Friday, October 24, 2008

Coach Phil

Today we present another shot of head coach Phil Bengston on the sidelines, making decisions with the information from up in the assistant coaches booth. Formerly the defensive coordinator, Bengston — you may recall — had the particular misfortune of taking over for Vince Lombardi in 1968. In the next three seasons, Bengston’s Packers underwhelmed the fans’ expectations and compiled a 20-21-1 record.

After a turbulent 1970 season filled with labor disputes, blowout losses, and the final merger of the AFL and NFL, the Packers had only their second losing season since 1959. Thoroughly frustrated, Phil Bengtson resigned two days after being shut out in the season finale against the Detroit Lions. It was obvious the organization and the community craved the high standards of winning established a decade earlier.

The 1970 season was also the final season of Forrest Gregg as a Packer, a year later he returned home to play for the Dallas Cowboys where he joined his own former Green Bay teammate Herb Adderley.