The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. announced today that it will induct former Packers players Chad Clifton and Nick Collins, and former broadcaster Russ Winnie at the 46th Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held Saturday, July 23, 2016, in the Lambeau Field Atrium.
Chad Clifton, selected in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft, appeared in 165 games with 160 starts during his 12-year career in Green Bay. He ranks No. 2 in franchise history for most games played by an offensive tackle behind only Forrest Gregg (187 games). In 2004, Clifton helped limit the opposition to a franchise-low 14 sacks, as the Packers did not allow a sack in eight games, another single-season club record. Clifton was selected to the Pro Bowl twice during his career (2007 and 2010) and blocked for five of the top eight single-season rushers in franchise history (Ahman Green, 2001-03; Ryan Grant, 2008-09). He played on eight playoff teams in Green Bay, highlighted by the 2010 squad that won Super Bowl XLV.
Nick Collins, a second-round draft pick out of Bethune-Cookman in 2005, played seven seasons (2005-11) for the Packers. The talented, athletic defender became one of the top playmakers in the league at the safety position and racked up 21 interceptions among 83 passes defensed in his career. Collins was a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2008-10), and became the first Packers safety since LeRoy Butler (1996-98) to earn the honor in three consecutive seasons. His electrifying interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLV staked the Packers to a 14-0 lead in the eventual 31-25 triumph.
Russ Winnie was the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers for 18 years and one of the people most responsible for building their statewide and rabid fan base. He broadcast Packers games from 1929 through 1946, in the years before television and when the team won six NFL championships under Curly Lambeau, and broadcast University of Wisconsin football for 16 of those years. When Winnie retired from announcing to concentrate on his position as station manager of WTMJ in Milwaukee, he was widely respected as one of the best sportscasters in the Midwest, if not the country. Legendary radio voice Ted Husing, the first national sportscaster hired by CBS, once called Winnie "the man who has broadcast more sports events than any other man in America." Like so many others, former Packers historian Lee Remmel became a fan of the team as a youngster in Shawano, Wis., at least partly because of Winnie.* *"I grew up with Russ Winnie," Remmel once said. "I liked his dramatic style. He had an excellent vocabulary and expressed himself very well." A native of Racine, Wis., Winnie died in 1956 at age 49.
Information about tickets for the banquet, which begins with a cash bar at 4:30 p.m., with dinner and program to follow at 7 p.m., is still being finalizedand will be released in the near future (www.packershalloffame.com). The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. Golf Classic is set for Monday, July 11, 2016, at The Bull in Sheboygan Falls, Wis.
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. is a nonprofit corporation independent of the Green Bay Packers that guides the Hall as a historic national sports venue and educational resource to the Green Bay community and the state of Wisconsin. The Hall raises funds through its annual induction banquet, Golf Classic and other events to preserve the history of the Green Bay Packers and expand its archives. Historic memorabilia donated by individuals to the Hall may qualify as tax-deductible gifts.
Originally established in 1967 as a temporary display in the concourse of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, the Packers Hall of Fame moved into its own facility in 1976 near Lambeau Field. In 2003, it was relocated to the lower level of the Lambeau Field Atrium, and it was closed in November 2013 for renovations. The Packers Hall of Fame reopened in August of 2015, and is now located on the main floor of the Atrium across from 1919 Kitchen & Tap. Groups interested in booking tours and those seeking additional information may visit the Hall online at packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/visit.html.
