Local icon helped create Packers' 'G' logo
Packer Plus files
Vince Lombardi told Gerald “Dad” Braisher to come up with a design for the Packers’ helmets. Braisher developed the ‘G’ logo.
Beloved Braisher was in charge of team's equipment
Gerald "Dad" Braisher was much more than an equipment manager for the Green Bay Packers.
One of the most beloved figures in franchise history endured himself to hundreds of Packer players and staff in a career that spanned parts of three decades and five head coaches in Green Bay.
Braisher's career began in 1956 under head coach Lisle Blackbourn and ended in 1977 during Bart Starr's tenure as general manager and head coach.
"Dad Braisher was a hidden asset to our teams - he was a great gentleman who was devoted to the Green Bay Packers," Starr said last week from Alabama.
"He was a joy to work with and was always looking to do something to help the players and team succeed."
Lori Keck, Lombardi's secretary from 1961-'68, said Braisher bled green and gold.
"Dad lived and breathed the Packers," Keck said. "They were his whole life. He loved his job, and he was loved by everyone. I never met anyone who was so loved."
"He was such a shy, unassuming person. He never tried to impress anyone or bragged that he worked for the Packers. He did so much for people and was a sweet man to be around."
Braisher's greatest contribution to the Green Bay franchise went beyond the normal job description associated with an equipment manager.
In 1961, head coach Vince Lombardi asked him to develop a design for the Packers' logo-less helmets.
Braisher, a lifelong bachelor, worked on a logo in his spare time at night in his room at the Union Hotel in De Pere - his home for more than 40 years until his death at age 81 in July 1982.
His efforts resulted in the "G" logo, which wasn't intended to represent the franchise's location. Braisher meant for the letter to stand for "Greatness." Lombardi approved the design and color scheme, which has become one of the most recognizable sports symbols in the world.
Several high schools and colleges, including the University of Georgia and Grambling University, sport the same "G" design, but the Green Bay Packers had it first.
McKim Boyd, 55, whose family has owned and operated the Union Hotel since 1918, said Braisher used to come down from his room at night and show rough pencil sketches to his father at the hotel bar.
"To us, Dad was part of the family," Boyd said. "He told my father that he was trying to fit the "G" into a football shape."
Boyd also said that Braisher received some final design assistance from a college intern who assisted him in his equipment manager duties.
According to Boyd, John Gordon, then an art major at St. Norbert College, helped Dad with the logo.
"It was Dad's idea and design concept, but John fine-tuned it."
Braisher came to the Packers after a 33-year career as an industrial arts teacher and coach at East De Pere High School. Braisher's life revolved around athletics.
Braisher first excelled in prep and college athletics in Oshkosh, Wis., in the 1920s. For the next three decades, he taught and coached football, basketball and baseball at East De Pere, leading the Redbirds to the WIAA Class B state basketball championship in 1934.
His position was terminated at the high school in 1955, and Braisher joined the Packer staff in 1956.
Bud Jorgensen, Green Bay's equipment manager and trainer since 1924, offered Braisher his dream job on a car ride up north.
"He looked at me with a dumbfounded look and said, 'Are you kidding?' " Jorgensen said in a July 1982 Green Bay Press-Gazette story. "He wanted to jump right out of the car at Suamico and walk back to Green Bay because he was afraid they would give the job to someone else."
Lee Remmel, former publicity director for the Packers, said in the Press-Gazette story that Braisher liked to mention that he and Bart Starr were team rookies together in 1956.
"I can't say enough about how popular he was," Remmel said. "He was a great favorite of Vince Lombardi's."
Paul Hornung said that Braisher was one of the few people Vince never yelled at.
"Lord knows I received my share," Hornung said. "Dad was a great athlete himself in high school and college and wore No. 5. So I always told him he was the original No. 5. All the guys thought highly of Dad. He took care of us."
The amiable Braisher took great pride in making sure the Packer equipment needs were always met, including putting in some overtime.
He stayed up a good portion of the night before the 1962 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium, hand cutting notches in each player's shoes to get better traction on the icy turf.
Guard Jerry Kramer, a standout in Green Bay's 16-7 victory with three field goals and an extra point, recalled Braisher's professionalism.
"What I remember most about Dad was that he was invisible," Kramer said. "He did his job and he did it really well. He was always on top of things, from shoes to chin straps."
Kramer did have one small beef with Braisher.
"I got frustrated with him the year he gave away my favorite pair of shoulder pads," Kramer said with a laugh. "I loved them because they were lightweight and non-binding, but Dad thought they were high school-ish and he was embarrassed by them. He couldn't help himself and got rid of them."
Braisher was not nicknamed "Dad" because of his paternal nature. The origin of the moniker goes back to his childhood in Oshkosh. Braisher and his best friend were named after a comic strip called, "Dit and Dad," recalls Boyd.
In several football off-seasons, Braisher also assisted the equipment staffs of the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers, and California Angels during spring training.
Braisher retired prior to the 1977 season and was elected to the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Wisconsin High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980. He also received a citation for his high standards by the NFL's Equipment Managers Association.
"Dad was what every equipment manager should be," said Forrest Gregg, former Green Bay tackle and head coach. "He was good for us and good for the organization.
"Dad could make us laugh sometimes and other times remind us of what we were playing for. He was a special man and an important part of our team and the community."
Braisher sponsored a scholarship in his name for the outstanding male and female athletes at East De Pere (now De Pere High School) and had a city park named in his honor.
"Dad Braisher was a legend here," said Bob Harlan, former Packers president and CEO. "De Pere High School named their football field after him. He was simply a very nice man who loved the Green Bay Packers and did his job well. Dad lived a quiet life but touched a lot of people."
One of the most beloved figures in franchise history endured himself to hundreds of Packer players and staff in a career that spanned parts of three decades and five head coaches in Green Bay.
Braisher's career began in 1956 under head coach Lisle Blackbourn and ended in 1977 during Bart Starr's tenure as general manager and head coach.
"Dad Braisher was a hidden asset to our teams - he was a great gentleman who was devoted to the Green Bay Packers," Starr said last week from Alabama.
"He was a joy to work with and was always looking to do something to help the players and team succeed."
Lori Keck, Lombardi's secretary from 1961-'68, said Braisher bled green and gold.
"Dad lived and breathed the Packers," Keck said. "They were his whole life. He loved his job, and he was loved by everyone. I never met anyone who was so loved."
"He was such a shy, unassuming person. He never tried to impress anyone or bragged that he worked for the Packers. He did so much for people and was a sweet man to be around."
Braisher's greatest contribution to the Green Bay franchise went beyond the normal job description associated with an equipment manager.
In 1961, head coach Vince Lombardi asked him to develop a design for the Packers' logo-less helmets.
Braisher, a lifelong bachelor, worked on a logo in his spare time at night in his room at the Union Hotel in De Pere - his home for more than 40 years until his death at age 81 in July 1982.
His efforts resulted in the "G" logo, which wasn't intended to represent the franchise's location. Braisher meant for the letter to stand for "Greatness." Lombardi approved the design and color scheme, which has become one of the most recognizable sports symbols in the world.
Several high schools and colleges, including the University of Georgia and Grambling University, sport the same "G" design, but the Green Bay Packers had it first.
McKim Boyd, 55, whose family has owned and operated the Union Hotel since 1918, said Braisher used to come down from his room at night and show rough pencil sketches to his father at the hotel bar.
"To us, Dad was part of the family," Boyd said. "He told my father that he was trying to fit the "G" into a football shape."
Boyd also said that Braisher received some final design assistance from a college intern who assisted him in his equipment manager duties.
According to Boyd, John Gordon, then an art major at St. Norbert College, helped Dad with the logo.
"It was Dad's idea and design concept, but John fine-tuned it."
Braisher came to the Packers after a 33-year career as an industrial arts teacher and coach at East De Pere High School. Braisher's life revolved around athletics.
Braisher first excelled in prep and college athletics in Oshkosh, Wis., in the 1920s. For the next three decades, he taught and coached football, basketball and baseball at East De Pere, leading the Redbirds to the WIAA Class B state basketball championship in 1934.
His position was terminated at the high school in 1955, and Braisher joined the Packer staff in 1956.
Bud Jorgensen, Green Bay's equipment manager and trainer since 1924, offered Braisher his dream job on a car ride up north.
"He looked at me with a dumbfounded look and said, 'Are you kidding?' " Jorgensen said in a July 1982 Green Bay Press-Gazette story. "He wanted to jump right out of the car at Suamico and walk back to Green Bay because he was afraid they would give the job to someone else."
Lee Remmel, former publicity director for the Packers, said in the Press-Gazette story that Braisher liked to mention that he and Bart Starr were team rookies together in 1956.
"I can't say enough about how popular he was," Remmel said. "He was a great favorite of Vince Lombardi's."
Paul Hornung said that Braisher was one of the few people Vince never yelled at.
"Lord knows I received my share," Hornung said. "Dad was a great athlete himself in high school and college and wore No. 5. So I always told him he was the original No. 5. All the guys thought highly of Dad. He took care of us."
The amiable Braisher took great pride in making sure the Packer equipment needs were always met, including putting in some overtime.
He stayed up a good portion of the night before the 1962 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium, hand cutting notches in each player's shoes to get better traction on the icy turf.
Guard Jerry Kramer, a standout in Green Bay's 16-7 victory with three field goals and an extra point, recalled Braisher's professionalism.
"What I remember most about Dad was that he was invisible," Kramer said. "He did his job and he did it really well. He was always on top of things, from shoes to chin straps."
Kramer did have one small beef with Braisher.
"I got frustrated with him the year he gave away my favorite pair of shoulder pads," Kramer said with a laugh. "I loved them because they were lightweight and non-binding, but Dad thought they were high school-ish and he was embarrassed by them. He couldn't help himself and got rid of them."
Braisher was not nicknamed "Dad" because of his paternal nature. The origin of the moniker goes back to his childhood in Oshkosh. Braisher and his best friend were named after a comic strip called, "Dit and Dad," recalls Boyd.
In several football off-seasons, Braisher also assisted the equipment staffs of the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers, and California Angels during spring training.
Braisher retired prior to the 1977 season and was elected to the UW-Oshkosh Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Wisconsin High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980. He also received a citation for his high standards by the NFL's Equipment Managers Association.
"Dad was what every equipment manager should be," said Forrest Gregg, former Green Bay tackle and head coach. "He was good for us and good for the organization.
"Dad could make us laugh sometimes and other times remind us of what we were playing for. He was a special man and an important part of our team and the community."
Braisher sponsored a scholarship in his name for the outstanding male and female athletes at East De Pere (now De Pere High School) and had a city park named in his honor.
"Dad Braisher was a legend here," said Bob Harlan, former Packers president and CEO. "De Pere High School named their football field after him. He was simply a very nice man who loved the Green Bay Packers and did his job well. Dad lived a quiet life but touched a lot of people."
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