Year Inducted: 1973
Nominated By: Mike Leonard
Sports Competed In: Baseball, Boxing, Football
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete
High School:
Attended Pueblo Central H.S., graduating in 1950.
Achievements:
High School:
● Won 10 letters playing several sports over four years (1945-50) for the Wildcats.
● Top-flight Golden Gloves boxer in high school.
College:
Attended the University of Colorado, where he graduated in 1954.
Achievements:
College:
● Earned three letters in football.
● Member of the Buffaloes football team, playing four seasons (1950-53) at wide receiver/defensive end.
● Averaged 57 minutes per game his senior year.
● Named All-Big 7 and All-American in 1953.
● Played in East-West Shrine and College All-Star games.
Achievements:
Professional Football:
● Drafted in 1954 in the second round by Chicago Cardinals and released because of a severe hamstring injury.
● Picked up by the Green Bay Packers where he played for eight seasons (1955-62).
● Appeared in four Western Conference Championships and three World Championship games.
● Played on the World Championship Green Bay Packers Team in 1961 and 1962.
● The only player on the Packers team, to be carried off the City Stadium (or Lambeau Field) by fans after catching a pass from Tobin Rote in the final minute to beat Detroit 20-17 in the 1955 opener.
● Finished career as the Packers’ eighth on all-time receiving list.
● Played final season (1963) as a tight end with the San Francisco 49ers.
Occupation:
● Professional football player.
● Served as the pubic address announcer at all the home games of the Green Bay Packers for the last 40+ years.
● An officer in three corporations in Green Bay.
Personal:
Lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin with his wife, Emily...Passed away on Dec. 19, 2022.
Photo of Knaflec courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.
