I mean, you’ve gotta have a fullback.
In our continuing series on the Packers All-Quarter Century Team, let’s take a look at a position beloved by hardy Midwesterners everywhere, the Fullback.
While the Packers have seen quite a few people have a cup of coffee as the team’s unsung lead-blocker and outlet pass receiver, and there are technically four choices available here, two of them are legends. Absolute units. But can the man who played some of his best ball in the 90s defeat the man who had his own fan favorite cheer?
Fullback Nominees
Note: All stats shown are as a member of the Green Bay Packers only, from the 2000 through 2024 seasons only.
William Henderson (1995-2006)
Pro Bowler, AP All Pro
Regular season stats (2000-2006): 109 games played, 16 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD, 182 receptions, 1374 yards, 10 TDs.
Postseason stats: 6 games played/started, 1 carry, 7 yards, 12 receptions, 97 yards.
Henderson is almost certainly the greatest modern fullback in franchise history, with an impressive 12-year career, all in Green Bay. He was an absolutely outstanding blocker, an incredibly reliable outlet receiver, and among the most durable ever to play the position, having missed only four games in his career.
Henderson was a thumper to be sure, at 6-1, 252, but he was also ahead of his time as a proto-Kyle Juszczyk. The 49er fullback receiving specialist has gained just 237 total yards on the ground over 12 seasons, but he excels as a blocker, and especially as a high-efficiency receiver in the Shanahan offense, where he has accumulated 2,664 yards over his career. Henderson gained 426 yards on the ground, and a robust 2,409 through the air, and while he was not as dynamic as Juszczyk, he averaged over 8.8 yards per reception in four of his seasons, while in the more horizontal West Coast offense.
The biggest problem for Henderson is simply his timing. The Favre Super Bowl glory days took place prior to the turn of the century, and while Henderson remained valuable into his 30s (especially as a receiver), he was past his prime. Henderson is a Packer legend, and as a receiver, no one here can match him, but he’s not the only legend on this list.
John Kuhn (2007-2015)
3x Pro Bowl, All Pro, Second Team All Pro.
Regular season stats: 139 Games, 601 yards on 196 carries, 15 TDs, 551 yards on 81 receptions, 8 TDs.
Postseason stats: 15 Games, 28 yards on 19 carries, 4 TDs, 115 yards on 17 receptions, 3 TDS.
Having a last name that rhymes with moon or tune or June will always give a player an unfair advantage in terms of popularity, and there are some who will hold Kuhn’s lackluster career performance in short-yardage situations against him. I used to be one of these people, however, I’ve come around on Kuhn. First of all, the man doesn’t call the plays. Second, it’s become clear over time that the ability of a back to convert in short yardage is much more about offensive line play, especially in the standard bunch formation where space for the back is limited. And honestly, given how many bunch formations Kuhn ran directly into over the course of his career, his fourteen rushing touchdowns actually seem fairly impressive.
And so Kuhn, due to the chants of “KUUHHHHHHHHHNNNNN” on short yardage, was likely a tad overrated as a short-yardage back, but he was also underrated as a lead blocker and blitz pickup artist, which is really the main job of a fullback anyway. Kuhn was adept at opening holes and, most importantly, keeping Aaron Rodgers upright, which is reason enough to vote for him here. He was a key contributor on the Super Bowl team, a willing special teamer, and a fan favorite. Honestly, what else is a Green Bay fullback supposed to be?
Korey Hall
Regular season stats: 48 games played, 21 catches, 137 yards, TD.
Postseason stats: 7 games, 2 catches, 14 yards.
Hall will always be able to tell his grandkids that he caught a pass in the Super Bowl. That pass, something of a middle screen that gained two yards on 2nd and 3, directly preceded the first touchdown of the game, a 29-yard strike from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson on 3rd and 1. Who knows, maybe if Hall picks up the first down, that play never happens and they lose the game?
Hall wasn’t much of an offensive contributor, but he was a solid special-teams player (he actually made the tackle on the ensuing kickoff after the Nelson touchdown, which immediately preceded the Nick Collins pick-six), and hey, he never fumbled in his NFL career.
Aaron Ripkowski
Regular season stats: 47 games played, 10 carries, 39 yards, 2 TDs, 17 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD.
Postseason stats: 5 games played, 9 carries, 36 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 39 yards.
The man who replaced John Kuhn got off to a promising start in his second season, carrying the ball 34 times for a robust 4.4 yards per attempt, while serving as a perfectly fine outlet receiver. Rip looked the part of a Kuhn-esque thumper, but wasn’t quite as stout in the hole or in blitz pickup as his predecessor, and after 2017, the team lost interest in the position, moving on from Rip completely. They would flirt with Danny Vitale a bit, but ultimately, the team would rely more on the H-Back concept as a lead blocker going forward, and we’ve been in fullback purgatory ever since.