a class act like Kramer in the Hall of Fame is a glaring omission.
—RANDY D SMITH, SANDPOINT
Reason No. 16: I've known Jerry Kramer since about 1950. He was our paperboy. I was able to get to know Jerry a little better when he was playing on the Sandpoint High School football team as a freshman. I became the unofficial mascot of the Bulldogs from about 1st grade on, and I was able to attend all of the home games and a lot of the out of town games as I got older, traveling on the team bus with the Bulldogs. During those years I was able to accumulate many fond memories of Jerry, from that time until his college career took him out of our town.
I have a lot of memories of Jerry, but one that sticks in my mind is when he was in his freshman year. Jerry was horse-playing in wood shop when he leaned up against a wood lathe, the lathe grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled his back into a piece of wood that was rotating at a rate of about 2,000 RPMs. Needless to say it took a large hunk of flesh from his back and rib cage. Despite the injury Jerry didn't miss the football season his freshman year. All because of his love of football.
When Jerry was in his sophomore year of High School, I believe he and Jack Swanstrom were out in Dover in someone’s barnyard bulldogging calves when Jerry fell on a stick that was protruding out of the ground. The stick penetrated his stomach and intestines. The doctor apparently was able to remove the stick from Jerry's stomach. Despite this injury, Jerry was able to play football the following Fall. All because of his love of football.
The fall of Jerry's senior year of high school, he had been duck hunting, when on his way back home while crossing a fence, his shotgun discharged. The shot went down the length of his arm, leaving a groove in it that he could later roll a ball bearing down the length of. Jerry was able to play the following year at Idaho. All because of his love of football.
After Jerry received his scholarship, his high school coach, Cotton Barlow, was concerned about Jerry remaining safe from himself. Cotton contacted Skip Stalley, the head coach at the time at Idaho. The two put their heads together and came up with the idea of enrolling Jerry in a lifeguard class at Idaho. In this way, he could have a safe job for the next three summers when he came home, until he went to play in the NFL.
Coach Barlow taught all of his players to play with a burning desire to do their best, to not give up and to play with pride. We all heard this and took it to heart. Jerry learned to play with that burning drive and never lost it.
Fourteen years after he ran that stick into his stomach and after 11 years in the NFL, earning two Super Bowl rings, Jerry became very ill; near death. After exploratory surgery the doctors found two fragments of that stick still inside of him, each the size of a ball point pen. The following season Jerry went back and extended his carreer four more years. All because of his love offootball.
Jerry was fortunate to be coached by a "Knute Rockney" in Cotton Barlow, and another legend Vince Lambardi. These three men, simply by fate, came together and became legends in their own rite. All because of their love of football.
I believe that Jerry Kramer’s career and name is one of the most known and recognizable names of all time in the NFL. For all of us that knew and remember him and for the young to have a legend. Jerry is a legend. All because of his love of football.
That is my reason I believe Jerry Kramer is overdue his rightful place in the National Football League Hall of Fame. All because of his love of football.
—SKIP PUCCI, SANDPOINT
Reason No. 17 I had the pleasure of recently talking to a fairly well known retired NFL player whose name I don't want to mention. I was asking him about various players who could be in the HOF but aren't, and aren't nominated this year either. I asked in this order, and here's roughly how he responded:
Ray Guy? “Yes. Best punter ever. Changed the game.”
Mike Curtis? “Kind of forgotten, but probably should be.”
Ken Stabler? “Yes, probably. Great leader, won a lot of big games.”
Deron Cherry? “Probably will get there some day.”
Kenny Easley? “Maybe, maybe not. Great, but too short of a career.”
Jerry Kramer? “Good God yes! They have to put Jerry in there.”
Needless to say, out of all these great players I named, one elicited a response completely above all the others. Kramer.
A lot of people on the voting committee frequently say that guys who aren't on the field every play (like Guy or Steve Tasker) don't belong, and that's a reason worth discussion. But that doesn't apply to Kramer.
—PHIL ANDERSON, OREGON
Reason No. 18: What are they thinking? Jerry Kramer should, by all means, be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
I am surprised that he is not already in the Hall of Fame. I recall watching him play when I was a high school lineman. He was an inspiration to me then and now with all of the good things he continues to do for the community.
The excuse that there are already enough of the "Lombardi Era Packers" in the Hall is just nonsense. That was truly one of the all-time great teams in all of sport, not just football. How can one rationally "limit" how many great players were on one of the greatest teams?
The voters need to be asked if they are just working some quota system or are they truly trying to recognize the great players in the sport. They diminish the stature of the Hall of Fame when they exclude Kramer and include the likes of O.J. Simpson and Lawrence "L.T." Taylor.
Recognize him now while he is still living and can appreciate the recognition.
—BOB ORMSBY, FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON
Reason No. 19: This letter for Jerry Kramer starts in the 1953-54 school year. He was a senior then in Sandpoint High School. I was a sophomore. I wasn't playing football but I felt the need to be close to the action. I volunteered for an assistant manager's position. To those not in the know, it was a flunky job. Getting towels before showers for the athletes, picking up the wet towels off the concrete after showers, re-rolling ace bandages, etc. You might call it an organizational job, but it put me in the right place at the right time. Unbeknownst to me at the time bigger things were to come, like writing this letter to correct a gross injustice.
Jerry seemed like he was always in the middle of the locker room antics. The reason was not because of the fun antics, it was he was a leader that had gained the respect of the coaches and all the other athletes at his early age.
On Nov. 23, 1976, the Spokesmen Review (Spokane) sports editor Harry Missildine wrote an article which addressed Jerry in a lengthy respect. Missildine said "Kramer, who played 11 seasons with Green Bay, has a distinction shared by only 15 other professional footballers. In 1969, merely months after his retirement, he was voted to the 16 player, all-time, all-NFL team. His peers in that august group are John Unitas, Jimmy Brown, Gale Sayers, Elroy Hirsh, Don Hutson, John Mackey, Cal Hubbard, Chuck Bednarik, Gino Marchetti, Leo Nomellini, Ray Nitschke, Emlen Tunnell, Lou Groza and the all-world guy in the backfield, Jim Thorpe. Tremendous company — and the word describes Kramer. Kramer played on five Green Bay NFL champions in 1961, 1962, 1965 1966, and 1967.”
Missildine in a later paragraph says "Kramer's blocking for Taylor in Super Bowl 1 and for Donny Anderson in Super Bowl II especially in a long third quarter drive when the pack got its second touchdown to stay firmly in control were success keys in both contests."
When it comes to Jerry's NFL selection two creeds come right to mind. First is" fair is fair." The second is in one our nation's founding fathers, famous guiding principles "and justice for all.” Both fit Jerry as he is still not honored in Canton.
Many people may not know how widely Jerry is renowned. There is a program by one of the Spokane television stations on coach Mark Few who is the basketball coach for Gonzaga University. That station, after the Sunday night NFL game, has a half hour program interviewing Mark on the weekly progress of their team play. A brief short on the program in early January was about a special referee, that not only blew the whistle but made helpful comments to the players during his duties on the court for both teams to help them.
I contacted the interviewer of Mark Few and he told me that referee had refereed West Coast Conference games for 25 years and had refereed 10 previous years. Now to the meat of my explanation. During one of the Zags games on a change of possession while running down the court, and the video on the TV did not show which team player he was yelling at, said "Don't block like Kramer" or close words to that effect. I was watching that Mark Few show and that's what I heard. Now it's been a long time since Dec. 31, 1967 when Jerry threw "The Block" at 13 degrees below on the Cowboys Jethro Pugh with 13 seconds on the clock. The rest is history for the last 44 years. The main and most important point, in summary, is after refereeing for 35 years he is an unimpeachable source of reference. In the middle of a hotly contested basketball game which he is in charge of, trying to help a young college player, he yells almost the length of the court as he is running full speed. The main point is he uses that 44 year-old memory in an instant in the middle of a significant sporting event, In reference to "The Block,” to help a college basketball player not commit a foul.
I have tried to add some personal insight into the whole persona of Jerry Kramer, to promote a better understanding in the decision process. If it helps, so be it. If it is not allowed in the decision process, so be it.
He could have been a leader of men like an officer in our armed forces at high rank but that was not the way history played out. After 20 years in our Army, I had many chances to observe fellow officers up to high rank. That is my benchmark in comparison to Jerry. He has to this day all of the personal attributes to succeed at the highest levels just like he did on the football field of play, except he excelled way, way above the norm.
He is a great gentleman, patriot and respected leader of men. He has impeccable football credentials. He only showed some of his attributes to the general public on the field of play. He deserves a lot more from the NFL selection committee. He is a legendary credit to the excellence expressed in Canton and the legacy the NFL has always tried to perpetuate.
—A. ROSS RUSSELL, SANDPOINT