The Green Bay Packers The Dan Devine Years 1971-1974

By Stanton Greene

Volumes have been written about the Green Bay Packers detailing virtually every aspect of their storied history except one, the two decades of folly that lay between the legendary reign of Vince Lombardi and their resurgence in the 1990s under Mike Holmgren and Ron Wolf. The most pivotal of those years were the four presided over by college football Hall Of Fame Coach Dan Devine. During those years, the Packers won what would be their only division title between 1968 and 1994. Their decline from that pinnacle was so inexplicable and precipitous that it has defied pundits for four decades, engendering a mythology in Green Bay that has defamed a brilliant coach.In his time, Dan Devine was a lightning rod for opinion, generating either intense loyalty or extreme loathing. Some have called him the worst coach in Packer history, but his record belies that. He turned around one of the sorriest teams in professional football in a single season, earning NFC Coach Of The Year honors in 1972. But by the end of 1974, Devine had so polarized the Packers that a group of players had mutinied and threatened to try and forfeit the season closer. Even legendary quarterback Bart Starr had gotten in on the intrigue as he maneuvered to take over the Packers.Devine also pulled the trigger on perhaps the worst trade in NFL history, giving up five top draft choices to the Los Angeles Rams for a sore armed 34 year old quarterback. Little remembered is his equally brilliant dealing which brought NFL Hall Of Fame linebacker Ted Hendricks to the Packers that same year.In Green Bay, Dan Devine has become the cherished whipping boy of a generation, while even a hint that several Packer icons may have employed less than stellar tactics in plotting to remove him can create a firestorm of opinion. In fact, it's the ugliest episode in Packer history and that's saying a lot in light of what happened in the 1980s. Buy it and make up your own mind. It's not a pretty picture.Using contemporary sources, the author has pulled together a never before told tale of glory, ineptitude and intrigue that will shed new light on Devine's tumultuous years in Green Bay. Plus a myriad of facts, trivia and statistics including a full analysis of every regular and preseason season game from 1971 to 1974. A must read for Packer fans.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1520624379
• ISBN13: 9781520624372
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 337 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"