Ray Nitschke Raymond Ernest " Ray " Nitschke ( December 29 , 1936 – March 8 , 1998 ) was a professional football player who played his entire career as a middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL . Wearing # 66 , he played fifteen seasons , from 1958 - 72 . Early life . Nitschke was born on December 29 , 1936 in Elmwood Park , Illinois , the youngest of three sons to Robert and Anna Nitschke . His father was killed in a car accident in 1940 , and his mother died of a blood clot when Ray was 13 . Older brothers Robert Jr . ( age 21 ) and Richard ( age 17 ) decided they would raise Ray on their own . Proviso High School . Ray entered Proviso High School in Maywood shortly before his mother ' s death . The loss of both parents enraged Nitschke , and the lack of a parental disciplinarian to quell his rage , caused him to engage in fights with other kids in the neighborhood . His freshman year at Proviso , Ray played fullback on one of the school ' s three football teams . He was a poor student at school and his grades eventually caught up with him as he was declared academically ineligible to play sports his sophomore year . This embarrassment he would lament for the rest of his life . He succeeded in raising his grades sufficiently enough in his sophomore year to allow him to engage in sports his junior year . By his junior year he had grown significantly to stand at 6 ' and his quick temper had become notorious . His junior year he became the quarterback on offense , and safety on defense of the varsity football team , for coach Andy Puplis . He played varsity basketball and was a pitcher and left fielder for the varsity baseball team . His baseballs skills brought him an offer from the professional St . Louis Browns with , what Ray considered an astronomical amount , a $ 3 , 000 " signing bonus " . Ray was also offered scholarships from college football programs around the country . Puplis advised him to accept a football scholarship . His desire to play at a Big Ten college , with a chance to play in the Rose Bowl , caused him to accept a football scholarship to the University of Illinois in 1954 . University of Illinois . In the rural community , which his University was set in , Nitschke soon relished and embellished his role as a streetwise punk . He smoked , drank heavily , and fought at the drop of a hat . Never a good student in high school , his grades suffered at college . Similar to his contemporary , Jerry Kramer , Ray was ostracized by his professors because he attended the university as the result of a football scholarship . In his sophomore year , due to a depletion of players in the offensive backfield , Illini head coach , Ray Eliot moved Nitschke from quarterback to fullback . His childhood dream of quarterbacking a team to a victory in the Rose Bowl was shattered . At this time , college football had reverted to single - platoon football . Single - platoon football meant those players that were on offense had to switch to defense , and vice - versa , when ball possession changed . On defense , Nitschke moved to the linebacking position . He proved to be a very skilled player and an absolute brutal tackler as a linebacker , so much so that , by Ray ' s senior year , Paul Brown considered him the best linebacker in college football . Growing up in the outskirts of Chicago , Ray had always idolized the Bears and he hoped to be chosen by them in the 1958 NFL draft . However , on December 2 , 1957 , Nitschke was chosen by Jack Vainisi , in what is considered the greatest drafting year in the history of the Green Bay Packers franchise , as a second pick of the third round . Pro Football career . He was selected , at age 20 , in the third round of the 1958 NFL Draft , the 36th overall pick . This draft , held on December 2 , 1957 , included two other significant Packers of the 1960s : fullback Jim Taylor of LSU ( 2nd rd . , 15th overall ) and right guard Jerry Kramer of Idaho ( 4th rd . , 39th overall ) . Their rookie season in 1958 was dismal , recording just one win ( and one tie ) , finishing with the worst record in the 12 team league . Ray wore the number 66 on his jersey his entire career with the Packers . A month after the 1958 season ended , Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach . Nitschke became a full time starter in 1962 , the anchor of a disciplined defense that helped win five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowl s in the 1960s . He was the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game , accepting the prize of a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette . In the game , Nitschke recovered 2 fumbles and deflected a pass that was intercepted . The Packers won the game , 16 - 7 , and finished the season with a 14 - 1 record . In Super Bowl I , Nitschke contributed 6 tackles and a sack . In Super Bowl II , Nitschke led Green Bay ' s defense with 9 tackles . On December 17 , 1972 , the 9 - 4 Green Bay Packers traveled to New Orleans to play the 1 - 11 - 1 Saints at Tulane Stadium for Nitschke ' s last regular season game of his career . Nitschke recored the only pass reception of his career in this game , a 34 - yard gain on a blocked field goal attempt for which he was blocking . The Packers won the game 30 - 20 to clinch the NFC Central division title , and their first playoff berth since Super Bowl II . They lost on the road to Washington 16 - 3 in the first round of the playoffs . Although Nitschke was known for his hard hitting , he was a good all - around linebacker who also intercepted 25 passes over his career . Lombardi gave partial credit to Nitschke ' s success to Ray ' s wife , whose calming influence helped him focus on his career . He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978 . Personal life . Nitschke was married on June 26 , 1961 to Jackie Forchette . Jackie was unable to have children , so they adopted three : John ( in 1963 ) , Richard ( in 1966 ) , and Amy ( in 1972 ) . Death . Nitschke died of a heart attack in Venice , FL , at the age of 61 in 1998 . He was in the presence of family , attempting to return to his winter residence in Naples , FL , at the time of his death . Honors . Nitschke remained popular in Green Bay after retiring , even having his phone number and home address published in the Green Bay phone book . Soon after his death , the city of Green Bay named a newly constructed bridge , connecting Dousman Street to Main Street , in his honor . Nitschke appeared in the 1968 film " Head " and the 1974 film " The Longest Yard " . His # 66 was retired in 1983 , the fourth of only five numbers retired by the Packers . The only other Lombardi - era player to have his number retired is quarterback Bart Starr , whose # 15 was retired in 1973 . Also , the team has named one of its two outdoor practice fields " Ray Nitschke Field " . Every year , the Pro Football Hall of Fame has a luncheon the day before its induction ceremony , attended by most of the living members and honoring the new inductees . Nitschke always spoke at this luncheon , telling the new inductees what a great honor they were receiving , and that they were now members of the greatest team of them all . Following his death , the Hall named the luncheon after him . In 1969 , he was awarded as the NFL ' s all - time top Linebacker by the NFL in honor of the NFL ' s 50th Anniversary . Thus he is the only linebacker to have made both the NFL ' s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams . He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981 . In 1999 , he was ranked number 18 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players , making him the highest - ranked player coached by Vince Lombardi , second among Packers behind Don Hutson , and third among linebackers behind Lawrence Taylor and Dick Butkus . In NFL Network ' s Top 100 Players of All Time he was ranked # 47 . Miscellany . Nitschke was known for his strength and toughness . Once , the bleachers on the Packers practice field collapsed on top of Nitschke . Lombardi ran over to see what had happened , but when told it had fallen on Nitschke , said , " He ' ll be fine . Get back to work ! " According to Nitschke ' s biography , a spike was driven into his helmet , but didn ' t injure him . The helmet ( with the hole ) is currently on display in the Packer Hall of Fame in Green Bay . Nitschke appeared on " What ' s My Line " following the 1962 NFL championship game , wearing his standard black rimmed glasses and not looking at all like one of the most feared players in pro football . It all went for naught , as panelist Bennett Cerf , who had attended the game , guessed his identity immediately . In the ABC movie " Brian ' s Song " , NFL running back and cancer victim Brian Piccolo claimed the " only thing ( he was ) allergic to is Nitschke . " Nitschke is referenced in the cartoon " Danny Phantom " in the episode " Bitter Reunions . " The primary villain , Vlad Masters , is revealed to be a Packers fanatic , and his most prized possession is a Nitschke - autographed football . He appeared in the comic film " Head " , starring The Monkees , as a footballer who repeatedly tackles Peter Tork in a mock war movie sequence . His character is listed in the credits as " Private One " because his jersey is emblazoned with the number " 1 " . Also appeared in 1987 Miller Lite beer commercial . Nitschke also appeared in the film , " The Longest Yard " as Guard Bogdanski .