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| No. 72, 74 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Defensive tackle Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1935-01-26)January 26, 1935 Emporia, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | February 21, 1977(1977-02-21) (aged 42) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Warwick(Newport News, Virginia) | ||||||||
| College | Virginia | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1957: 5th round, 52nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate Wrestling | ||
| Representing theVirginia Cavaliers | ||
| NCAA Division I Championships | ||
 | 1957 Pittsburgh | Heavyweight |
Henry Wendell Jordan (January 26, 1935 – February 21, 1977) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle for 13 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL) with theCleveland Browns andGreen Bay Packers. He playedcollege football for theVirginia Cavaliers and was selected in the fifth round of the1957 NFL draft. He played in the NFL from 1957 to 1969 and is a member of thePro Football Hall of Fame.[1]
Jordan was born on January 26, 1935, inEmporia, Virginia. He graduated in 1953 fromWarwick High School, inNewport News.[2][3] At Warwick, Jordan showed himself to be outstanding as a leader, as well as academically and in athletics, among other things.[3] Jordan served multiple times as class president. Helettered in football,track andwrestling. He was a football co-captain, and was selected All-Tidewater, All-Eastern District, and honorable mention for All-State. In wrestling, as a junior he won the State AAU Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.[4]
In 1985, a college scholarship fund to honor Jordan was created to assist a graduating Warwick senior in going to college. In 2008, the Henry Jordan Memorial Scholarship Fund formally was established with the Peninsula Community Foundation of Virginia to provide annual college scholarships to a Warwick senior.[3]
Jordan attend theUniversity of Virginia (UVA), where he received aBachelor of Science degree in commerce in 1957. He was aDean's list student academically, vice-president of his graduating class, and honored as the Distinguished Military Student of 1957. He playedcollege football, and was the captain of the football team as a senior, also being named All-State andAll-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[3][4] Jordan was also an All-Americanwrestler in 1957 (UVA's first), the ACC champion in 1957 in the unlimited weight division, andNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) runner-up at1957 NCAA Wrestling championships.[4][5][6] He was a member of the Beta chapter ofSigma Nufraternity at UVA.[7]
Jordan was selected in the fifth round of the1957 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.[8] He played in every Browns game for two years (1957-58), but did not start any.[9] After two years, the Browns traded him for a fourth round draft choice to the Green Bay Packers inVince Lombardi'sfirst season.[10][11] He would go on to play for Green Bay from 1959-1969, as an integral part of five championship teams.
In 1959, Lombardi started Jordan in all 12 games at right defensive tackle. In 1960, he started at both defensive tackle positions, with 7.5quarterback sacks and fivefumble recoveries.[9] He was selected first-teamAll-Pro by theAssociated Press (AP) andUnited Press International (UPI).[12] He also played in the 1960Pro Bowl.[13] The Packers reached the1960 NFL Championship game, with Jordan starting at right defensive tackle, but lost to thePhiladelphia Eagles. 17–13.[14]
The1961 Packers went on to win the NFLChampionship game, defeating theNew York Giants 37–0, Jordan again starting at right defensive tackle.[15] In 1961, he had 8.5 sacks during the regular season,[9] and was again named first-team All-Pro by the AP and UPI, as well as by theNewspaper Enterprise Association (NEA); and once again chosen to play in the Pro Bowl.[16][17] The Packers won the NFL championship over the Giants again in 1962 with Jordan at right tackle.[18] He had 8.5 sacks, aninterception and afumble recovery during the regular season, and was named first-team All Pro by the AP and second-team All Pro by the NEA and UPI.[19]
Jordan was again selected to the Pro Bowl in 1963, and was named first-team All Pro by the AP, NEA and UPI.[20] In 1964, he was named first-team All Pro by the AP and UPI.[21] In 1966, Jordan was again selected to the Pro Bowl, and was named second-team All Pro by the AP, NEA and UPI.[22] He had five, 6.5 and 7.5 sacks in 1965-1967, respectively.[9]
With Jordan starting, the Packers won the NFL championship games again in1965,[23][24]1966 (where Jordan had a sack),[25][26] and1967.[27][28] They were victors in the first two Super Bowls, with Jordan starting: onJanuary 15, 1967 where Jordan had 1.5 sacks,[29][30] andJanuary 14, 1968.[31] In Super Bowl I against theKansas City Chiefs, Jordan's hit on quarterbackLen Dawson led to a key interception by the PackersWillie Wood.[6]
Before getting to the 1967 NFL championship game and Super Bowl, the Packers defeated theLos Angeles Rams in the division playoff round, 28–7.[32] The Rams were 11–1–2 that season and were favored in the game. Jordan had 3.5 sacks, playing against future Hall of Fame guardTom Mack.[33][6]
Jordan retired after the 1969 season, the result of injuries.[8][34]
Jordan was elected to four Pro Bowls (1960, 1961, 1963, and 1966), and he was thePro Bowl MVP in 1961.[citation needed] Jordan was All-NFL six times,[35] and he was a defensive leader on a Green Bay Packers team that won five of six NFL title games in eight seasons and won the first twoSuper Bowls.
A tenacious competitor on the field, Jordan was the vibrant and jovial wit among Lombardi's Packers, and was highly regarded by his teammates.[36][37][38][39][40] Highly quotable, his outgoing personality put him in demand as an after-dinner speaker.[1][37][39]
Most notably among his quips is: “Lombardi treats us all the same, like dogs.”[41]
In 1974, Jordan was inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame.[4] In 1975, he was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[6]
In 1995, Henry Jordan was inducted posthumously into thePro Football Hall of Fame.[2]
He was represented in thecoin toss ceremony atSuper Bowl XXIX by former teammateRay Nitschke, who was also named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary team. The ceremony brought together former NFL stars of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, with surviving members of that year's Hall of Fame class representing the latter decade (one of them, then-CongressmanSteve Largent flipped the coin on their behalf).[citation needed]
In 2000, the Warwick High School athletics field was named in his honor.[42]
In May 2009, he was named to the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, which honors athletes, coaches and administrators who contributed to sports in southeastern Virginia.[34]
Jordan retired at age 35 in February 1970, after an injury-filled1969 season. In 1970, Jordan relocated south toMilwaukee to create and overseeSummerfest.[43] He was successful in business before his early death.[34]
On February 21, 1977, seven years after leaving Green Bay, Jordan died at age 42 of aheart attack after jogging.[44]
