Ron Kramer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ron Kramer | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 24, 1935 |
| Place of birth | Girard, Kansas |
| Position(s) | End |
| College | Michigan |
| NFL Draft | 1957 / Round 1/ Pick 4 |
| Pro Bowls | 1 |
| Honors | Packers Hall of Fame |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1957,1959-1964 1965-1967 |
Green Bay Packers Detroit Lions |
| College Hall of Fame | |
Ronald J. Kramer (born June 24, 1935 in Girard, Kansas) was an outstanding American football player for the University of Michigan and in the National Football League.
In the long tradition of outstanding Michigan athletes, Ron Kramer is considered to be ranked among the best. A three-sport athlete (football, basketball and track, Kramer led both the football and basketball teams in scoring for two years. Altogether, Kramer won a total of nine varsity letters in his three sports - the maximum number possible, as freshmen did not have athletic eligibility at the time.
Kramer's credits include two consensus football All-American selections (1955-56), the retirement of his jersey number (87) by the Wolverines following his senior season (one of only five numbers in school history to be retired), and the selection as the basketball team's most valuable player in each of his three seasons.
In the NFL, Kramer played 10 seasons (1957,1959-1967) - the first seven with the Green Bay Packers and three with the Detroit Lions.
Kramer was elected into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. In 1981, he was named as a recipient of the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Award in recognition of significant professional and civic contributions spanning 25 years after completion of his college eligibility.
Bennie Oosterbaan, Kramer's football coach at Michigan, described his blocking and tackling ability as the most valuable asset to the Michigan squad. Oosterbaan said this of his star player:
"To top off his marvelous physical gifts of size and speed and strength, plus an uncanny coordination, Kramer was one of the fiercest competitors I've ever seen. Nothing was impossible for him - the impossible was only a challenge."
