Jerry Kramer Selected as Senior Finalist for Hall of Fame Class of 2018
By jasonperone
Green Bay Packers legend and former great Jerry Kramer is a Senior Finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2018 class.
Those are words I and many Packers fans have wanted to hear for a long time. Kramer and many within the Packers organization have probably wanted it ten fold. The announcement was made today that Kramer joins former Houston Oilers linebacker Robert Brazile as a Senior Finalist.
While the announcement signals a huge step towards Kramer's enshrinement in Canton, there is still a voting process that needs to take place to confirm him as an inductee.
The Seniors Committee is comprised of nine members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Each year they consider players whose careers ended 25 or more years ago for inclusion to the Hall. On a rotating basis, five of the nine members meet at the Hall to discuss Senior candidates and select finalists.
Kramer will need at least 80 percent of the vote by the entire 48-member Selection Committee when they meet just days before the Super Bowl. Kramer and his family have campaigned heavily for his induction to the Hall and our own CheeseheadTV ran an effort to reach out to Hall of Fame voters and lobby for consideration of Kramer and his remarkable career.
Kramer is decorated with individual honors, including three Pro Bowls, five First-Team All Pro selections, 1960's All-Decade team and being selected to the NFL's 50th Anniversary team. Kramer is already a member of the Packers Hall of Fame and was part of seven championship teams with the Packers, including the first two Super Bowls.
Packers nation has their collective fingers crossed for Kramer!
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Jason is a freelance writer on staff since 2012 and also co-hosts Cheesehead TV Live, Pulse of the Pack and Pack A Day podcasts. You can follow him on Twitter here
Comments (28)
Since'61
August 24, 2017 at 03:32 pm
This is great news! It is well deserved and long, long, long overdue. I hope that Jerry gets the votes he needs and finally gets in. He should be enshrined with so many of his team mates from those great Lombardi Packer teams. Go Jerry Go!!! Thanks, Since '61
Finwiz
August 24, 2017 at 03:53 pm
This means he needs at least 38 votes. There's never been a better ambassador for the sport than Jerry Kramer, and he's well deserving. He BETTER get it. It's a travesty he isn't there already.
TheVOR
August 24, 2017 at 04:56 pm
If they fail to make this happen, it will be disturbing!
flackcatcher
August 24, 2017 at 06:44 pm
There was a lot of hate from many inside the NFL and Kramer's team mates over his books. Many felt he violated their trust. Recording locker room conversations without their permission is a serious breach of trust.(besides breaking the law) Yes he should be in Canton already.(so should Ken Bowman too) Jerry Kramer was a criminally underrated guard in the old school NFL. But there is reason why he is not in Canton. Lets not forget that.(sorry to be turd in the punch bowl)
Finwiz
August 25, 2017 at 09:24 am
That's an interesting perspective, even though a quite unpopular one with Packer fans. I hadn't given it much thought, but it is intriguing.
flackcatcher
August 25, 2017 at 12:06 pm
I didn't like bringing it up. But we football fans have a nasty habit of whitewashing our teams history. Kramer should be in Canton already. He is not cause he wanted everybody to know how bright and smart he is. Jerry Kramer was the first of the tell all sports books. Both are great reads, but he never gave his team mates a heads up on the first. NFL is a very small and elite group, more so back in the 1960's. One thing about about elite groups, you break the trust, they never forgive, nor do they forget. Jerry Kramer is paying that price. At last he is going into Hall, finally.
Finwiz
August 25, 2017 at 01:36 pm
Yes, I read his books. Great reads. I didn't know he did all that without permission, and may have lead to his stigmatization with the HOF entry. The fact is, he's the only member of the 50 year anniversary team that's not in the HOF. That tells you everything you need to know about the injustice.
I heard the last 8 senior members to be nominated have all been voted in. Hopefully it's a lock, regardless of what he did with the books. I wish we had access to how many votes he missed by when he was up for the hall initially? That would be interesting.
Since'61
August 25, 2017 at 05:53 pm
It's been nearly 50 years since Instant Replay was first published in 1968 and this is the first time that I have ever heard from any source that Kramer's teammates had a problem with the book. First of all Dick Schapp, one of the most respected sports writers of his era, wrote the book with Kramer. Schapp spent the entire 1967 season with the team and working on the book with Kramer. The team knew Dick Schapp well since he had worked with Lombardi in the past and he was one of the few writers Lombardi allowed to follow the team. They were good friends. Kramer's team mates knew that Schapp was there and what he was working on. It was a great opportunity for Schapp to spend every day with a team playing for a third consecutive NFL Championship. Now whether or not everyone on the team was OK with it who knows. But I have never seen an article or any other source indicating that the book created a problem for Kramer going into the HOF. Jim Bouton's book, Ball Four, was a very controversial and tell all book from the same era but much of that had to do with the fact that Bouton's book discussed the wife swap between Yankee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Stan Bahnsen. Bouton was pretty much done with baseball by then. Maybe the book has been the cause but if that's true it's pretty petty especially 50 years after the fact. Hopefully Jerry gets in this time. Go Jerry GO! Thanks, Since '61
Spock
August 26, 2017 at 10:20 am
'61. Great points. I had forgotten about Dick Schapp being with the team. I also never heard anything about teammates having a problem with this. Not sure what source Flackcatcher has for this? It was pointed out on Packers.com that it's been 21 years since Kramer was last nominated for the Senior nomination and that is a pretty good sign for Jerry that the Hall is probably going to right a wrong here. I hope so; I've always been a big fan of him.
RobinsonDavis
August 26, 2017 at 11:57 am
Me too, 61. But, I will say there has to be some, deep, dividing reason on the Kramer snub. And in my mind, it has been a personal snub. Let's not forget that Jerry became somewhat of a guest and game show celebrity for awhile, and I wonder if that played a part in it. I will second the point that Dick Schaap was given some special permission or access to the team by Lombardi. I remember that. ...and the Bouton book. That's the book that created havoc!
Not sure if this made it in one of Kramer's books or not...My father-in-law worked at car dealership south of Green Bay, near a bar Fuzzy Thurston either owned or had some relationship with at that time. Some of the married Packer guys would tell their wives that they were having work done on their cars and sneak to the establishment to have a "team meeting". The guys at the garage were all cued-in, in case of any phone calls or mishaps, to help cover for the players. One day they were all waiting on Hornung who had been out late with McGee the night previous, and apparently, Lombardi had caught wind of this and put those two through a very strenuous workout. My father-in-law tells the story "you finally see Hornung pulling-up, with his big smile and sunglasses, and Henry Jordan yells out 'There's the Golden Boy!' ", followed immediately by McGee opening his door and puking, by which Jordan followed "....And Ol' Yeller!" in a disapproving tone. They all laughed and the players departed immediately for their meeting, while the boy's in the garage began changing perfectly good oil.
Ferrari Driver
November 28, 2017 at 11:31 pm
I've read that Ken Bowman was pissed that Kramer took too much credit for the famous block in the Ice Bowl and was not apologetic for doing so.
I don't know for sure, but I would estimate that a few of the other teammates may agree with Bowman.
I was just a kid at the game in our family season ticket seats which were on the 47 yard line and I was so cold that couldn't see any of the blocks, but did watch it many times over the years and in doing so, it looked like Kramer made a very nice block with help from Bowman.
Doug_In_Sandpoint
August 24, 2017 at 06:47 pm
I will be heading up the effort for the "Welcome To Sandpoint....Home of Hall Of Famer Jerry Kramer" sign as you enter town. I will post the GoFundMe details shortly. Go Jerry!!!
Don Hutson
August 24, 2017 at 08:22 pm
And yet there you float.
Look forward to Jerry Kramer's enshrinement.
Curt
August 24, 2017 at 09:16 pm
Robert Brazile ? Good player but not anywhere near Kramer's caliber. No contest!
Tundraboy
August 24, 2017 at 11:05 pm
About damn time!
lou
August 25, 2017 at 05:22 pm
Agreed, about time. Gale Gillingham had Devine not moved him from Guard to Defensive Tackle (ACL) would have been a worthy HOF entrant as well, most 60's players confirm that was the only lineman Butkus feared. He was huge for a guard but also had outstanding speed to pull. Another which many may not be aware of was Packer Safety Bobby Dillon, an All-Pro 5 straight seasons (19541958) who intercepted 51 passes in just 7 seasons. His last season he played on his only winning team, Lombardi's first season in 1959. He accomplished this with sight in only one eye. The Cheif's Safety Johnny Robinson if you look at his stats should have been enshrined already as well.
lou
August 25, 2017 at 05:26 pm
Forgot to add on Dillon, those 51 picks in 7 seasons was when the league had 12 games, not 16.
Ferrari Driver
November 28, 2017 at 11:38 pm
My dad often spoke about Bobby Dillon and had only glowing things to say. A little before my time, but I was aware of his outstanding record and wondered why he was in the HOF.
I'll give you a thumbs up for bring up his name and accomplishments.
Ferrari Driver
November 28, 2017 at 11:39 pm
I mean "wasn't" in the HOF.
Cartwright
August 25, 2017 at 12:01 am
Wasn't he the guard that made the block for Starr to cross the goal line in the Ice Bowl. He should be enshrined on that alone...if that wasn't him he should be enshrined anyway. Quite frankly, I thought he got in a while ago.
RobinsonDavis
August 26, 2017 at 11:04 am
Yes, it was Kramer and Kenny Bowman who both blew off the ball and pushed back Jethro Pugh on a very hard (poor traction field) during the Ice Bowl.
Handsback
August 25, 2017 at 07:54 am
Kramer should have made it into the HOF before Jerry Jones.
mrtundra
August 25, 2017 at 07:58 am
As Green Bay Packers' fans, we should make it our solemn duty to see that Jerry Kramer is enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. No one deserves this honor more than Jerry Kramer does. Can we barrage the committee members with letters, emails, or tweets? is there an address for this? It's time we put the votes needed for Jerry's induction to the HOF over the top!
Ibleedgreenmore
August 25, 2017 at 08:29 am
I was one that saw Kramer and the rest play, mind you it was black and white for a while but still a blast. Anyone remember antennas that would turn when the snow would fall, yup before even rotors that would change position. That was fun up on the roof but really it brings back so many great memories.
Spock
August 26, 2017 at 10:28 am
Ibleedgreenmore, Ah, yes, been there, done that. We lived in Waukesha and also had to go up on the roof and hope we could (sometimes) pull in the PBS channel 36 from Madison for something that was of interest on that day. Yeah, getting up from the couch to manually (pre-remote) walk over and get one of the four (4!) channels including channel 10 PBS, 4, 6, and 12. You had to be careful on that roof! I remember when Max McGee fell off his roof and was killed. A sad day in Packer land.
Finwiz
August 26, 2017 at 11:16 am
Channel 36 was PBS in MILWAUKEE. Channel 3 was Madison, and sometimes when games were blacked out, I'd rig an antenna to watch the game from home on the northwest side of Mill-town.
KamThomps
August 26, 2017 at 12:08 pm
I also recall having Channel 18, UHF, at the time, for what it was worth.
jeffkaz
August 26, 2017 at 07:43 am
This is way too long overdue. I am very happy that Jerry Kramer is finally on track to richly deserved NFL HOF honors.