GREEN BAY – The Packers' all-time leading receiver and one of the most prodigious ball-hawks in franchise history are almost ready to take their place in the Packers Hall of Fame.
Receiver Donald Driver and cornerback Mark Lee will be the featured inductees during the 47th Packers Hall of Fame induction banquet on Saturday, July 22, at the Lambeau Field Atrium.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Driver played in 205 games over his 14-year career with the Packers, second-most in franchise history behind only quarterback Brett Favre.
Driver's 743 receptions and 10,137 receiving yards lead all Packers receivers, with his 62 career touchdowns tied for fifth in franchise history.
Driver caught at least one pass in 133 straight games for the Packers, finishing with 50 or more receptions in nine consecutive campaigns.
A member of the Packers' Super Bowl team in 2010, Driver was overcome with emotion while addressing the media after his induction was announced back in November.
"I'm blessed and honored to say that to be on the first ballot is truly something special," Driver said. "I'm going to cherish this moment for the rest of my life. I've always said this – if I never, ever got into the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame, if I ever get into the Packer Hall of Fame that was good enough for me. To receive this honor is special."
Pro Football Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf will present Driver for induction. Known as the architect of the Packers' Super Bowl XXXI championship, Wolf was responsible for drafting Driver in the seventh round out of Alcorn State in 1999.
Lee, a second-round pick out of Washington in 1980, exemplified consistency during his 11 seasons in Green Bay (1980-90). He intercepted 31 passes during his career, which ranks second all-time among Packers cornerbacks and eighth overall, with 104 passes defensed.
Lee missed only eight games during his Packers career, appearing in 157 contests with 139 starts. However, it was during the Packers' only postseason appearance of the 1980s that Lee made one of his biggest plays in returning an interception for a touchdown against Dallas in the second round of the 1982 playoffs.
After enduring a 26-year wait to be summoned to the Packers Hall of Fame, Lee was at a loss for words when the call finally came.
"It's mind-boggling to sit back and say your work is good enough to be selected for that," said Lee, who will be presented by his former high school football coach Bob Jimenez. "It's something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life." The sold-out event begins at 4:30 p.m. with dinner and program to follow at 7 p.m.
