Henry Jordan died young, but his legacy lives on.
The Hall of Fame defensive lineman was just 42-years old when he passed away after suffering a heart attack in 1977.
He left his mark on Wisconsin, though, both as an All-Pro member of Coach Lombardi’s talented defensive line, and, later, as the executive sales director of Summerfest, a summer music festival he helped build into a nationally recognized event.
You can find his name etched above the football field on which he excelled, his likeness on a bust in Canton and his witty genes rooted in his family.
Last night, we honored Mr. Jordan at halftime, along with Coach Lombardi, and Bobby Dillon, in a posthumous ring ceremony.
In a season that is cultivating such promise as it rolls along, it’s inspiring to also acknowledge the gentlemen who built this franchise’s foundation.
And Mr. Jordan was a gentleman of the highest caliber. The kind of teammate that made the locker room more fun and his teammates more competitive, he manned that vaunted defensive line for all of the Glory Years, from 1959 through 1969.
He was named All Pro seven times, and played in four Pro Bowls. We were honored to attend his Hall of Fame induction in 1995.
But his proudest accomplishment by far was the family he and his beautiful wife Olive raised.
She passed away in 2012, but I know the two of them were cheering along with nearly 80,000 fans as Henry jr. (Butch), Theresa and Suzanne accepted that Hall of Fame ring in his honor.
