Something I'd like to know...(Packers history buff here!)

[David22]

I have been a Green Bay Packers fan since I was born in 1991. My Dad has been a fan since 1965. My favorite player currently is Aaron Rodgers on offense and Julius Peppers on defense, even though I admire every name who's ever been a Packers player, coach, etc. Also, Mason Crosby is my favorite Packer on special teams.

I wanted to know something interesting. Since I am a huge Packers fan since I was born, I love to read their history constantly. I was wondering about any head coaching candidates they've had in their entire history? These are the only ones I know about, please let me know if there's any others:

Bob Snyder, Charles Brock, Cecil Isbell, and Tom Stidham were the possible candidates to take over as head coach after Curly Lambeau left, before Gene Ronzani was named. (source: www.packershistory.net)

Chuck Drulis was a candidate to become the next head coach before Hugh Devore and Ray "Scooter" McLean were to co-head coach the Packers. (source: www.packershistory.net)

And I read that Sean Payton was interviewed for the job before Mike McCarthy took it in 2006. (source: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/92827664.html)

So, if there are any other candidates they've had for the head coaching job in their entire history, please let me know. I'd not only like to know who they are but when they were candidates so that way, I know who they were before the actual head coach was named.

Thank you! Please help a lifelong diehard Packers fan like myself!

 

[El Guapo]

It looks like Wolf was mostly looking at Andy Reid as an alternative to Ray Rhodes going into the 1999 season: http://archive.packersnews.com/arti...-Wolf-had-hired-Andy-Reid-Packers-head-coach-

Former Packers General Manager Ron Wolf said one of his biggest regrets was not hiring Andy Reid as the head coach to follow Mike Holmgren in 1999. Wolf instead chose Ray Rhodes, and Reid was hired by the Eagles just days later.

Mike Martz and Marty Schottenheimer were candidates after Ron Wolf fired Ray Rhodes and eventually hired Mike Sherman: http://onlineathens.com/stories/011800/spo_0118000037.shtml

A longtime college assistant coach with just three years of NFL experience, Sherman suddenly emerged as general manager Ron Wolf's choice when the GM's early favorites -- former Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer and Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz -- took themselves out of the running.

 

[profile_removed]

Wasn't Parcells initially in the running until he publicly took himself out of the running way back in 1991 before we signed Holmgren?

 

[Packerlifer]

Forest Evasheski, coach at Iowa, was the Packers' first choice before they stumbled into Lombardi in 1959.

The Packers' executive committee was split between Dan Devine and Joe Paterno in 1971. In that search they were also interested in George Allen and Frank Kush of Arizona St.

George Perles, coach at Michigan St. at the time, was offered the Packers' job in 1988 but turned it down at the last minute so the club went with Lindy Infante.

Ron Wolf had pretty much focused on Mike Holmgren in 1992 but there was a brief flirtation with Bill Parcells because the two men had a personal relationship and Parcells was going through one of his "do I, or don't I" moods about coaching again.

I believe Jim Bates, the Packers defensive coordinator in 2005, was interviewed for the job in the 2006 search. Ted Thompson also planned to interview Brad Childress, but the Vikings signed him first. That worked out well. I think there were one or two other NFL assistants interviewed or on TT's list before the McCarthy hire as well.

 

[David22]

Thanks, Packerlifer, you're wonderful. I've never heard of Forest Evasheski. Who were the other choices before Lombardi in 1959 besides Evasheski? And I never would have guessed that Ted Thompson was interested in Brad Childress. That's pretty cool. Where did you get all your sources? And, for me to not know about Evasheski, that shows you how much I don't know about college football, haha.

 

[David22]

Never mind about that, Packerlifer, but thank you again anyway - I learned that other candidates to take over after Ray "Scooter" McLean left and before Vince Lombardi was hired, besides that of Forest Evashevski (that's how you spell it according to a just recent web search I just did right now), the Packers had also looked at Jim Tremble, who once coached the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League as well as the Philadelphia Eagles; Blanton Collier, who used to be the head coach at the University of Kentucky (Cobb's and Masthay's old alumnus, go figure!), former Los Angeles Rams head coach Hampton Poole; and former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Hall of Famer, Otto Graham.

If you have any other sources, please send them my way. Thanks again!

 

[David22]

I found a lot more candidates here from all my hard work and research:

Bob Schnelker, former assistant under Vince Lombardi and Phil Bengston from 1966 to 1971, and again an assistant from 1982 to 1985, was a candidate before Dan Devine was named head coach.

**** Modzelewski, defensive coordinator under Forrest Gregg, was a candidate to succeed Gregg in 1988.

**** Coury, a guy who has nothing but coaching background on his resume, was another candidate to succeed Gregg in 1988.

Dennis Green (yes, the one who used to coach the Cardinals) was another in 1988.

Richie Petitbon, former Bears/Rams/Redskins safety from 1959 to 1972, was another in 1988.

Joe Bugel, like Coury with his resume, was another in 1988.

Johnny Roland, who as a Packers assistant in 1974 and again in 2004, was another in 1988.

Barry Alvarez, who has been on and off as the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers college football team and was just named the head coach again just recently, was a candidate to follow after Ray Rhodes' firing.

And the ones who were interviewed before McCarthy took the job in 2006 were Sean Payton, Maurice Carthon, Ron Rivera, Wade Phillips, Tim Lewis, Jim Bates, and Russ Grimm.

I read that Jon Gruden and Steve Mariucci were targeted by Thompson after Rhodes got fired but they weren't able to leave their current teams. I guess they were targeted by Thompson like how Thompson was interested in Childress.

I wrote down everyone I could find so far and I learned that with all these candidates plus the ones who did coach, Green Bay would have had 52 different head coaches (including when Thompson targeted Gruden, Mariucci, and Childress) in their 95-year history. I learned that there was a guy who was named Willard Ryan who was head coach in 1919 and another named Joe Hoeffel in 1921. 52 head coaches in 95 years...now that's quite a lot!

Like I said, if there's any more you can find who I didn't find, please send them my way.

 

[El Guapo]

Jim Bates was not a serious candidate for the head coaching job. He wanted it but they merely interviewed him to appease him in hopes of keeping him as defensive coordinator. He refused to stay if he wasn't the head coach and that was that. As interim head coach, he did well for the Packers and the players seemed to respond to him.

 

[XPack]

Forest Evasheski, coach at Iowa, was the Packers' first choice before they stumbled into Lombardi in 1959.

I recall, Curly wanted to return, but he did burn bridges with Board of Directors when he left previously.
When the Board of Directors approached the Maras, the Giants wanted them to take Tom Landry instead.

Think it was Jack Vainisi who persuaded Board to hire Lombardi and he got support from none other than George Halas.

I wanted to know something interesting.

If you really want to investigate a interesting character (unless you already know about him ), do some research on Jack Vainisi. Not many remember him now, but his work behind the scenes pretty much built the basement upon which Lombardi built his empire. He was the reason for players like Max McGee, Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung and even Vince Lombardi to come to Green Bay.

 

[XPack]

And for that matter, we did not 'stumble into' Lombardi. It was a proper detailed search by Vainisi and his behind the scenes pulling strings that bought Lombardi here.

 

[Packerlifer]

Never mind about that, Packerlifer, but thank you again anyway - I learned that other candidates to take over after Ray "Scooter" McLean left and before Vince Lombardi was hired, besides that of Forest Evashevski (that's how you spell it according to a just recent web search I just did right now), the Packers had also looked at Jim Tremble, who once coached the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League as well as the Philadelphia Eagles; Blanton Collier, who used to be the head coach at the University of Kentucky (Cobb's and Masthay's old alumnus, go figure!), former Los Angeles Rams head coach Hampton Poole; and former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Hall of Famer, Otto Graham.

If you have any other sources, please send them my way. Thanks again!

Yes, those others were either considered or speculated although Evashevski (no typo this time) was the one actually offered the job. BTW, Blanton Collier a couple of years later was hired to replace Paul Brown in Cleveland and had a pretty good career there. Collier's Browns won the NFL title in 1964, played the Packers for the Championship in '65 and were in two more NFL Championship games 1968 & 69, won a division title in '67 and never had a losing season in the 7 years he was in charge there.

 

[Packerlifer]

And for that matter, we did not 'stumble into' Lombardi. It was a proper detailed search by Vainisi and his behind the scenes pulling strings that bought Lombardi here.

The job was actually first offered to Evashevski but he decided to stay at Iowa. Vainisi knew about Lombardi but he was the personnel guy, not an executive committee member. They were in a quandry after Evashevski turned them down. I doubt Vainisi would have gotten them to go with Lombardi without the in-put from George Halas. As an organization the landing of Lombardi really was a "stumble into" by the Packers.

 

[Packerlifer]

I found a lot more candidates here from all my hard work and research:

Bob Schnelker, former assistant under Vince Lombardi and Phil Bengston from 1966 to 1971, and again an assistant from 1982 to 1985, was a candidate before Dan Devine was named head coach.

**** Modzelewski, defensive coordinator under Forrest Gregg, was a candidate to succeed Gregg in 1988.

**** Coury, a guy who has nothing but coaching background on his resume, was another candidate to succeed Gregg in 1988.

Dennis Green (yes, the one who used to coach the Cardinals) was another in 1988.

Richie Petitbon, former Bears/Rams/Redskins safety from 1959 to 1972, was another in 1988.

Joe Bugel, like Coury with his resume, was another in 1988.

Johnny Roland, who as a Packers assistant in 1974 and again in 2004, was another in 1988.

Barry Alvarez, who has been on and off as the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers college football team and was just named the head coach again just recently, was a candidate to follow after Ray Rhodes' firing.

And the ones who were interviewed before McCarthy took the job in 2006 were Sean Payton, Maurice Carthon, Ron Rivera, Wade Phillips, Tim Lewis, Jim Bates, and Russ Grimm.

I read that Jon Gruden and Steve Mariucci were targeted by Thompson after Rhodes got fired but they weren't able to leave their current teams. I guess they were targeted by Thompson like how Thompson was interested in Childress.

I wrote down everyone I could find so far and I learned that with all these candidates plus the ones who did coach, Green Bay would have had 52 different head coaches (including when Thompson targeted Gruden, Mariucci, and Childress) in their 95-year history. I learned that there was a guy who was named Willard Ryan who was head coach in 1919 and another named Joe Hoeffel in 1921. 52 head coaches in 95 years...now that's quite a lot!

Like I said, if there's any more you can find who I didn't find, please send them my way.

I seem to recall Tom Coughlin and **** Jauron being mentioned as possible candidates during some other coaching searches. But you may want to distinquish between names being circulated in the press and actual serious considerations by the executive committee. There was even talk in the press and at water coolers about Notre Dame's Ara Parseghian for Green Bay in 1971.

 

[El Guapo]

That reminds me about hearing Mooch's name bantered around at some point, but probably just by the media after Sherman was let go.

 

[Packerlifer]

That reminds me about hearing Mooch's name bantered around at some point, but probably just by the media after Sherman was let go.

Yeah. If we're including media and fan speculation there was also some buzz around 1980 of luring John Madden out of retirement to replace Bart Starr.