Packers Mourn Dick Himes, an Unsung Lineman Whose Toughness Defined an Era
Some football players become legends because of touchdowns.
Others are remembered for championships, Pro Bowls or unforgettable moments under the brightest lights.
Dick Himes built his reputation differently.
For 10 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, the former offensive tackle did the kind of work that rarely appears in highlight packages.
He blocked.
He protected.
He battled.
And above all, he became one of the most dependable players on Green Bay’s offensive line.
Now, the Packers family is mourning his loss.
Himes died on July 5 at his home in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, at the age of 80. According to the Packers, he had been battling Parkinson’s disease and was receiving hospice care. (packers.com)
His passing closes another chapter in Green Bay history, but it also provides an opportunity to remember a player whose contribution was far greater than the attention he received.
“You Didn’t Have to Worry About Dick Himes”
Perhaps the most meaningful description of Himes came from former Packers center Larry McCarren.
“You didn’t have to worry about Dick Himes.”
For an offensive lineman, there may be no greater compliment.
Linemen live in a world where mistakes are often more visible than success.
Execute 50 blocks correctly and few people notice.
Miss one assignment and the quarterback may be hit.
Lose leverage once and a promising rushing play can disappear.
Reliability therefore becomes everything.
Himes earned that reputation.
McCarren remembered him as a fundamentally sound player who could both run block and pass protect, someone teammates trusted to handle his responsibility without requiring constant help. (packers.com)
That consistency became the foundation of his Packers career.
Green Bay Found Him in the Third Round
The Packers selected Himes with the 81st overall pick in the third round of the 1968 NFL Draft.
He arrived with an impressive football education.
A native of Canton, Ohio, Himes had been a two-time all-state player in high school before continuing his career at Ohio State.
There, he started for three seasons and earned All-Big Ten recognition twice.
Playing under legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes gave Himes the kind of technical foundation and toughness that translated naturally to professional football.
When he arrived in Green Bay, however, he initially found himself behind one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history.
Forrest Gregg.
That meant patience.
Himes spent his first two seasons primarily backing up the future Hall of Famer before finally getting his opportunity.
When Gregg’s time at right tackle ended, Himes was ready.
He Became a Fixture on the Packers Offensive Line
Beginning in the early 1970s, Himes established himself as Green Bay’s regular right tackle.
From 1971 through 1977, he started 95 of 98 possible games.
That kind of durability is remarkable at any NFL position.
At offensive tackle, it says even more.
Every season brings collisions.
Hands.
Shoulders.
Knees.
Ankles.
Back injuries.
Playing offensive line requires absorbing punishment on virtually every snap.
Himes kept showing up.
By the end of his Packers career, he had played 135 games and started 104 of them. He became one of only a small group of right tackles in franchise history to surpass 100 starts. (packers.com)
That places him alongside some of Green Bay’s most recognizable offensive linemen.
Yet Himes rarely received the same level of fame.
History Probably Underrated Him
Part of the reason was timing.
Himes played during a difficult period in Packers history.
The glory years of Vince Lombardi were over.
Green Bay struggled to consistently recreate the championship success that had defined the previous decade.
Great offensive linemen on unsuccessful teams rarely receive the same recognition as those protecting quarterbacks during championship runs.
Packers historian Cliff Christl has argued that Himes and fellow lineman Gale Gillingham were “shortchanged by history” because of the teams and coaching environments surrounding them. (packers.com)
That assessment feels fair.
Individual excellence does not always receive equal attention when team success is missing.
But teammates knew.
Coaches knew.
The men lining up beside Himes every Sunday knew exactly how valuable he was.
Himes and Gale Gillingham Formed a Powerful Right Side
For much of his career, Himes played next to right guard Gale Gillingham.
The pairing gave Green Bay one of the most physical right sides in football.
Their work became particularly important during the rise of running back John Brockington.
From 1971 through 1973, Brockington became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons.
Himes was a constant throughout that stretch.
McCarren later described the right side of those Packers offensive lines as “pretty dynamite.” (packers.com)
Those rushing statistics belonged to Brockington.
But like virtually every great running back, he depended heavily on the players creating space in front of him.
Himes was one of them.
Offensive Line Play Was Different Then
Modern offensive line play is already brutally demanding.
Himes competed in an era that required a different technical style.
According to the Packers’ historical account, offensive linemen of that period had to rely heavily on their punch and footwork in pass protection without using the grabbing techniques that are more common in modern blocking.
Run blocking was also often built around direct one-on-one physical battles. (packers.com)
There was nowhere to hide.
Win the matchup.
Or lose the play.
Himes built his reputation by winning enough of those battles to remain a starter for most of a decade.
His Final Request Says Something About the Man
Perhaps the most moving part of Himes’ story came after football.
According to the Packers, he did not want a funeral.
He did not want a public announcement surrounding his death.
Instead, he made one specific request.
His brain was to be donated to Boston University for research at its CTE Center. (packers.com)
That decision gives his legacy another dimension.
Himes spent years playing one of football’s most physically punishing positions.
By donating his brain for research, he potentially gave medical researchers another opportunity to better understand the long-term neurological effects associated with repeated head impacts.
It was a final act focused not on attention, but on knowledge.
Perhaps even helping future generations.
That seems fitting for someone remembered as one of Green Bay’s quieter, more dependable players.
Parkinson’s Disease Became His Final Battle
The Packers confirmed that Himes had suffered from Parkinson’s disease before his death. (packers.com)
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disorder that can affect movement, balance and other daily functions.
Every person’s experience with the disease is different, and it would be inappropriate to speculate beyond what Himes’ family and the Packers have disclosed.
What is known is that he was receiving hospice care near the end of his life.
For his family, that period undoubtedly extended far beyond football.
And that is worth remembering.
Athletes eventually remove the uniform.
They become husbands, fathers, grandparents, friends and members of communities.
The person matters more than the statistics.
Not Every Packers Great Has a Famous Name
Green Bay has one of the richest histories in professional football.
Bart Starr.
Ray Nitschke.
Paul Hornung.
Forrest Gregg.
Brett Favre.
Reggie White.
Aaron Rodgers.
The list stretches across generations.
But franchises are not built only by Hall of Famers.
They are also built by players like Dick Himes.
Players who started week after week.
Players who performed difficult jobs without demanding attention.
Players whose teammates trusted them.
Those careers matter too.
In many ways, they represent football in its purest form.
Eleven players depending on one another.
No block being unimportant.
No assignment existing in isolation.
Himes understood that role.
His Legacy Is Reliability
Dick Himes may never be remembered through one famous play.
That is almost appropriate.
His career was never about one play.
It was about thousands of them.
Snap after snap.
Game after game.
Season after season.
From 1971 through 1977, Green Bay could put Himes at right tackle and know what it was getting.
Fundamentals.
Physicality.
Preparation.
Reliability.
“You didn’t have to worry about Dick Himes.”
That sentence may ultimately describe his Packers legacy better than any statistic could.
Gone Quietly, Remembered With Respect
Himes did not seek a grand farewell.
He did not want a public funeral.
Even in death, the player remembered for quietly doing his job apparently preferred to leave without spectacle.
But Green Bay remembers its own.
His 104 starts remain part of franchise history.
The running backs he helped protect and block for remain part of that history.
The teammates who trusted him remember.
And now, another generation of Packers fans has an opportunity to learn the story of a player whose career deserves more recognition than it sometimes received.
Dick Himes was never the loudest name in Green Bay.
He did not need to be.
For a decade, he stood on the offensive line and did one of football’s most thankless jobs with toughness and consistency.
And long after the final snap of his career, that respect remains.
The Packers have lost one of their unsung warriors.
But the standard Dick Himes represented — preparation, toughness and reliability — will always have a place in Green Bay.
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