A Picture Worth 1,000 Words – Perhaps no scene better illustrated the sheer ineptitude and the many inane decisions made within the Packers organization in the 1970s than the order to have 20 of its striking veterans arrested on July 25, 1974, for picketing outside Lambeau Field before a glorified scrimmage between Packers and Bears newcomers.
Biggest Game – When the Packers beat Detroit and Minnesota in back-to-back, late-season showdowns in 1972, Lee Remmel said years later that they were playing as well as any team in the more than 60 years that he was associated with the Packers dating to 1945. That also was the only Packers team to win the Central Division between 1967 and 1995. But in the Packers' only playoff appearance during the 1970s, they were skunked by Washington, 16-3, in divisional-round play when Devine insisted on sticking with his ground game against a five-man defensive front.
Unsung Hero – With Gilbert Brown in the Packers Hall of Fame, a case could be made that Bob Brown, another oversized defensive tackle, should be in it, too. Because he was a 26-year-old rookie – the Packers discovered him playing for the Wheeling Ironmen in the Continental Football League – and developed a weight problem once Vince Lombardi retired from coaching, Bob Brown was at the top of his game only for a short time, much like Gilbert Brown. But in 1972, when Bob Brown was at his best, and for other short stints during his career, he could manhandle offensive guards like few defensive tackles in Packers history. Plus, he was quick off the ball for a big man even when his weight was up.
Center of Controversy – In the Oct. 7, 1974, issue of Time magazine, in a story titled, "Haunted in Green Bay," staff writer Philip Taubman implied that some irate fan had shot one of Devine's dogs in the early morning hours outside the family's home. While it was true that one of Devine's dogs was killed, it was a neighboring farmer who pulled the trigger after repeatedly warning Devine that his dogs were chasing his cows and raising havoc on his farm. Bernard LeMere, another neighboring farmer, said the shooter was on a friendly basis with Devine and had even plowed Devine's garden for him, but that dogs were often shot or put to sleep by the local dogcatcher when they were jeopardizing the livelihoods of farmers in rural areas.
Only in Green Bay – When Cincinnati safety Ken Dyer suffered a spinal contusion that left him paralyzed from the neck down for several months, a number of people in Green Bay served as Good Samaritans. Dyer was injured when he attempted to tackle Brockington during a game at Lambeau Field on Oct. 3, 1971. Taken straight from the field to Green Bay's St. Mary's Hospital, Dyer spent almost four months there recuperating and learning to walk again. During his stay, he received close to 1,000 cards and letters, handmade gifts from students at Lincoln Grade School, Christmas wishes and so many flower arrangements that his wife, Pam, shared them with other patients. In late January 1972, with Pam, at his side, Dyer wore a neck brace but was able to walk out of St. Mary's without a cane to go home. Five years later, Dyer reported that he had regained 75 percent of his movement.
Sadly, but True – The Packers had a chance to hire two future Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches, over a two-year stretch in the early 1970s but failed to close either deal. Before the 1970 season, they surreptitiously contacted Don Shula about taking over as head coach for Phil Bengtson. Shula wanted the job, but Bengtson refused to step aside and so the Packers didn't follow up and seek permission to interview Shula. A year later, after Bengtson had been fired, the first candidate that the Packers interviewed was George Allen. He, too, was seriously interested in the job, but his wife wanted nothing to do with Green Bay.
Would You Believe? – Four days before Starr's head coaching debut against Detroit on Sept. 21, 1975, he signed punter Steve Broussard, who had punted only twice during his college years at Southern Mississippi and never in the pros except in the preseason that summer for New Orleans. Broussard had spent the previous three and a half years running a health spa and playing flag football in Ocean Springs, Miss. In the '75 opener, Broussard had an NFL-record three punts blocked and each was turned into an instant touchdown by the Lions as the Packers fell, 30-16.
Rescued from Oblivion – By the stroke of luck, the Packers-Vikings rivalry was saved in 1970 by Thelma Elkjer, secretary for NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. When the owners of the 13 designated NFC teams couldn't agree on a realignment plan over several meetings before the AFL-NFL merger was finalized, Rozelle placed five numbers, representing five different divisional breakdowns, into a fishbowl and had Elkjer draw one out. She picked No. 3, the only proposal that had the Packers and Vikings playing in the same division. Packers president Dominic Olejniczak wasn't totally pleased with the draw, either. He wanted a warm-weather city in the division.
A Life of Mystery – No coach in Packers history was more despised by his players than Devine. Some claimed they never witnessed him diagram a play on a blackboard. One of his assistant coaches said he remembered him doing it once, but with an obvious boo-boo. Devine either had 12 X's or 12 O's on one of the teams. Jim Del Gaizo, one of Devine's quarterbacks in 1973, said he didn't have a single discussion with him about football the entire season. Devine also was notorious for disappearing from the office for hours at a time, even on weekdays leading up to games. Yet Devine compiled a 172-57-9 record in 22 years as a college coach at Arizona State, Missouri and Notre Dame; and he also led the Packers to their only division title between the Lombardi and Wolf-Holmgren eras.
A Quote to Remember – "(Starr) probably had some of the worst assistants in the world," tackle Dick Himes, who played high school football in Canton, Ohio, and then collegiately for Woody Hayes at Ohio State, told Packer Report in 1992. "Basically, they were stupid coaches. I had better high school coaches."
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