Jim Ringo, a Hall of Fame center who played 15 seasons for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, died Monday, two days short of his 76th birthday.
Ringo, who lived in Chesapeake, Va., had been battling Alzheimer's, former Packers teammate Willie Davis said.The Packers drafted Ringo out of Syracuse in the seventh round in 1953, and he became one of the NFL's best centers despite being undersized at just over 200 pounds."But what tenacity he had as a center in the NFL," Davis said. "Probably, no one was better."
Ringo turned his relatively small size into an advantage, leading the way on the power sweep that made the Packers' offense so effective. Ringo played for Green Bay through 1963, but a contract dispute in which Ringo brought an agent with him to negotiate led Coach Vince Lombardi to trade the center - on the spot."The story goes that . . .
Vince excused himself, came back and said, 'You now are a member of the Philadelphia Eagles,' " Packers historian Lee Remmel said.
Ringo was voted to 10 Pro Bowls and chosen for the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s'. He started in a then-record 182 consecutive games in 1954-67.
Mercury News.com..
I remember Jim Ringo being part of the great Green Back Packer line of the early 1960's that included Jerry Kramer, Fuzzy Thurston and a fellow HOFamer in the great offensive tackle Forrest Gregg.
Being a New York Giants fan back then I hated the talented Packers for beating the Giants in back to back NFL Championshop games in 1961 and 62..
The Packers main strength was an excellent offensive line that was anchored by # 51 Jim Ringo.
RIP. Jim Ringo.
wil.
Ringo, who lived in Chesapeake, Va., had been battling Alzheimer's, former Packers teammate Willie Davis said.The Packers drafted Ringo out of Syracuse in the seventh round in 1953, and he became one of the NFL's best centers despite being undersized at just over 200 pounds."But what tenacity he had as a center in the NFL," Davis said. "Probably, no one was better."
Ringo turned his relatively small size into an advantage, leading the way on the power sweep that made the Packers' offense so effective. Ringo played for Green Bay through 1963, but a contract dispute in which Ringo brought an agent with him to negotiate led Coach Vince Lombardi to trade the center - on the spot."The story goes that . . .
Vince excused himself, came back and said, 'You now are a member of the Philadelphia Eagles,' " Packers historian Lee Remmel said.
Ringo was voted to 10 Pro Bowls and chosen for the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s'. He started in a then-record 182 consecutive games in 1954-67.
Mercury News.com..
I remember Jim Ringo being part of the great Green Back Packer line of the early 1960's that included Jerry Kramer, Fuzzy Thurston and a fellow HOFamer in the great offensive tackle Forrest Gregg.
Being a New York Giants fan back then I hated the talented Packers for beating the Giants in back to back NFL Championshop games in 1961 and 62..
The Packers main strength was an excellent offensive line that was anchored by # 51 Jim Ringo.
RIP. Jim Ringo.
wil.
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