Nowadays, NFL players swap teams seemingly as often as they get new haircuts. One year, those you see will no longer be there, and one year, neither will you. A new documentary tells the story of the wife of a former football player for the Green Bay Packers and her struggle with alcohol. The gravitas is unmistakable. He was a poor student and his grades eventually caught up with him as he was declared academically ineligible to play sports his sophomore year. https://www.britannica.com/facts/Ray-Nitschke, 66 (Green Bay Packers, 19591972) 33 (Green Bay Packers, 1958). Lionel Aldridge, a defensive end, died Feb. 12 at age 57. Their rookie season in 1958 under first-year head coach Ray "Scooter" McLean was dismal, with just one win and one tie for the worst record in the 12-team league. I have found his comments to be poignant for anybody.. I was on one-year contracts and I was making like $25,500 and had started every game in Green Bay except my rookie year. He took time for anybody.. While at Illinois, Nitschke smoked, drank heavily, and fought at the drop of a hat. Heres some tidbits about him that a lot of people dont know: * As a young teenager, he was orphaned. It wasnt just the All-Pro honors or the five championships that made Nitschke great. His father died in a car accident when Nitschke was 3. Nitschke never wore a face mask and one of the Buckeye's player's helmets hit him in the mouth knocking out two teeth initially; the other two were hanging by the roots. Nitschke ranked ahead of Chuck Bednarik, Mike Singletary, and Roger Staubach on the list. Yary witnessed the fury before he entered the NFL in 1968 with the Minnesota Vikings as the first draft choice. I remember when they'd grab Bart by the belt of his jersey and pile-drive him into the ground. We leave the huddle and Gale says, 'Watch out.' [31] Every year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has a luncheon the day before its induction ceremony, attended by most of the living members and honoring the new inductees. So, how much is Ray Nitschke worth at the age of 62 years old? Ray wanted everybody to know were all equal. [12] It included three other significant Packers of the 1960s, linebacker Dan Currie of Michigan State (3rd overall), fullback Jim Taylor of LSU (15th overall) and right guard Jerry Kramer of Idaho (39th overall). We laughed about that comment. In the book, The Defenders, author Murray Olderman quoted Nitschke as saying: I took it out on all the other kids in the neighborhood.. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. He played for 15 seasons before retiring in 1972. ", On practicing against future Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Henry Jordan upon arrival in training camp as a rookie following the College All-Star Game: "He could move and he had a good head slap. In 1996, with wife Jackie dying of cancer, Nitschke was in tears as he related to inductees that his wife had implored him to go to the ceremony in Canton, where he belonged. What now is known as the Nitschke Luncheon is a transformative event for the incoming class and often looked back upon sometimes more than slipping into their gold jackets for the first time, delivering their induction speeches, the unveiling of their bronze busts as the true moment they became Pro Football Hall of Famers. Nitschke was born Dec. 29, 1936, in Elmwood Park. I just want to get along.' Zeke had great feet.". Emotionally impactful is just what Nitschke would appreciate in order to hammer home as forcefully as stuffing Joe Don Looney in the backfield what it means to be a Hall of Famer. Of all the heroes that the Packers had in their glory years under Coach Vince Lombardi, which included five NFL championships and victories in Super Bowls I and II, Nitschke was probably the most popular. You knew he was one of the meanest and toughest and best-of-all-time middle linebackers for the great Green Bay Packers, but you could see the love for the game when he looked me in the eyes and said, as only he could, with that voice, Anthony, what a privilege for us to have played this game. 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Lombardi, as most ole football followers knew or are learning from a recent Broadway production, was a screamer and a drill sergeant as the Packer coach. They had never met, but she recognized him and said, 'Hi, Coach Lombardi, I'm Bill Lueck's wife.' Jackie Forchette (26 June1961 - 1996)( her death)( 3 children). That's how we became connected. Supplement 1, pp. He grew up a Chicago Bears fan, but quickly learn to hate them after being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of 1958. He was adopted by an older brother, and grew up as a self-acknowledged bully. We would stay at the Elberta beach until darkness. Actor: The Longest Yard. premiered in Green Bay this week. In the process, she taught our community that the disease of addiction crosses all income levels . "I never saw him turn down an autograph or a request to pose for a photo.". His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Hed be the first to tell you not to put him on a pedestal above all the other linebackers, Robinson said. He'd play cornerback. Then what year did the World Football League come in? Those days are over. Ray and Jackie had a winter home in Naples, Florida. Other surviving children include his sons John and Richard. A man at the station helped get him out of the car and started CPR.. He was a playmaker, recording 25 interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries over his 15 seasons. Related Quizzes and Features Quiz Great Moments in Sports Quiz Sports Quiz They couldn't live with each other and they couldn't live without each other, said Rivett. www.jackienitschkecenter.com. That was the first year I started making money. Ray Nitschke Enshrinement speech. "I think Ray Nitschke thinks we stink," Packers defensive end Sean Jones said during the 1996 title run. Having played with the Green Bay Packers and the number of championships they won, the number of Hall of Famers that played for (coach Vince) Lombardi, who happens to have his name on the trophy, seemed to signify a purity of someone who accepted his role in the game and played it with a fervor.. So I started beating him down and they didn't pull me off of him until I had him on the ground. He was a fullback and linebacker for the Illini, and the Packers drafted him as a linebacker on the third round in 1958. Your email address will not be published. Yeah. He had football smarts. I kept telling melf. A fullback and linebacker at the University of Illinois, Nitschke was a member of the NFL's 75th anniversary all-time team. Munoz, however, had a chance to absorb Nitschkes words. In such a violent sport, thats a pretty elusive title to hold. [22][23][24][25][26] The film's executive producer, Jim Rivett, said that Nitschke was the first Packer Wife to publicly acknowledge her alcoholism. If you thought Green Bay Packers legend Ray Nitschke was tough, you should get to know his wife Jackie. He is from USA. He'd get in the huddle and he doesn't know where he is. 66 was retired in 1983, the fourth of six numbers retired by the Packers. He laid down the law to all the new inductees of what was acceptable and unacceptable, and everybody followed what Ray said.. He lost both his parents by the age of 14, causing a lot of trouble in school. Incredibly, Nitschke played in the Pro Bowl only once. They said, 'You'll make more in the dairy business. When Nitschke became a born-again Christian in 1995, his wife Jackie told Ray he wore that number because there are 66 books in the Holy Bible, per Gruver. He hit you with every ounce of his body. ", On how his friendship with fellow guard Gale Gillingham got started: "Weightlifting. Nitschke also made the NFLs 75th and 100th anniversary rosters. He wasnt the biggest or the strongest or the smartest, Robinson said. What college did Ray Nitschke attend? It was his passion for the game, and the way he could flip a switch once he walked over the painted sideline. He could play quarterback if he had to. ", Comparing Bratkowski to Starr: "Zeke had the arm. When Ray met and married his wife, Jackie, he made an outstanding decision. He once scored four times in a game against Iowa State, all on long runs. The Nitschke Luncheon is a solemn initiation for the new inductees, who are not allowed to speak. When a certain message needs to be delivered, Lanier knows who to call upon. * In the NFL championship game of 1962, he would recover two fumbles and deflect a pass that was intercepted gaining MVP honors and a new Chevrolet Corvette. He said, 'No, we'll send you the paperwork and you can sign it.' Left: Nitschke's helmet from the coaching tower incident in September, Ray Nitschkeawards, championships, and honors, "Ray Nitschke, 61, linebacker during Packers' glory years", "Packers get last laugh in slapstick game", "Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers", "Larger-than-life pro wrestling icon would love to have had career with Green Bay Packers", "Hard nosed Ray Nitschke just a softie over induction", National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ray_Nitschke&oldid=1142190700, Players of American football from Illinois, Illinois Fighting Illini football players, National Football League players with retired numbers, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text, Infobox NFL biography articles with old NFL.com URL, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 00:49. [13][14] At the end of the 1972 season, the 94 Packers traveled to New Orleans to play the 2101 Saints on December 17 at Tulane Stadium, which turned out to be Nitschke's last regular season game. Theres barely any loyalty around the league anymore. 1 draft choice? However, he was chosen by the Green Bay Packers late in the third round (36th overall) of what is considered the greatest draft in the franchise's history. In Super Bowl II, Nitschke led Green Bay's defense with nine tackles. Was it a mistake or an act of hate? He didn't know who I was. So it was a volatile relationship.. 26 overall in what was the second common draft following the merger agreement between the NFL and AFL. I get dressed. ", On whether Nitschke ever messed with Gillingham on the practice field: "Never. Ray Nitschke was born on the 29th of December, 1936. No one ever instilled fear in their opponents quite as Nitschke did. [2][3], Nitschke was born in Elmwood Park, Illinois,[4] the youngest of three sons to Robert and Anna Nitschke. We stopped at a service station and I went in for water and a soft drink. How many Super Bowls did Ray Nitschke win? He feuded with Mike Ditka and scoffed at the notion that Butkus was a younger, improved version of himself. He was famous for being a Football Player. Wood remembered Nitschke working at his image on and off the field. He died in Venice, Fla., near his winter home in Naples. He was pronounced dead at Venice Hospital. Nitschke, his wife and family would come back to Frankfort every summer for a number of years and a few weeks before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 1978 he sent me a personal invitation to join him for the ceremonies. Nitschke was the leader and captain of the Packers defense throughout the entire 1960s. "He was one of the most popular Packers ever," said Packers public relations director Lee Remmel. He proved to be a very skilled player and tackler as a linebacker, so much so that, by his senior year, Paul Brown considered him the best linebacker in college football. The NFL legend was twice named a First-Team All-Pro, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. In 1998, Ray Nitschke was living comfortably in Naples, Fla. His father was killed in a car accident in 1940, and his mother died of a blood clot when Ray was 13. I was always scared to death of him. CTE. While he wasnt bombing his classes or getting into fistfights, he played quarterback and safety at Proviso High in suburban Chicago. All the wives. Under his leadership and menacing style of play, Green Bay won five NFL championships during his time with the team. Ray Nitschke. Nitschkes death was the second to strike the ranks of Lombardis great Packer teams in the last month. Hall of fame middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers who was named MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game and was a 1964 Pro Bowl selection. On being drafted by the Packers: "I was a No. He starred on the varsity football team, playing quarterback on offense and safety on defense for coach Andy Puplis. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica. In Super Bowl I, Nitschke contributed six tackles and a sack. I'm drying off and he's four, five lockers away and he's drying off. is 6'3"(1.91m) . In 1974, when he came back to Frankfort, he had become a movie star playing in The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Nitschke and his family, who were staying at the PAC Inn and the Crystal Beach Resort that week, fell in love with the town and in particular, the sport of hang gliding. His wife is Jackie Forchette (26 June1961 - 1996)( her death)( 3 children). Jim Miller, son and nephew of the managers, tells stories from behind the scenes, Or he might have been one of Lombardi's mainstays, Fr. But usually by the time we got done with the preseason, I'd be down to 250, 255. The Packers had so much talent that there were not always enough honors to go around. Anyone meeting Nitschke in a social setting found it hard to believe that he was the same guy who treated every opposing football player with total disrespect. No matter how much he was bleeding, he wouldnt leave the game. If you don't like it go to the Canadian Football League. ", On whether that was the end of it: "We go into the locker room and (Nitschke) lockered about four, five lockers away and I didn't want to get in a fight in the shower so I went into the training room. , money, salary, income, and assets. Excerpts from those interviews will be periodically posted at www.packers.com. Watch the trailer for the documentary below: For questions or comments, contact WPRs Audience Services at 1-800-747-7444, email listener@wpr.org or use our Listener Feedback form. None. He thought of it as an honor for somebody to ask him for an autograph. I thought maybe I'll get $75,000, $100,000. Every year, in a private space only Hall of Famers may enter, Nitschke presided on the first afternoon of induction weekend until his death in March 1998. The paperwork and you can sign it. Ray said come in teams seemingly as often as they get haircuts..., 1958 ) those interviews will be periodically posted at www.packers.com Athletic for in-depth of! Then what year did the World Football League come in fought at the University of,. A fullback and linebacker at the notion that Butkus was a no, all on long runs become... Anniversary all-time team, $ 100,000 'No, we 'll send you the paperwork and you can sign.... 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