Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Gary Knafelc, whose careers as player and announcer spanned head coaches Lisle Blackbourn to Mike Sherman, died Monday at his home in Florida.
Knafelc, 90, was a wide receiver and tight end for the Packers before working 40 years as stadium public address announcer in Green Bay and Milwaukee. He lived most of his post-football life in Green Bay, but moved to Florida about 10 years ago.
Knafelc signed with the Packers as a free agent two games into the 1954 season. He was native of Pueblo, Colorado, who played for the University of Colorado. The Chicago Cardinals made him the 14th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft, but he was injured in the College All-Star Game and waived by the Cardinals after the season-opener.
Knafelc scored 23 touchdowns in his 10-year career, but three of them, all game-winners, were especially notable.
His first game-winner was in 1955 on an 18-yard pass from Tobin Rote with 20 seconds left against the three-time defending Western Conference champion Detroit Lions, giving the Packers an unexpected 20-17 victory. Packers historian Cliff Christl, in his story on Knafelc, explains what happened next:
“Despite there being time left on the clock, hundreds if not thousands of joyous fans stormed out of the stands at old City Stadium, surrounded Knafelc in the end zone and carried him off the field to the Packers’ bench, delaying the extra point and ensuing kickoff for several minutes.”
In a 1959 game, Knafelc caught what proved to be a game-winning, 21-yard pass from Lamar McHan for a 21-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, giving first-year coach Vince Lombardi three wins in his first three games.
But the touchdown current fans might most remember him for was in 1957, the first game played at what is now Lambeau Field. Babe Parilli threw a 6-yard pass between the goal posts to Knafelc to secure a 21-17 victory over the Western Conference champion Chicago Bears.
Knaflec played wide receiver before Lombardi moved him to tight end, where one of his primary duties was to block linebackers for the famed Lombardi sweep.
“The first thing Lombardi said was, ‘How much do you weigh?'” Knafelc said during a 2013 interview for Packer Plus. He was 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds, but told Lombardi he was 220. “He said, ‘You’re going to play tight end for me.’ Well, I played wide receiver for the first five years. For the next five years, I played tight end. I had to work on everything; I was the smallest tight end in the league.”
Fear of Lombardi was a great motivator, he said. “I feared (Lombardi) more than anybody I faced.”
“I was one of his whipping boys, but he taught me to be a better football player through hard work, dedication and teamwork. Those values carried over for me and many of my teammates who went on to successful careers in business.”
After playing one season for the San Francisco 49ers, Knafelc returned to Green Bay, where he owned an interior design company. He was the Packers’ public address announcer from 1964 to 2004.
Lombardi proved no less demanding of his public address announcer. He found out in his debut exactly how his former coach wanted it done, Knafelc told Packer Plus.
“It was the Packer intrasquad game in Lambeau and young Vince (Lombardi Jr.) was my spotter,” Knafelc said. “Paul Hornung took a pitch and ran for some nice yardage. I thought I’d add a little color and said ‘Peerless Paul Hornung’ on the carry.'”
Lombardi provided immediate feedback.
“Well, since it was the intrasquad game, Coach Lombardi was up in the press box, right next door to us. When Lombardi heard that, young Vince and I then heard a folding chair slam up against the tin wall. He came over and let me have it. ‘That’s enough of that (expletive),’ Lombardi hollered. He wanted just the facts, nothing colorful.”
With the passing of Knafelc, Jerry Kramer is now the only surviving starter from Lombardi’s first game as Packers head coach. Knafelc was a member of Lombardi championship teams in 1961 and 1962, and was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1976.
The family plans a small funeral service in Florida.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Longtime Green Bay Packers player, announcer Gary Knafelc dead at 90
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