A native of a small coal-mining town in Virginia, Carroll Dale earned All-American honors in college as a flanker at Virginia Tech. The Los Angeles Rams drafted Dale out of college and he spent his first five years in the NFL with them, never once experiencing a winning season.
"After five years in Los Angeles and having to travel to Green Bay for games, I was very aware of the Packers," said Dale in a recent interview.
He badly wanted to be a part of an organization where winning was the standard for success. He got his wish in 1965 when Green Bay Head Coach Vince Lombardi traded to get the wide receiver out of Los Angeles.
Dale is proud of his accomplishments he recorded while with the Packers. He also felt more comfortable in Green Bay than in Los Angeles. "I felt a gratitude to the Packers for trading for me," he said. "Of all the cities in the NFL, Green Bay was my first choice. I was a small hometown kid and it felt like home."
Donning number 84 while streaking the sidelines for the Green and Gold, the wide receiver made a lasting impression. He still holds the all-time club record for average yards per reception, registering19.7 yards per catch over his eight-year career in Green Bay. Six times in his Packers career he led the team in receiving yards. For all of his accomplishments Dale was inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame in 1979.
After all of his frustrating years in Los Angeles, Dale's greatest memory from his time in Green Bay was wining the 1965 NFL Championship. He had a long touchdown grab that guided the Packers to a win over the Browns and gave him his first taste of a championship on the professional level.
So what has Carroll Dale done since leaving the gridiron?
"I got into the coal business as a mine operator back here in Wise (Virginia)," Dale said. "I became the superintendent of a company and ended up working in the coal business for 17 years."
In the late 1980s the coal business had become tough so Dale turned his efforts back to something he knew well...football. He served on the Feasibility Committee for starting a football program at The University of Virginia at Wise. The school originally started out offering only a two-year degree program, but had its first full four-year graduating class in 1970. The school eventually decided to start a football program and Dale was appointed as the school's athletic director to help guide the program through its infancy.
His duties range beyond just overlooking the coaching staff and players of the school's sporting programs. "I am always fundraising for the football team being a state school without a conference in the NAIA," he said. "In July, my main duties will be focused only on fundraising for the program."
Dale likes being back in his hometown. "My house is less than a quarter mile from where I was raised," he said. "It is also 30 seconds from work. It is like walking from the arena to the stadium in Green Bay. It has been fun being back here contributing to the local community."
Don't think that the retired player has lost his feel for Titletown. His son and four grandchildren live in nearby Marquette, Mich. so he likes to steal the chance to come up and visit when he can. As for his thoughts on the Packers, "When I was traded to Green Bay I was overjoyed. It felt like Christmas," he recalled.
GREEN BAY PACKERS SEASON RESULTS (1965-1972)
1965: 10-3-1 (T1st , Western Conference)
1966: 12-2-0 (1st, Western Conference)
1967: 9-4-1 (1st, NFC Central)
1968: 6-7-1 (3rd, NFC Central)
1969: 8-6-0 (3rd, NFC Central)
1970: 6-8-0 (T3rd, NFC Central)
1971: 4-8-2 (4th, NFC Central)
1972: 10-4-0 (1st, NFC Central)
