Bill Forester

George William Forester (August 9, 1932 – April 27, 2007) was a professional American football linebacker in the National Football League.[1][2] He played 11 seasons for the Green Bay Packers (1953–1963) and was selected to four Pro Bowls. He was selected to the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.

Bill Forester
No. 69, 71
Born:(1932-08-09)August 9, 1932
Dallas, Texas
Died:April 27, 2007(2007-04-27) (aged 74)
Dallas, Texas
Career information
Position(s)Linebacker
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight237 lb (108 kg)
CollegeSouthern Methodist
High schoolDallas (TX) Woodrow Wilson
NFL draft1953 / Round: 3 / Pick 31
Career history
As player
1953–1963Green Bay Packers
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowls1959, 1960, 1961, 1962
Honors
Career stats

Early years

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Forester graduated from its Woodrow Wilson High School in 1949 at age 16. He was an all-city, all-state, and all-Southern fullback / linebacker for the Wildcats and played in the 1949 Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game.

Forester played college football in Dallas at SMU and was named All-Southwest Conference (SWC) linebacker in 1951 and 1952. He also played on the defensive line and at fullback. Following his senior season in 1952, he was selected to play in the East–West Shrine Game in December and the College All-Star Game in Chicago in August 1953.

Playing career

Forester was selected in the third round (31st overall) of the 1953 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played on the Packer defense for 11 seasons, from 1953 through 1963, as a defensive tackle for three of his first four seasons, with one season at left outside linebacker. He then moved to middle linebacker for a few games in 1957, and later to the right side where he would play the rest of his career at.[1] Forester played under four head coaches in Green Bay; the last was Vince Lombardi, who arrived in his seventh season in 1959. He was a member of Lombardi's first two NFL championship teams in 1961 and 1962, both wins over the New York Giants.[3]

Forester made All-Pro five times (1959–1963) and played in four Pro Bowls (1959–1962). He was a defensive captain for seven seasons and was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in early 1974.[4] Forester was inducted into his high school's hall of fame in 1999 and into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2015, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Forester to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2015 [5]

After football

Forester moved back to Dallas and ran a successful sporting goods business for decades before his retirement.[1]

Death

After a long illness, Forester died at age 74 in 2007.[2] He is buried at Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in North Dallas.

References
  1. Hendricks, Martin (November 29, 2012). "Forester provided Packers with talented versatility". Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  2. "Former Packers linebacker Bill Forester dies at 74". USA Today. Associated Press. April 30, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  3. Maule, Tex (December 18, 1961). "Green Bay: a corner on defense". Sports Illustrated. p. 28.
  4. "10 Packers added to team hall of fame". Milwaukee Journal. January 7, 1974. p. 12, part 2.
  5. "Professional Researchers Association Hall of Very Good Class of 2015". Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
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