While he wasnt bombing his classes or getting into fistfights, he played quarterback and safety at Proviso High in suburban Chicago. A native of Elmwood Park, Nitschke lived in Green Bay, where he. Zeke had great feet.". The film's executive producer, Jim Rivett, said that Nitschke was the first Packer Wife to publicly acknowledge her alcoholism. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay and I never want to finish second again. Nitschke was 61 years old. His humility and appreciation for having had the opportunity to play the NFL will always stick in my mind.. He gets dressed. Nitschke wasnt merely a hitter. He is from USA. Nitschke was married on June 26, 1961, to Jackie Forchette. In the game, Nitschke recovered two fumbles and deflected a pass that was intercepted. I just want to get along.' They called me a mezzanine rookie the second year until you played in a certain number of games. Nitschke is considered one of the toughest NFL players to ever live. Their success rate is like 78 percent.. Presenter: Phil Bengston. 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. 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. How many Super Bowls did Ray Nitschke win? Ray Wietecha was still the line coach and he had seen (Nitschke) do that to Hyland so he didn't pull me off. But Packer fans and others around the league who admired Nitschke's professional skills might pick this up as a reminder of the man beneath the armor."[28]. "In the heat of competing against each other, things like that happen. Those are the ones that dont understand what this is all about.. Ray played in the 230s, but he hit like he was 300 pounds. Ray Nitschke (Raymond Edward Nitschke) was born on 29 December, 1936 in Elmwood Park, Illinois, USA, is an Actor. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, High school basketball: Southern California and Northern California Regional results and updated pairings, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame overcomes deficit to win Mission League opener, Still in UCLAs corner, Ben Howland stressed importance of getting No. I wont mention any names, Robinson said, but there are some people that come in and get the gold jacket and never come back. A new documentary tells the story of the wife of a former football player for the Green Bay Packers and her struggle with alcohol. Nitschke was a third-round choice of the Packers in the 1958 draft that also landed Jim Taylor and Jerry Kramer a year before Lombardi arrived. 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. He had some of the best football instincts. We would stay at the Elberta beach until darkness. I hit him about three times. Here was a guy, who made a living for 15 years in the pros being a mean, tough linebacker, in awe of these young adults flying off from the bluffs. "He was one of the most popular Packers ever," said Packers public relations director Lee Remmel. A terror in a football uniform and a soft-spoken guy in civilian clothes. ", Comparing Bratkowski to Starr: "Zeke had the arm. Were all equal, going in with 80 percent of the vote. On defense, Nitschke played linebacker. With his bald head, horn-rimmed glasses and impeccable attire, he could have passed for a business executive or a college professor. The Nitschke Luncheon is a solemn initiation for the new inductees, who are not allowed to speak. "In fact, he's as mild and as meek as they come, a sweet guy," Wood said. Ray Nitschke was born in Elmwood Park, Illinois. Many never knew who this man, one of the greatest NFL players of all time, was. In that years Chicago College All-Star Game, played against the reigning NFL champs, a maniacal Nitschke gave Yary a glimpse of what lie ahead in the pros. The heaviest I ever got there was a little over 260. This is the first of two parts with Bill Lueck. Yary witnessed the fury before he entered the NFL in 1968 with the Minnesota Vikings as the first draft choice. We shook hands. In 1974, when he came back to Frankfort, he had become a movie star playing in The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds. Keep updated on the latest news and information. Nitschkes rage was effectively channeled. 66 was the fourth number retired in the franchises rich history. So, how much is Ray Nitschke worth at the age of 62 years old? The Packers won the first two Super Bowls in NFL history thanks in large part to Nitschke. Ray Nitschke's life was the embodiment of the power of love, the power of family, and the power of an individual to transform himself into a better person. I was scared to death. Lombardi ran over to see what had happened, but when told it had fallen on Nitschke, said, "He'll be fine. As for Ray Nitschke, you could never question where his allegiance stood. 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. You cant have a conversation about the greatest NFL linebackers of all time without Ray Nitschke. I kept telling melf. "I thought I was the best middle linebacker even when I was a rookie, trying to beat my good friend Tom Bettis out of a starting job. I chuckle to myself, `Well, yeah, OK.' But when it came down to the business of football, he was as tough as they come.". I thought (Nitschke) was more versatile, the way he could cover and everything. On July 2, 1973 he told me and Fortin, that a metal tower on the Packers practice field fell over on top of him. In 2019, USA TODAY compiled a group of 19 veteran reporters to vote on and rank the 100 greatest NFL players of all time. All the wives. A native of Elmwood Park, Nitschke lived in Green Bay, where he played middle linebacker from 1958-72 and became one of sport's few legends instantly identified solely by their last names. . 1 pick Fred Carr: "We roomed together as rookies. He could throw the ball. So then I went in and showered and never turned my back on him. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. ", On what happened next: "(I'm a) mezzanine rookie, and I had seen (Nitschke) take his frustration out every Friday on Hyland. In the book, The Defenders, author Murray Olderman quoted Nitschke as saying: I took it out on all the other kids in the neighborhood.. Actor: The Longest Yard. No matter how much he was bleeding, he wouldnt leave the game. An all-time great Packer/NFL player. "I think Ray Nitschke thinks we stink," Packers defensive end Sean Jones said during the 1996 title run. Said Remmel: I remember sitting in hotel lobbies when the team was on the road and watch Ray obligingly pose for photographs and sign hundreds of autographs. So it was a volatile relationship.. He touched everyone he met with his kindness and generosity. He protected his turf.. Theres barely any loyalty around the league anymore. This must be the 1st quarter because Ray Nitschke barely has any blood on him yet. Lombardi gave partial credit for Nitschke's success to Nitschke's wife, whose calming influence helped Ray focus on his career. Born in Elmwood Park, Illinois, Nitschke was the youngest of three sons to Robert and Anna Nitschke. He knows which Hall of Famers speak with fire, which are circumspect. In her lifetime, Jackie was a recovering alcoholic and an outspoken advocate in the recovery community, sharing her stories of treatment and rebuilding her life. In Super Bowl I, Nitschke contributed six tackles and a sack. Raymond Ernest Nitschke was a middle linebacker that spent his entire 15-year career with the Green Bay Packers. Tags: Video. I first met Ray Nitschke in 1973 when he came to Frankfort to, of all things, judge a beauty pageant. He'd get up and his helmet was over here to the side of his face. [10], In his junior year in 1956 Nitschke lost his four front teeth on the opening kick-off against Ohio State. Ray Nitschke, according to Hall of Fame quarterback and teammate Bart Starr, was a "classic example of Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde." Off the field he was a thoughtful caring person. When we got back into Frankfort, Nitschke, Fortin and myself settled into the Pac Inns watering hole area and there we were with bartender Sherm Blood, who was entertaining us playing the spoons, until 2 a.m. The film's executive producer, Jim Rivett, said that Nitschke was the first "Packer Wife" to publicly acknowledge her alcoholism. [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. 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. Nitschkes death was the second to strike the ranks of Lombardis great Packer teams in the last month. Ray Nitschke was born in IL. "But I have the utmost respect for Ray Nitschke of all the players I ever played against," Ditka later said. It was a big-time hit, Yary said. How tough was Nitschke? He told them how important it was and emphasized theres no one in the Hall of Fame better than anyone else, said fellow Hall of Famer and Green Bay Packers linebacker Dave Robinson. 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. ", On Phil Bengtson as head coach: "I had no issues with him. His wife, Jackie, died of cancer in 1996. (pre-1974). We didn't even know he was injured.". In 1997, the Green Bay Packers named one of their practice fields after him. But he had a sense about him. If you thought Green Bay Packers legend Ray Nitschke was tough, you should get to know his wife Jackie. 5 overall. I want him to remember Ray Nitschke, even in his dreams.". I got the $15,000 signing bonus and they paid us every two weeks and I got seven paychecks. Following his death, the Hall named the luncheon after him. With a choice acquired from New Orleans, the Packers drafted linebacker Fred Carr No. On March 8, Nitschke took a drive with his daughter, Amy Klaas, and her one-year-old daughter to a friends house. In 1974, Lueck's final season with the Packers, he was bothered by an assortment of injuries and started eight of 14 games. A common response for the muted, new inductees is to look around the room at legends such as Jim Brown, Roger Staubach and Mean Joe Greene. " Champion: The Legacy of Jackie Nitschke, " premiered in Green Bay this week. Nitschke leaves three adopted children: John, 34; Richard, 32; and Amy, 26, and one granddaughter, Jacqueline Rae, 17 months. premiered in Green Bay this week. Among all of us offensive linemen, we supported Zeke 100 percent. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Well guess what? He was a frequent golfer in retirement, and he loved to spend time with his children and grandchildren. They couldn't live with each other and they couldn't live without each other, said Rivett. He was 61. "I can remember Nitschke breaking his arm, busting his knee up and playing a whole half without even saying anything," Wood said. Supplement 1, pp. At this time, college football had reverted to primarily single-platoon football, meaning those players that were on offense had to switch to defense, and vice versa, when ball possession changed. He was pronounced dead at Venice Hospital. [17] In the divisional round of the playoffs on Christmas Eve, Green Bay lost 163 at Washington. He went in and took his shower, and I'm still kind of looking around the door from the training room. This is a carousel. Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Anthony Munoz didnt get to hear Nitschke speak at the luncheon. Ray Nitschke Enshrinement speech. It wasnt just the All-Pro honors or the five championships that made Nitschke great. But Nitschke wasnt just an incredible player and a fiery leader. ", On playing with Bart Starr for at least parts of four seasons: "Nobody is tougher than Bart Starr. Nitschke's wife, Jackie, died of cancer in 1996. When he got up to speak, you knew he was speaking from the heart. Hit him on the head. His father was killed when he was 3, and his mother died when he was 13. Thus he is the only linebacker to have made both the NFL's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981. Lombardi gave partial credit to Nitschke's success to Ray's wife, whose calming influence helped him focus on his career. He'd play cornerback. 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. None. He loved it. pic.twitter.com/vf59f532Sw. 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. Grabo (Jim Grabowski) got $450,000. Neither championships nor individual trophies weighed more. 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. His father died in a car accident when Nitschke was 3. Biography. Nitschke was known for his viciousness on the field, a ferocity that welled within him from childhood. The personification of gruff and tough, the bald-headed Nitschke's voice and manner remained intimidating 25 years after he left the field. Growing up in the outskirts of Chicago, Nitschke had idolized the Bears and he hoped to be chosen by them in the 1958 NFL Draft, held on December 2, 1957. 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. Raymond Ernest Nitschke (Wildman) Position: LB 6-3 , 235lb (190cm, 106kg) Born: December 29 in Elmwood Park, IL More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 1x Pro Bowl 2x All-Pro 2x SB Champ 5x NFL Champ HOF All-1960s Team 33 66 SUMMARY Career G 190 AV 120 Int 25 Yds 385 TD 2 Ray Nitschke Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 1958 1959 1960 But along the way, Nitschke became an all-around athlete, and turned down a $3,000 bonus from baseballs St. Louis Browns to accept a football scholarship to Illinois. When Ray met and married his wife, Jackie, he made an outstanding decision. 66 dash onto the field. "But it turned out all right," Remmel said. 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