He’s In! Jerry Kramer voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

(WBAY)
Published: Feb. 3, 2018 at 4:55 PM CST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

After waiting more than 40 years, Jerry Kramer got the knock on the door that he has been waiting for.

Kramer got the news in his Minneapolis hotel room on Saturday that he will be part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This is Kramer’s 11th nomination to get into the exclusive group.

"I had started to consign myself to defeat, seemed like the clock was ticking and time was going by and in my mind I assumed if we were early in the morning that we might be some of the earliest notifications," said Kramer. "So I figured if we were in we would get a notification within 10-15 minutes, and so the whole half hour went by and then a little more went by and I'm going man it's not to be, it's not going to be and then the room got a little quiet and people didn't know what to say and it started to get awkward, and the maid knocked on the door, wow, so we all rushed the maid, and she goes what the heck, what's going on, so we got through that and it was a few minutes before Mr. Baker arrived and knocked on the door, but he was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long time."

Kramer’s family was also in Minneapolis to share in the good news.

"On top of the world, I'm so happy and thrilled for dad. We've been waiting for this for a very long time," said Alicia Kramer, Jerry's daughter.

Kramer’s career as a famed right guard for the Green Bay Packers includes five NFL Championships and five 1st-Team All Pro selections.

At the age of 82, Kramer was the last of the Lombardi legends without a bronze bust and the honor means more to him than ever.

"To me it could be the final impact, the final moment of my career and it's on top of the heap, it's on top of the pile, the cherry on the sundae and it's everything you ever dreamed of as a child," said Kramer.

“On behalf of the entire Green Bay Packers organization, I want to congratulate Jerry on this well-deserved honor,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy in a statement on Saturday. “I’m so happy for Jerry. His patience has been rewarded, as he will finally be going into the Hall of Fame after being a finalist 11 times. He was a key part of the offenses on the great Lombardi teams, as well as an outstanding leader. He’s remained actively involved with the Packers over the years and is beloved by our fans.”

Kramer will be receive his gold jacket and be inducted into the hall of fame in August in Canton, Ohio.

Kramer is the 25th member of the Packers to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"The Packers fans have been sensational with me since day one and we've had a great, great relationship and all I can say is thank you."

Watch the exclusive interview with Kramer on Action 2 News at 10.