After the departure of Forrest Gregg, the Green Bay Packers hired native Floridian Lindy Infante, a former offensive coordinator with both Cincinnati and Cleveland, as head coach. “We have to first learn to feel very positive about ourselves so we can go out and believe that we can win,” he said upon his hiring. He walked into a tough situation on a losing team, and a lot of work would be required to get the Packers back to NFL-caliber.
The first year of his regime would be difficult, however, as the team slipped back down to a 4-12 record and fifth place in the NFC Central Division. Included in the trials of 1988 would be an 0-5 start, a 45-3 loss to New England, and a seven-game losing stretch in the second half of the year before they won the last two games. Their records at home and on the road were identical — 2-6.
Quarterback Randy Wright started the first five games of the season before Don Majkowski took over for the next eight, while Wright started two of the last three contests. Not surprisingly, Majkowski led in passing statistics with 2,119 yards, 9 TD’s, and 11 INT’s. Wright’s numbers were 1,490 yards, 4 TD’s, and a whopping 13 INT’s. Rushing-wise, Brent Fullwood was the leader with 483 yards on 101 carries, and 7 TD’s. Rookie Sterling Sharpe led all receivers with 55 catches for 791 yards and 1 TD.
Some of the stories in the 1988 Yearbook were: “We Have to Feel Positive About Ourselves” (Lindy Infante)... “Off the Field, Lindy’s No Couch Potato”... “The Quarterback? It’s Competitive”... “Andy’s at the Top” (linebacker John Anderson)... “All Frankie (Neal) Needs is Discipline”... “Johnny (Holland’s) a Gem”... “The Assistants — Good Coaches, Good People”... “Uke (Keith Uecker): Shooting For Whole Season”... “Dave (Brown) is Dedicated”... “Making it with Max” (Zendajas)... “Your 1988 Packers”... “The Draft — It Was Sharp(e)”... “New Video Tool: Packers Install Computer Editing”... “They’ve Got the Spirit” (Two priests who volunteer with equipment managers)... “Trio Adds Dimension to Packer ‘Hall’ ” (Lionel Aldridge, Bob Mann, and Jerry Atkinson)... “Hutson Had a hand in Super Bowl XXII”... “The Packers are Big Business”... “The Historic B Team”... “The 1987 Season in Review”... “The Bears? It’s Not Funny”... “Packers Make Cycle With Visit to Miami”...
