- Inducted: 2008
- Centre: 1992-2002
- Heights: 6-3; Weight: 291
- Faculty: Western Illinois, 1984-86
- Years chosen to an all-pro first crew: 1999
- Professional Bowl Choice (performed since 1950): 1996
For somebody who was predominantly an extended snapper over his first 5 seasons, Frank Winters climaxed his NFL profession by beginning at heart on a Tremendous Bowl champion and ended it with a popularity for having been one of many nastiest – if not dirtiest – facilities within the leagues.
It was an unusual storyline and one Winters achieved by being powerful, ill-tempered and playing-to-the-whistle – to not point out, generally even past. Whereas Winters claimed he solely performed laborious, he was twice acknowledged by Sports activities Illustrated in the course of the top of his profession as being one of many 12 dirtiest gamers within the league. Opponents charged that he wasn’t averse to diving over piles to get in a single final lick and even sneaking in a poke-in-the-eye on the backside of a type of free-for-alls.
Both method, Winters’ play believed what basic supervisor Ron Wolf thought he was getting when he signed him in 1992 as a Plan B free agent, which was an annual, end-of-season pool of fringe and over-the-hill veterans that had been free to signal with every other crew over a four-year interval beginning in 1989. In spite of everything, throughout his first 5 seasons, Winters had performed with three totally different groups – Cleveland, the New York Giants and Kansas Metropolis – and began solely six of the 75 video games during which he appeared.
Nearly instantly, his profession arc modified course in Inexperienced Bay.
Winters stepped into the beginning lineup within the fifth sport of the 1992 season when beginning heart James Campen sustained a knee damage and later changed Wealthy Moran at left guard after he suffered a season-ending knee damage within the eighth sport. In all, Winters began 11 video games that season and proved his worth not solely together with his versatility but in addition the opposite qualities that allowed him to persevere as a starter for all however one injury-shortened season throughout an 11-year stick with the Packers.
Amongst them had been his sturdiness and consistency. “Frankie does not miss any snaps and he does not make very many errors,” as soon as mentioned Tom Lovat, offensive line coach for Winters’ first seven seasons in Inexperienced Bay.
One other was his soccer smarts. “An important a part of Frankie’s sport is his intelligence,” Lovat mentioned earlier than the beginning of the Packers’ Tremendous Bowl-winning season. “Understanding the place he must be. Understanding when to be there and being able to be there.” Higher but, due to Winters’ savvy, your entire line was normally on the identical web page. “Frankie’s obtained a thoughts like a entice,” Lovat additionally famous. “You are feeling good if he is on the sector if one thing uncommon comes up. It is typically occurred earlier than and the adjustment made to deal with it’s locked in with him.”
Then there was Winter’s tenacity.
“I like Frank Winters,” former Packers assistant coach and 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci mentioned in 1998. “He is a teddy bear off the sector, however he’ll wait till the deal with is made, then are available in excessive and spear gamers standing across the ball. Then he’ll return to the huddle laughing.”
Beside his makeover from deep snapper to a between-the-white-lines barroom brawler, there may be one more paradox about Winters, due to John Madden. The Corridor of Fame NFL coach turned broadcaster could not assist himself however check with Winters as “Frankie Bag of Donuts,” at any time when he labored a Packers sport. Nonetheless, Winters was something however smooth and unfit if that was the visible upshot of the nickname.
“With Frankie, he provides you the impression that he does not appear like he is in pretty much as good a situation as he’s,” mentioned Lovat. “However he is … obtained quite a lot of endurance.”
In 1993 and ’94, as he did in his first season with the Packers, Winters cut up time between heart and left guard on account of accidents to different linemen. Thereafter, he began completely at heart for a lot of the subsequent eight seasons, aside from 2001 when he misplaced his beginning job to Mike Flanagan and appeared in solely 4 video games and in addition 2002 when he began 10 video games however as an damage fill-in.
Starting with the final eight video games in 1992, Winters made 74 consecutive begins till he missed three early in 1997 with a sprained foot. Then, from 1998 via 2000, he began 43 of 48 video games, lacking solely the ultimate three video games in 1998 with a damaged leg and two video games in 2000 with ankle and bicep accidents. Really, when wholesome as soon as he had settled in because the beginning heart, Winters not often missed a snap.
“He was at each assembly, each apply, each sport,” Wolf as soon as mentioned. “Frank was reliable. And that is the best praise you may give to an offensive lineman.”
In all, Winters performed in 156 regular-season video games for the Packers and began 141. He additionally began 14 postseason video games, together with Tremendous Bowls XXXI and XXXII. In 2003, he was reduce on the finish of coaching camp, leaving Brett Favre as the one remaining holdover from the Packers’ 1996 NFL championship crew.
Born Jan. 23, 1964. Given title Frank Mitchell Winters.