Cheesehead
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,854
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Pat from Bellevue, WI
Is your book still on a timeline to be released by Thanksgiving?
Regretfully, no. But let me explain. Plans have changed dramatically along the way. I started out thinking I'd write a roughly 350- to 400-page book. But once I got into it, I decided there was no way I could do justice to our rich history in that many pages. David Maraniss' book just on Vince Lombardi was more than 500 pages. Something else I expected, but didn't fully comprehend, was that so many have gotten so much of our history wrong, it requires far more pages to correct falsehoods than to tell a story from scratch. For example, there's no proof, or really even any credible evidence, that Don Hutson signed two contracts coming out of Alabama in 1935 and, thus, was awarded to the Packers based on postmarks on envelopes. But I can't get away with just telling you that's what happened; trust me, my version is right. I needed to trace the origin of the fabricated stories, refute them step-by-step and then write the true story. That takes time and space. Additionally, I'll be providing a lengthy list of source notes at the end of each volume. That, too, is a time-consuming process, but an essential element in any credible book about history. Anyway, the plan now is to publish a three-volume set with a total page count of 750 or more. While we were hoping to rush it into print this fall, we subsequently decided it would be wiser to make sure we're doing this right and not compromising the final product. We're only getting one shot at telling the history of our first 100 years and we don't want to blow it. I'm nearing the finish line and depending on what life has in store for all us in 2021, we're hoping to publish early next year. What I appreciate most is that Mark Murphy, our CEO, has been totally supportive. His straightforward instructions from the beginning were to write a complete history and get it right. I'm hoping to fulfill his orders or wishes.
Jeff from Garden Valley, ID
I went to the Oracle (Alexa) and said, "Alexa, play the Green Bay Packer Fight Song." Sure enough, there was one. And to my amazement, I remember hearing it as a kid in the '60s and '70s every time the Packers were kicking off. The pace that the "Packer Band" played it at was really accelerated compared to what Alexa played, but it was definitely the same tune. Could you share the history and the origins of the Packer Fight Song?
I presume you are talking about, "Go, You Packers, Go." It was composed by Erich (often spelled Eric) Karll, a native of Reedsburg, Wis., and longtime resident of Milwaukee, in 1930. Karll was a vaudeville actor, radio personality, theater owner and composer, and apparently lived in Green Bay for a time in the 1920s. It was then, according to a 1953 Press-Gazette story, that he wrote the words for the song and brought them to Billy Burt, a local musician, who sat down at a piano in the WHBY radio studio and put Karll's words to music. Burt and some musician friends began playing the song over the air and later the Packers' Lumberjack Band started playing it at games. Is this the song you're referencing? "Hail, hail, the gang's all here to yell for you,—And keep going in your winning ways,——Hail, hail, the gang's all here to tell you too,——That, win or lose, we'll always sing your praises, Packers; Go,————you Packers, go and get 'em, Go————you fighting fools, upset 'em, Smash their line with all your might, A Touchdown, Packers, Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight on, ——— you Blue and Gold. to glory, win——this game the same old story, Fight, you Packers, Fight, and bring the bacon home to OLD GREEN BAY."
Dean from Green Bay
Thank you for your history of the Packers. I know it is ancient history, but please tell us about the players that came from the All-America Football Conference in 1950. I attended my first game as an 8-year-old in 1947. Thanks.
I envy you if you got to watch games at old City Stadium for 10 years. Still, my favorite stadium of all time. I believe I went to my first game there in 1952 when I was 5, but only have a vivid recollection of the last Packers game played there in 1956. Anyway, good question. The AAFC allocation draft was held June 2, 1950. The Packers' first pick and third overall was halfback Billy Grimes, who had played as a rookie with the Los Angeles Dons. Grimes played only three years with the Packers, but it was a good pick. He led them in rushing in 1950 with 480 yards and averaged 5.7 per carry. He also finished second in the NFL in punt returns with a 19.1-yard average. And he represented the Packers in the 1950 and '51 Pro Bowls. Their second choice was end Al Baldwin, who had played three years with the AAFC Buffalo Bills. He led the Packers in receiving in 1950 with 28 receptions and averaged 19.8 yards a catch, but then jumped to the Canadian Football League. It was a 10-round draft, but the Packers and Baltimore Colts were given five extra picks each by NFL commissioner Bert Bell for competitive balance reasons. Along with Grimes, the Packers' best choice was defensive end Abner Wimberly, also from the Dons. They drafted him with one of their two extra picks after the third round. Like Grimes, Wimberly played three years with the Packers. As a historical footnote, the Packers also drafted their first African-American player, tackle Jason Bailey of West Virginia State, but he didn't play. Also, keep in mind this was a draft of professional players, not the college draft, so Bailey isn't officially recognized as the first. Fullback George Rooks of Morgan State holds that distinction.