Ronald John "Ron" Kramer (June 24, 1935 - September 11, 2010) is a multi-sport college athlete and professional American soccer player.
Kramer attended the University of Michigan from 1953 to 1957, winning a total of nine university letters in soccer, basketball and tracks. Playing on the left end for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1954 to 1956, he was voted the first All-American consensus team in 1955 and the All-American first team in 1956. His Jersey (# 87) has retired after Kramer's senior year , and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame College Football and the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1978.
Kramer was selected by the Green Bay Packers as the fourth pick in the 1957 NFL Draft and played for the Packers for seven seasons (1957, 1959-1964). He was a key player in the first NFL championship team coach Vince Lombardi in 1961 and 1962. Kramer was selected as the first All-NFL player of the team in 1962 after successfully capturing 37 bait for 555 yards and seven goals. He also played three seasons for the Detroit Lions from 1965 to 1967.
Early life
Born in Girard, Kansas, Kramer moved to East Detroit, Michigan (now Eastpointe) at the age of five. He attended East Detroit High School where he was an all-state player in soccer, basketball and tracks in high school. He competed in shots and long jumps on the track. In December 1952, Kramer was named as the end in the United Press All-Michigan football team.
Video Ron Kramer
University of Michigan
Kramer enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1953. He is a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and track) and leads the soccer and basketball teams in judgment for two years. Overall, Kramer won a total of nine university letters in his three sporting branches - the maximum possible amount, since the new students had no athletic eligibility at the time.
Football
Kramer played college football in the final position (both defensive and offensive) for Michigan Woverines from 1954 to 1956.
As a 19-year-old sophomore, Kramer started all nine games on the left end for the 1954 team which finished the season at # 15 in the AP Poll final. He is a leading recipient for Wolverines with 23 catches for 303 yards and two goals. At the end of the 1954 season, he was selected as the First Big Ten player of the team.
As a junior in 1955, Kramer started six games on the left side and Michigan ended in the twelfth position in the AP Poll final. Kramer scored a Michigan record with three goals in a game against Missouri in 1955. For the season as a whole, he scored 12 bait for 224 yards and four goals, and he was voted the first consensus team at 1955 College of All-American Football Teams.
Kramer had his best college season as a senior, starting all nine games in 1956 and Wolverines finished seventh in the final AP Poll. Kramer captured 18 passes for 353 yards and two goals in 1956. At the end of the season, Kramer was the first team on the All-American team.
After Kramer's senior year, Michigan retired his 87th number - one of only five numbers in the school's history to be retired. In three years in Michigan, Kramer caught 53 tickets for 880 yards and eight goals. He is also known as a great tackler and blocker. Bennie Oosterbaan, Kramer's football coach in Michigan, described his ability to block and handle as his most valuable asset. Oosterbaan says this about his star player:
"To complement his remarkable physical talent of size and speed and strength, plus extraordinary coordination, Kramer is one of the fiercest competitors I've ever seen." Nothing is impossible for him - which can not be just a challenge.
Kramer also handles kicking and punting jobs for Michigan. He handled 31 punts for an average of 40.6 yards, kicked two field goals, and managed to change 43 of 51 extra effort points.
Basketball
Kramer also excels in basketball. He played in the middle position and was selected as the most valuable basketball team player as a junior. As captain of the basketball team, he was the third All-Big Ten team in 1957 after becoming the second All-Big Ten team in 1955 and 1956. During the first year, he averaged 20.4 points per game for 22 games and members club 1,000 career points. He holds Michigan career record score of 1,119 points from 1957 until it was broken by John Tidwell in 1961. He was the fifth round pick in the 1957 (overall 34) NBA draft, chosen by the Detroit Pistons.
Maps Ron Kramer
NFL Career
Green Bay Packers
Kramer is the fourth overall selection in the 1957 NFL Draft, selected by Green Bay Packers. Kramer also accepted an offer in February 1957 to play with an all-star basketball team who toured with Harlem Globetrotters; he refused an offer to play professional football. As a rookie for the Packers in 1957, Kramer appeared in 11 games and caught 28 passes for 337 yards. He missed the entire 1958 season due to service in the US Air Force, and the Packers had the worst record in the league on 1-10-1.
Kramer returned to Packer in 1959, but did not make it through that year and only four bait in the 1960 season. Team-mate Paul Hornung then described Kramer's evolution after Vince Lombardi arrived in 1959:
"[O] a real special case is Ron Kramer.He came to us, Ron did it, with the attitude I did not give.He had great ability and confidence but he did not use it.For a long time, he could not do the job Vince rides (he) something terrible He never gives up and then one day, after almost two years I guess, things just go click, click, click and Ron Kramer becomes a great football player.
Kramer reached his pace after moving to a tight final position during the 1961 season; That year, Kramer had 35 catches for 559 yards and four goals. In 1962, Kramer caught 37 passes for 555 yards and seven goals and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl and as the first All-Pro player of the team. From 1961 to 1964, Kramer had at least 500 receiving meters each season, averaging 16 meters per reception. He became an integral part of Vince Lombardi's team in 1961 and 1962 which won the first Packers NFL championship since 1944. At the 1961 NFL Championship Games, a 37-0 victory for Packer over the New York Giants, Kramer was the main recipient, capturing four baits for 80 yards and two goals. In addition to his talent as a recipient, Kramer's talent as a blocker is an integral part of the famous "Packer Sweep".
Detroit Lions
Kramer played his contract option with the Packers and, as a free agent, signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions in August 1965. The Lions were asked to compensate the Packers with a first-round draft option in 1966. Kramer has been asked to trade to the Lions so he can be more close to his wife and children. Team mate Jerry Kramer recalled, "He asked Coach Lombardi to trade him because he tried to save his marriage."
Kramer played three seasons for the Lions in a tight final position from 1965 to 1967. He appeared in 39 matches for the Lions, 13 as a starter. In his first two seasons with the Lions, Kramer caught 55 passes for 638 yards and scored. During the 1967 season, Kramer was slowed by injury and only managed to capture four bait as far as 40 yards in 11 games.
In July 1968, the Lions gave Kramer his unconditional release. Three weeks later, Kramer announced that, despite accepting an offer to play for several other teams, he resigned from football to take the position of vice president of Paragaon Steel Corp. in Detroit. Kramer then describes his years with the Lions as "terrible" and called head coach Harry Gilmer "the stupidest person I have ever met."
Career statistics
In the 10 seasons of the NFL, Kramer appeared in 128 matches and a total of 229 receptions for 3,272 yards and 16 touchdowns. Of the 16 catches of his career, 15 came in a span of three years from 1961 to 1963.
Awards and more recent years
After retiring as a footballer, Kramer plunged into the steel business. In 1969, he was hired as vice-president of Paragon Steel Corp of Detroit. He spent 22 years at Paragon before founding Ron Kramer Industries in 1981. He has two children, Kurtis Kramer and Cassandra Koehler.
Kramer received many awards and awards, including the following:
- In 1971, Kramer was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
- In 1978, Kramer was sworn in to College Football Hall of Fame.
- Also in 1978, Kramer became one of the first seven to be inducted into the Hall of Honor of the University of the Athletic Hall of Honor.
- In 1981, Kramer was named the recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in recognition of significant professional and civil contributions spanning 25 years after completing his college eligibility.
- In 1999, Sports Illustrated published a list of "50 Greatest Sports Numbers From Michigan" (in all sports), and the seventh Kramer ranked in the list behind famous athletes like Joe Louis, Magic Johnson, Charlie Gehringer, and Bennie Oosterbaan.
Kramer died in September 2010 at the age of 75.
On September 15, 2012, Kramer was recognized as a Michigan Football Legend and his uniform (# 87) did not expire and was awarded to Brandon Moore. Each player is honored with No jersey. 87 will wear a patch on the upper left chest honoring Kramer, and dress in a labeled locker with a plaque that bears his name and time of mastery in Michigan.
See also
- Wolverines All-Americans Michigan football list
- University of Michigan Hall of Honor Athletics
References
External links
- Ron Kramer at the University Football Hall of Fame
- Bentley Library and Kramer photo
- Career and player information statistics from NFL.com Ã, Â · Pro-Football-References Ã, Â · Databasefootball.com
- Ron Kramer in the Search of the Mausoleum
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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