Brett Favre is a 1st ballot Hall of Famer
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre became the 24th member of the organization to be voted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and just the fifth to do it in his first year of eligibility.
Favre became the 74th individual to be voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility overall. He’s joined by former Packers assistant coach Kevin Greene who ranks third all-time in sacks while playing for the Rams, Steelers, Panthers and 49ers.
This class also includes receiver Marvin Harrison, quarterback Ken Stabler, tackle Orlando Pace, guard Dick Stanfel, coach Tony Dungy and owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr.
Unlike the other members of this class, Brett Favre is directly responsible for reviving an organization that had gone through a couple of decades of losing.
At the time, with Ron Wolf, Mike Holmgren and Reggie White, Favre was considered a cornerstone of this magical rebuild, one that would see Green Bay become an attractive place to want to come and play again. But when push comes to shove, Favre’s numbers were so out there that one could argue the Packers success might not have happened without him.
Favre holds the NFL record for most consecutive starts at 297 games and he captured three straight NFL Most Valuable Player awards. He also went to back-to-back Super Bowls, winning the first. There have been a lot of great quarterbacks that have played the game, but they didn’t come any tougher than Brett Favre.
Favre has 199 wins under his belt, counting playoffs. That ties him with Peyton Manning for most by a quarterback in NFL history.
Favre also has the NFL’s most pass attempts (10,169) and completions (6,300). He’s second in touchdown passes (508) and passing yards (71,838).
In 20 NFL seasons, Favre was named first team All-Pro three times and to the Pro Bowl 11 times. In his 16 seasons as a member of the Packers, he led his team to the playoffs eleven times.
Where would the Packers organization be without Brett Favre? All you have to do is look at Lambeau Field in its present state. There’s a lot of people responsible for the Packers success, but none more than Brett Favre. There’s a good chance that Lambeau Field wouldn’t be what it is today, had Ron Wolf not traded for the gunslinger from Mississippi.
The Packers are a special story. There’s not another team in the NFL that can put one player into the category of saving the franchise. But Brett Favre is in that category, all by himself. And when he is actually inducted into the Hall of Fame in early August, his NFL circle will have become complete.