Playing for the Green Bay Packers is no laughing matter. The four-time Super Bowl champions are one of the most revered franchises in NFL football along with nine more titles before the AFL-NFL merger.
Further, all six numbers retired by the franchise are also Hall of Famers. No joke.
Here are the six people with retired numbers by the Packers.
No. 3 Tony Canadeo
First up is Tony Canadeo, a U.S. Army veteran and Gonzaga legend who played multiple positions for the Packers from 1941-52.
Canadeo was a fullback, halfback, and quarterback, among other positions, for the pre-merger Packers, winning the 1944 NFL Championship with the franchise. Additionally, he was honored with two first-team All-Pro selections in 1943 and 1949.
Canadeo was known for serving during World War II, splintering his professional tenure. Nevertheless, he played 11 seasons for the Packers—his entire career—and retired as the franchise's all-time rushing leader (now fourth all time). No. 3 was retired upon Canadeo's retirement and the halfback joined the Hall of Fame in 1974.
No. 4 Brett Favre
Next is legendary gunslinger Brett Favre, the most recent addition to the Packers' retired numbers. No. 4 went up in Lambeau Field forever in 2015.
Favre was traded in the offseason in 1992 to the Packers in a move that would change the trajectory of the franchise. The Southern Mississippi product took the reins of the offense as the full-time starter that year—a position onto which he would hold until 2007.
Favre launched into superstardom with the Packers, taking the team to a very competitive place with him. A nine-time Pro Bowler with Green Bay, Favre was also a three-time MVP winner and led the Packers to a Super Bowl XXXI victory (making another Super Bowl appearance the next year).
Favre will likely go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, quite possibly his successor Aaron Rodgers as well.
No. 14 Don Hutson
Early tight end Don Hutson spent 11 years with the Packers, winning three NFL titles with the franchise en route to a back-to-back MVP distinction.
Hutson joined Curly Lambeau's Packers before the NFL draft, signing up for the 1935 season following a successful collegiate career at Alabama. Hutson was an innovative pass-catcher for Green Bay in the early days of the game and after retiring (for the umpteenth time) in 1945.
Following retirement, Hutson was honored with his No. 14 retired by the Packers in 1952 and he joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
No. 15 Bart Starr
One of the most recognizable Packers legends of all time, quarterback Bart Starr was the face of the franchise for the better part of three decades.
Starr joined the Packers in 1956 after starring with the Crimson Tide, winning MVP in 1966 and winning five NFL titles with Green Bay.
Starr is known as the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl—leading the Packers in Super Bowls I and II. A four-time Pro Bowler, Starr retired in 1971, re-joining the team as a coach; in 1975, he became head coach of the franchise, leading the sidelines for eight years.
No. 66 Ray Nitschke
The first primarily defensive player on this list, linebacker Ray Nitschke powered the Packers' defense during the organization's five-time NFL championship years in the 1960's, later earning two Super Bowl victories with Green Bay, too.
Nitschke first joined the Packers as the 36th overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft, leaving his hometown Chicago for Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nitschke thrived under Vince Lombardi and was a tough linebacker with tackling prowess.
He retired after the 1972 season, joining the Hall of Fame in 1978 and having his number retired by the Packers in 1983.
No. 92 Reggie White
Lastly, we have another recent entry in defensive end Reggie White, whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 43 due to a heart issue.
White mostly played for the Philadelphia Eagles following a stint in the USFL, later joining the Packers in 1993. A six-time Pro Bowler in every season with Green Bay, White was superb for the Packers' defense during the championship-winning season in 1996, culminating in the Super Bowl XXXI victory.
White won Defensive Player of the Year in 1998 with the Packers (his second) and posthumously saw his No. 92 retired by both the Eagles and Packers in 2005. White joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
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