Former Green Bay Packers great Jerry Kramer will be inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame on Friday evening in Houston.
The 84th annual East-West Shrine Game is slated for Saturday at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium.
Kramer, an offensive guard who played 11 years for the Packers (1958-68) and was a part of all five of Green Bay's NFL championships under head coach Vince Lombardi, played in the 33rd East-West Shrine Game in 1957 as a prospect from the University of Idaho.
The Packers drafted Kramer in 1958 in the fourth round with the 39th overall selection, three spots after selecting linebacker Ray Nitschke. Green Bay drafted center Dan Currie and fullback Jim Taylor with its first two selections that year, making it one of the Packers' top drafts of all-time.
Kramer went on to make All-Pro five times, and he was named to the NFL's 50th anniversary team in 1969.
Kramer is being inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame along with three other players. They are:
--Charley Taylor, a halfback and defensive back who was a two-time All-American at Arizona State. He played wide receiver for the Washington Redskins and participated in Super Bowl VII. He played in the 39th Shrine Game in 1963.
--Brad Van Pelt, a defensive back and two-time All-American from Michigan State. He played 14 seasons with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders and was a five-time All-Pro. He was a member of the 48th Shrine Game in 1972.
--Doug Williams, a quarterback for Grambling who set NCAA career records in passing yards and touchdown passes before moving on to the NFL. Williams was a first-round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl XXII title, earning game MVP honors. He also returned to Grambling as head coach, succeeding the legendary Eddie Robinson. He played in the 53rd Shrine Game in 1977.
The annual East-West Shrine Game began in 1925 and features many of the best college players in the nation. The event raises money for Shriners Hospitals for Children, an international health care system of 22 hospitals across North America. It is recognized as a prime scouting opportunity for NFL teams to see many of the country's top college seniors in action.
For more information on this year's game, go to shrinegame.com.
