Packers to honor Wolf Nov. 15, Favre on Thanksgiving
It's official. Brett Favre's retired No. 4 will be added to Lambeau Field's north end-zone façade during halftime of the Green Bay Packers' Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 26.
In addition to honoring the three-time MVP quarterback, the Packers announced on Monday that former general manager Ron Wolf's name will be added to the franchise's other Pro Football Hall of Famers on the east side of the stadium during a halftime against Detroit on Nov. 15.
Wolf, the architect of the Packers' rebuild in the 1990s, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio. He was selected earlier this year as part of the Hall of Fame's new contributor category, along with former NFL general manager Bill Polian.
"The Packers are fortunate to have had many great players and general managers in our storied history," said Packers president Mark Murphy in a statement. "You would be hard pressed, though, to name any that have had a bigger impact on the organization than Brett Favre and Ron Wolf. It is fitting that they will be honored in the same season, since they teamed together to return winning football to the Packers in the '90s.
"We're looking forward to two very memorable ceremonies to honor these men for their accomplishments."
Favre's No. 4 will be retired July 18 at the Packers Hall of Fame Induction Banquet. It's the sixth number the Packers have retired, joining Don Hutson (14), Tony Canadeo (3), Bart Starr (15), Ray Nitschke (66), and Reggie White (92).
Favre faced the Bears 32 times with the Packers, fashioning a 22-10 record. In 36 total games against Chicago, Favre completed 745-of-1,202 passes (62.0 percent) for 8,606 yards, 60 touchdowns and 42 interceptions.
"It will be an incredible honor to be in Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night with Packers fans and have my name and number placed among the greatest players in Packers history," Favre said in a statement. "With the great history and tradition of the Packers-Bears rivalry, and remembering the great matchups we had during my career, it seems only fitting to have Chicago as the opponent."
Wolf was responsible for bringing Favre to Green Bay when he traded a first-round pick (19th overall) to Atlanta after the 1991 season. He went onto play the next 16 seasons in Green Bay, while the Falcons used his compensation to draft running back Tony Smith, who was out of the NFL by 1996.
Eliot Wolf, the Packers' director of pro personnel, will present his father during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. The elder Wolf then will be given his Hall of Fame ring during the Nov. 15 contest with the Lions, which will mark the 172nd meeting between the teams. It's the NFL's second-oldest continuous rivalry, having played every year since 1932.
"To be elevated and officially enshrined in football's most glorious cathedral will put an exclamation point on my pro football career," Wolf said in a statement. "It is an honor to be included alongside those greats that made the Green Bay Packers so unique in NFL history."
Other details regarding these games, as well as other featured game themes for the season, will be released in the future.
-whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.