There’s a new all-time leader in sacks for the Green Bay Packers.
Hall of Famer Willie Davis produced more sacks than any player in franchise history.
Decades of research from John Turney and Nick Webster of the Pro Football Researchers Association gave Pro Football Reference the confidence to add sack statistics from 1960 to 1982, when sacks became an official statistic, to their already impressive database of football statistics.
Clay Matthews is currently the Packers’ all-time leader in sacks at 83.5. According to the new stats, Davis actually holds the mark at 93.5, but the data from 1960 isn’t yet registered, meaning he probably has closer to 100 total sacks based on Turney and Webster’s research.
Over 10 years in Green Bay between 1960 and 1969, Davis produced five seasons with 10 or more sacks, including four years straight between 1964 and 1967. He was a first-team All-Pro each season.
The numbers paint a clear picture: Davis was one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL during the 1960s.
A five-time champion and six-time All-Pro, Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. He died in April of 2020 at the age of 85.
The added stats also helped former Packers pass-rusher Ezra Johnson, who had 17.5 sacks in 1978 and is now third in franchise history in sacks at 82.0. Lionel Aldridge (62.0, 1963-1971), Henry Jordan (52.0, 1959-1969) and Clarence Williams (49.0, 1970-1977) were also added to the team’s top 10.