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Feb. 28, 1969 – Vince Lombardi orchestrates his first trade as coach of the Washington Redskins by sending a draft choice to the Packers in exchange for safety Tom Brown. Brown, best known for his end-zone interception that sealed victory in the 1966 NFL championship game, led the Packers with four picks in 1968.
Feb. 27, 1996 – Bone chips and a bone spur are removed from the left ankle of Packers quarterback Brett Favre during arthroscopic surgery at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay. Favre first hurt the ankle in a 24-27 loss to the Vikings on Nov. 5, 1995, but returned the following week to fire five TD passes in a 35-28 win over the Bears.
Feb. 26, 1989 – Billy Ard, an eight-year veteran, signs a contract with the Packers during the first year of the NFL’s Plan B free agency. The Packers take advantage of Plan B, signing a league-high 20 players, including Carl Bland, Blair Bush and Michael Haddix. Ard sticks longer than most, playing in 35 games before his career comes to a close following the 1991 season.
Feb. 25, 2002 – Bernardo Harris receives the stunning news that the Green Bay Packers no longer require his services. Unable to reach the veteran linebacker, Packers director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie contacts his agent. Originally an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs, Harris joined the Packers in January 1995.
Feb. 24, 2004 – The Green Bay Packers designate Chad Clifton as their franchise player after they’re unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with the offensive tackle. The holdup in contract talks centers on the size of the signing bonus, with the two parties several million dollars apart. A week later, Clifton signs a lucrative six-year extension that will keep him with the Packers through 2008.
Feb. 23, 1972 – A day after sending running back Donny Anderson to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for running back MacArthur Lane, Packers Coach Dan Devine explains his rationale. “Lane is a devastating blocker, what a guy like (John) Brockington really needs. Your short side attack has got to be good.” In his first year as a Packer, Lane gains more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
Feb. 22, 1935 – Packers Coach Curly Lambeau announces that Don Hutson, the left end on the undefeated 1934 University of Alabama football team, has signed a contract to play for the Green Bay Packers. The NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers also courted Hutson. By the time he retires, Hutson will have set numerous records, some of which stand today.
Feb. 21, 1942 – In California on vacation, Packers Coach Curly Lambeau has a sunny forecast for the upcoming season. “I feel confident that baseball will go through in great style during 1942 and this means that football will, too,” Lambeau says. At least 10 Packers have been called into the armed forces, and Lambeau concedes his team might not be as strong as it was in 1941 when his club finished 10-1.
Feb. 20, 1997 – The Nebraska Court of Appeals rejects Tyrone Williams’ appeal of a six-month jail sentence and the Packers cornerback is ordered to begin serving time. While in college, Williams was charged with third-degree assault and unlawful discharge of a gun after firing at a moving vehicle. No one was injured during the incident. Williams plays during the Packers Super Bowl run.
Feb. 19, 1985 – Packers Coach Forrest Gregg has eyes for quarterback Dieter Brock of the CFL. “We’re interested in any player that’s available that might be able to help our football team, not specifically Dieter Brock, but any player,” Gregg says. Brock, an 11-year CFL veteran who won the league’s MVP in 1980 and 1981, eventually signs with the Los Angeles Rams, where he plays just one season.
Feb. 18, 1994 – Brian Noble announces his retirement more than five months after suffering the injury that forced him to end his playing career. The linebacker was lost for the season to a knee injury on Sept. 12, 1993. So devastating was the injury that seven operations followed. Packers trainer Pepper Burruss calls the injury the worst he has seen in 20-plus years working with athletes.
Feb. 17, 1982 – The Packers are cleared in a highly-publicized case involving quarterback Nickie Hall. Hall, Green Bay’s 10th-round draft choice in 1981, was one of 39 players spot checked by NFL officials to determine if they were illegally placed on injured reserve. Hall was placed on IR on Aug. 18 and wasn’t examined by league physicians until Oct. 4, nearly seven weeks later.
Feb. 16, 1966 – The Atlanta Falcons select three Packers in the expansion draft, as the first-year club stocks its roster for its inaugural season in the NFL. Atlanta Coach Norb Hecker, who spent seven years coaching the Packers defensive backs, plucks quarterback Dennis Claridge, guard Dan Grimm and halfback Junior Coffey from the roster of the 1965 NFL champions.
Feb. 15, 1970 – Travis Williams (outstanding offensive player), Dave Hampton (rookie of the year) and Dave Robinson (outstanding defensive player) are honored at the second annual Wisconsin Pro Football Writers dinner. The event draws nearly 700 fans and luminaries such as NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp and Bears running back Gale Sayers.
Feb. 14, 1982 – James Lofton finishes second to Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth in the “The Superstars” competition held in Key Biscayne, Florida. Collinsworth wins the competition with 38 points, edging Lofton by a single point. Lofton wins the half-mile and obstacle run, garners second in the bicycle race and 100-yard dash, and finishes fourth and fifth, respectively, in tennis and weightlifting.
Feb. 13, 1973 – Ray Nitschke announces he has plans to play a 16th season. “I want to play another season,” Nitschke says. “I haven’t sat down and discussed my situation with Dan Devine yet, but I want to play another year because I feel I can contribute.” Nitschke attempts to return, playing in the team’s 1973 exhibition opener, but reconsiders and retires with the regular season less than three weeks away.
Feb. 12, 1958 – Floyd ‘Breezy’ Reid, a running back with the Packers from 1950 through 1956, is named backfield coach and scout by first-year head coach Ray (Scooter) McLean. Reid, the team’s leading ground gainer in 1953 and 1954, had been a part-time scout for the team in 1957. Reid’s duties will include scouting college games and the Packers’ upcoming opponent.
