Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Chris Jacke call Los Angeles, Calif. and Richmond, Va., home, respectively.
However, come late July, each will set up a permanent residence within the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Gbaja-Biamila and Jacke, who collectively spent 17 years with the organization, will join such franchise luminaries as Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung, Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr, among others, within the team’s Hall of Fame when they are officially enshrined during the 43rd annual hall of fame induction banquet on July 20.
“From where I started to where I am today,” noted the 35-year-old Gbaja-Biamila, known during his playing days as, simply, “KGB,” as reported by packers.com, “it’s truly a blessing. It’s more than I could ever imagine.”
Coming to Titletown upon being drafted by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft out of San Diego State, Gbaja-Biamila, during his nine seasons with the green and gold, played in 132 contests and accumulated a team-record 74.5 sacks.
Furthermore, the 6’4”, 255-pound defensive end, who last played for the Packers during the 2008 season, was named to the 2003 NFC Pro Bowl roster and ranked among the league leaders in sacks during the 2001 (13.5, fourth), 2002 (12.0, sixth) and 2004 seasons (13.5, third).
Jacke, a sixth round draft pick by the Packers in 1989 out of Texas El-Paso (UTEP), was named to the AP’s First Team All-Pro in 1993—a year in which the now 46-year-old booted 17 field goals of at least 50 yards, a still intact single-season record for the organization—and ranks third on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 820 points.
In turn, Jacke, who spent one season with Washington and two years with the Arizona Cardinals en route to retiring following the 1999 campaign, led the team in scoring on seven occasions and saw action in 133 games for the green and gold—including their Super Bowl triumph against the Patriots on January 26, 1997.
Additionally, the team will also honor Emil Fischer, who joined the Packers’ board of directors in 1926, in addition to serving as the team’s president from 1948-1952 and was chairman of the board from 1953 until his death in 1958.
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