Best of the Packers: Top 10 offensive linemen since 1960
By Phil Watson
1. Forrest Gregg (1956-70)
The Green Bay Packers found a gem when they selected SMU tackle Forrest Gregg in the second round of the 1956 NFL Draft.
Gregg moved in at right tackle and started there for most of the next 15 years, earning All-Pro honors in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966 and 1967.
Perhaps the greatest tribute to Gregg’s greatness as an offensive lineman was when he also earned All-Pro status in 1965 while filling in at left guard.
A nine-time Pro Bowler along with his seven All-Pro nods, Gregg was part of all five of the Lombardi era title teams in Green Bay and played in 187 games in his 15 seasons.
Waived in 1971, Gregg was claimed by the Dallas Cowboys and served as a backup for their Super Bowl title team that season, joining fellow former Packer Herb Adderley as the only players with six championships to their credit.
Gregg became head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1975 and coached the team for most of three seasons, leading them to an 18-23 record.
Inducted into the Packers and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977, Gregg was named head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1980 and in 1981 led them to the Super Bowl, becoming the first man to play and coach in a Super Bowl (Tom Flores had coached the Oakland Raiders to the big game the previous year, but never played in his lone Super Bowl appearance with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1969).
Gregg resigned after the 1983 season, leading the Bengals to a 32-25 record in four seasons, and was hired to coach the Packers, where he was 25-37-1 in four seasons before resigning after the 1987 campaign.
In 1989, Gregg returned to his alma mater as SMU revived its football program after having the NCAA’s “death penalty” imposed, and was 3-19 in the program’s first two seasons back on the field. He also coached in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts in 1979 and the Shreveport Pirates in 1994-95.
Gregg was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1960s team and was a member of the NFL’s 50th and 75th anniversary all-time teams, as well.
Next: Packers, Badgers Rule Top 100 List