This is the second in my continuing series of articles of the best Green Bay Packers players of all-time by jersey number. This includes players from all 101 years of Packers football. Over the course of the franchise’s history, some of the greatest players in NFL history have suited up for the Packers and made their mark on the team and the league.
This article will examine numbers 6-10. You can find numbers 1-5 here.
Keep in mind the players are listed by how they performed for the Packers only. Many players wore more than one number during their career. On this list, they are considered primarily for how long they wore each specific number and what they did while they wore it.
When possible, other great players who wore each number will get honorable mention. Feel free to comment and say who you feel belongs on this list.
I will release more articles in this series throughout the offseason.
6. JK Scott, Punter 2018-present
Incredibly enough, punter JK Scott is the only Packers player to wear number six for more than one season so he wins this number almost by default.
The Alabama product has punted for the Packers for the last two seasons and has averaged 44.3 yards per kick over that time.
The Packers selected Scott in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Scott placed 29 of his 77 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line this past season while kicking only four touchbacks.
No Packers player wore number six between 1928-2004. Among the recent players to wear the number are backup quarterbacks Graham Harrell and Joe Callahan.
7. Don Majkowski QB 1987-1992
The Packers drafted Don Majkowski in the 10th round of the 1987 draft out of Virginia. “The Majik Man” took over as the full-time starter by the end of the 1988 season and had a career year in 1989 when he threw for 4,318 yards and 27 touchdowns while leading Green Bay to a surprising 10-6 record. He was selected to the Pro Bowl that season.
Unfortunately, Majkowski held out the following summer and then suffered a shoulder injury that limited him to nine games the following season.
Majkowski gave the Packers hope in the late 80s and early 90s. His biggest moments came in the Instant Replay Game when he led the Pack to a dramatic 14-13, last second victory over the Bears on a call that was overturned by replay and a 21-17 win over the eventual Super Bowl champion 49ers in San Francisco that saw the blond quarterback pass for one touchdown and run for two more.
Majkowski was the starting quarterback for the Pack when the 1992 season got under way, but he was injured in the Pack’s third game of the season against Cincinnati and was replaced by an unknown backup named Brett Favre. Majkowski never threw another pass for Green Bay as Favre started every game after that until the end of the 2007 season.
Other Packers to wear number seven include back Ed Jankowski (1938-41) and fullback Walt Schlinkman (1946-49).
8. Ryan Longwell, Kicker 1997-2005
Ryan Longwell joined the Packers in 1997 and kicked for the team in Super Bowl XXXII against the Broncos.
The Cal alum topped the 100-point mark in each of his first eight seasons with the Packers and finished his Green Bay career as the team’s all-time leading scorer with 1,054 points (since surpassed by Mason Crosby).
During his time with the Pack, Longwell booted 226-of-277 field goals and 376-of-380 extra points. His longest field goal with Green Bay was 54 yards. Longwell spent the final six years of his NFL career with the Vikings.
Longwell was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2018.
Other Packers to wear number eight include backup quarterbacks Anthony Dilweg and Mark Brunell and punter Tim Masthay.
9. Josh Bidwell Punter 2000-2003
The Packers used a fourth-round pick to selected Bidwell out of Oregon, but a battle with testicular cancer cost him the 1999 season. He recovered and joined the team in 2000, punting for the Packers for four seasons and averaging 41.1 yards per kick.
Bidwell’s best season came in 2001 when he averaged 42.5 yards per punt and had a career best 68-yard kick.
Bidwell spent six more seasons in the league after leaving Green Bay, playing five years with the Bucs and one in Washington.
Other Packers to wear number nine include punter Jon Ryan and backup quarterbacks Jim McMahon and DeShone Kizer.
10. Lynn Dickey QB 1976-79
The Packers traded for Lynn Dickey from the Houston Oilers prior to the 1976 season. Dickey immediately became the starter but struggled with injuries including a broken leg that cost him the end of the 1977 season, all of 1978 and kept him on the bench for the first half of 1979.
Dickey changed his number to 12 in 1980 and had his best seasons wearing that number, but obviously the Packers present quarterback has a lock on number 12.
The Kansas alum had his best season in 1983 when he led the NFL with 4,458 yards. The Packers high powered offense featured excellent receivers like Hall of Famer James Lofton and Pro Bowlers John Jefferson and Paul Coffman. Dickey had a strong arm and was able to get the ball downfield with ease.
Unfortunately, the injuries he suffered cost him his mobility and he was unable to avoid oncoming pass rushers too well. He showed toughness and courage by continuing to play.
Dickey led the Packers to the playoffs in 1982, the first time the Pack reached the postseason in a decade. He threw for four touchdowns in the Packers 41-16 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and then threw for 332 yards the following week in a tough loss to the Cowboys in Dallas.
Dickey’s career ended after the 1985 season. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1992.
Many other Packers wore number 10 including tackle Cub Buck, kicker Jan Stenerud and backup quarterback Matt Flynn.
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