Ray Nitschke

Ray Nitschke was the ferocious middle linebacker of the Green Bay Packers dynasty of the 1960s, helping the team win multiple NFL championships and two Super Bowls.

Raymond Ernest Nitschke was born on 29 December 1936 in Elmwood Park, Illinois, the youngest of three sons; his father was killed in a car accident when Ray was just three, and his mother died of an untreated blood clot when he was 13, leaving him orphaned and raised by his two older brothers. The loss of both parents fuelled a deep anger in the young Nitschke, who later said he had "a two-by-eight plank" on his shoulder, channelling his rage into constant neighbourhood fights before finding an outlet in sports. Nitschke played college football at Illinois, moving from quarterback to fullback and eventually linebacker, and was considered by legendary coach Paul Brown to be the best linebacker in college football by his senior year. The Green Bay Packers selected Nitschke in the third round of the 1958 NFL Draft, and he became the anchor of coach Vince Lombardi's dominant defence throughout the 1960s, helping the Packers win five NFL championships, including victories in the first two Super Bowls. Nitschke was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, and was named to the NFL's 50th and 75th Anniversary All-Time Teams, having transformed the anger of his difficult childhood into one of the most respected and feared careers in the sport's history. He died on 8 March 1998, at age 61, in Venice, Florida.

Aggressive, hard-hitting middle linebacker with exceptional instincts and leadership qualities

Considered one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history and the heart of Green Bay's championship teams

• Pro Football Hall of Fame (1978)
• Super Bowl II MVP
• 2x Super Bowl champion
• 5x NFL champion
• 1x Pro Bowl
• 4x First-team All-Pro