Hi, everybody. Mike and West joining you here quickly. We just got the news, unfortunately that Packers legend Hall of Fame defensive end Willie Davis has passed away at the age of eighty five. We just wanted to take a couple of minutes to reflect on that and pay our respects, certainly our condolences to the Davis family and friends Wes Willie Davis Um. A lot of people talk about Brett Farve as being maybe the greatest trade in Packer's history.
The trade for Willie Davis, that one ranks right up there too. It really has to, especially when you consider they didn't have to give like a big first round pick for him. I mean, this is one of the biggest fleecings I think you're ever going to see an NFL history. But here's the beautiful thing about Willie Davis. It's not just the player he was. It's not the
fact he was a Hall of Famer. It's what he stood for and what he you know, made his life into and the contributions that he made well passed, you know, his playing career, but that playing career was very notable, as first ten years with the Green Bay Packers played in every single game, the first African American team captain. Just remarkable contribution that he made to the Green Bay
Packers organization. And then also throwing the fact that you can make an argument although there weren't all the great defensive statistics that there are now, he's probably one of the most prolific defensive performers in Super Bowl history. Five sacks in Super Bowl one and two unofficially, but if those numbers were galvanized, if they were you know, concrete, that would put him up there with the greatest of all times. So just it'sn't terribly sad, and certainly a
great life well lived. Um and you know, the contributions he's made to this game and the Green Bay Packers will live on forever. Yeah. If there's something I'll remember about Davis, it was seeing him be a part of that Hollis Trophy presentation in the Soldier Field locker room after the Packers beat the Bears for the two thousand ten NFC championship. You know, that rivalry in the Lombardi
Area era was as fierce as it gets. I'm sure that was incredibly special for him to be part of that trophy presentation with the packers beating the airs to get back to the Super Bowl, and unfortunately West. Uh. You know, these things are inevitable, obviously, but we're in a stretch here. The last eighteen months or so, a handful of the Lombardi Hall of Famers unfortunately have passed away.
Jim Taylor back in the fall of and then Forest, Greg bart Star, Willie Wood, all within the last eighteen months. And uh. The number of Lombardi Hall of Famers that are still with us, unfortunately is a is a small number. Now, it's just down to four. I believe it's Jerry Kramer, Um, if I check my notes here, Paul Hornig, herb Adderley, and Dave Robinson. So um, but a dozen Hall of famers from on the from the playing field, along with
the legendary coach obviously. And uh and yeah, unfortunately another one has left us. Yeah, and Willie Davis too. I mean, you go back and I was reading Cliff Crystal story and some of the great memories that were shared in that. Uh. The fact that I mean this guy actually one of the defensive stats that they do still keep from those eras where fumble recoveries twenty one of them leads the
team in franchise history when he retired. He retired his last game Willie Davis Day in nineteen sixty nine, and as you also mentioned, Mike, you know, he was involved with the House Trophy presentation two thousand ten, served on the Packers Board of the Records Board of Directors for over a decade, and then was obviously a meritis status after that. UM, terribly sad and obviously are well wishes and thoughts go out to Willie's family and his friends.
But like I said before, I mean, what this man did in his eighty five years. Can't say enough about it. Yeah, absolutely, and uh certainly the Packers will and I think his family. It sounds like they're going to put together quite a celebration of a life, as you said, a life well lived and uh, just a great ambassador for the Packers for their history, not only the Lombardi era, but then how he stayed involved with the organization in many ways, an honorary captain for a couple of big NFC Champion
and ship games. As we mentioned so, UM, Willie Davis a a big, big part of the Packers organization for a very long time.