MONROE — Dave Robinson, one of the greatest players in Packers history, is coming to Monroe. Robinson played outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers from 1963-72 and was a member of Vince Lombardi’s three consecutive World Championship teams from 1965-67.
As a crowning touch to the great dynasty, Green Bay won Super Bowls I and II.
Robinson was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. He has also been inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame, the College Hall of Fame and is a member of the NFL 1960’s All-Decade Team.
Official Packers’ team historian Cliff Christl named Dave Robinson one of the five greatest defensive players in team history along with Herb Adderley, Willie Wood, Willie Davis and Reggie White.
Robinson is coming to Monroe to watch himself — sort of.
The Monroe Theatre Guild will be presenting the stage play “Lombardi” for a final weekend, this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8-9, the character of Dave Robinson is one of six in the production.
As part of the festivities surrounding the production, Robinson will be attending MTG’s Thursday Night Tailgate at the Ludlow Mansion from 5-9 p.m. Oct. 7. The event will feature food and beverages, in addition to an entertaining program featuring Robinson and his co-author of three books, Wisconsin native Royce Boyles.
Robinson will be attending the Friday evening performance as well as being the main attraction at the Thursday Night Tailgate. Tickets for both events are available on the theatre’s website: www.monroetheatre.com or at the Monroe Arts Center during regular business hours, or by calling 608-325-1111.
The Broadway version of the play experienced an eight-month, 244 performances run at the Circle in the Square Theatre from October 2010 to May 2011. The real-life Dave Robinson attended the New York production several times and said the first time the stage character Vince Lombardi looked at him in the audience he, “Got chills and feelings as if he were back in Green Bay.”
In addition to the characters of Dave Robinson and Vince Lombardi, the coach’s wife Marie, players Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung and newspaper man Michael McCormick are portrayed.
“The play is very authentic and captures Coach as he was and as the times were. It is both entertaining and educational,” Robinson said.
Boyles, slated as emcee for a portion of the tailgate event and co-author of books with Robinson said, “Much has been said and written about ‘what a Lombardi player was.’ Dave Robinson is that player and person — a team player, very smart, educated, mistake free as a player, fierce competitor, loyal, appreciative of fans, a remarkable ambassador of the game of football and the Packers’. He is what Coach Lombardi wanted, professionals who won championships and conducted themselves like gentlemen. Dave is the definitive Lombardi man.”
Of the Hall of Fame players from Coach Lombardi’s teams, Robinson and Jerry Kramer are the only surviving members.
Robinson played in the Pro-Bowl in ’67, ’68 and ’70, earning Most Valuable Player honors for the ’68 game.
In their “greatest series,” NFL Films selected Green Bay’s trio of Robinson, Ray Nitschke and Lee Roy Caffey as the sixth greatest group of linebackers to ever play the game.
