The Green Bay Packers will kickoff their 2023 season 70 days from now against the Chicago Bears. In celebration of a new era of Packers football and in anticipation for the upcoming season, Wisconsin Sports Heroics will present the top 100 players in franchise history in the 100 days leading up to the start of the regular season. Our rankings are based on Pro Football References Approximate Value stat, which gives a numeric value to each season a player plays in.
Green Bay Packers Greatest Player #70: Clarence Williams
In 2023, the big story is that Jordan Love is taking over for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It is never easy taking over for legend, something that Clarence Williams knew all too well. Except that Williams had the extra burden of having been acquired by the Packers in exchange for another Hall of Famer.
Williams was drafted in the 11th round (283rd overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He did not make the team, but spent the year on their practice squad. In 1970, he got some playing time during the preseason, including a game against the Packers in which he was scouted.
As a result, the Packers shipped future Hall of Famer Herb Adderley off to Dallas for Williams and Malcolm Walker. The idea was that Williams would take over for Willie Davis, who had retired following the 1969 NFL season.
So, Williams was traded to Green Bay in exchange for one all-time great while being expected to take over for another all-time great. Whatever pressure Jordan Love is feeling has nothing compared to what Williams must have felt.
And Williams had a pretty decent career for Green Bay. The 1970’s, of course, were not a great time for the Packers, and Williams experience just one winning season during his career. However, he accumulated 51.0 sacks in eight seasons, including two seasons with 10.0+ sacks.
A durable defensive end, Williams made 107 consecutive starts at the position and was the team’s player representative in the NFL Players’ Union. By the end of his career, Williams had an AV of 54.
Following his retirement, Williams owned his own travel agency and spent some time coaching at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin.
He passed away at the age of 70 in 2007.
Green Bay Packers Greatest Players List
- #100- Daryn Colledge
- #99- Mike Butler
- #98- Bernardo Harris
- #97- Tyrone Williams
- #96- Dick Himes
- #95- Mason Crosby
- #94- Mike McCoy
- #93- Gilbert Brown
- #92- Ryan Pickett
- #91- Ron Kostelnik
- #90- Earl Dotson
- #89- Paul Hornung
- #88- Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
- #87- Robert Brooks
- #86- Ken Bowman
- #85- Edgar Bennett
- #84- Jesse Whittenton
- #83- Tim Harris
- #82- Gerry Ellis
- #81- Jim Carter
- #80- Willie Buchanon
- #79- James Jones
- #78- Al Harris
- #77- Santana Dotson
- #76- Bill Forester
- #75- Kenny Clark
- #74- Dorsey Levens
- #73- George Koonce
- #72- Ezra Johnson
- #71- Nick Collins
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