1989 Green Bay Packers season | |
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Head Coach | Lindy Infante |
General Manager | Tom Braatz |
Home Field | Lambeau Field Milwaukee County Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 10–6 |
Place | 2nd NFC Central |
Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
Timeline | |
Previous season | Next season |
1988 | 1990 |
The 1989 Green Bay Packers season was their 71st overall and their 69th in the National Football League. The Packers posted a 10–6 record, their best since 1972, but failed to make the playoffs. The team was often referred to as the "Cardiac Pack" due to several close-game wins. The 1989 Packers hold the NFL record for most one-point victories in a season with four. The team was coached by Lindy Infante and led by quarterback Don Majkowski, who attained his nickname "The Majik Man."
Offseason[]
The Green Bay Packers selected Tony Mandarich with their first pick of the 1989 NFL Draft, passing on prospects such as Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, and Deion Sanders. Mandarich was a first-team All-American, an Outland Award finalist and a two-time Big Ten Lineman of the Year. Mandarich would later hold out most of the preseason, playing most of the regular season on special teams. Four years after signing Mandarich, the Packers cut him. ESPN rated Mandarich as the third biggest sports flop in the past 25 years.[1]
Round | Selection | Overall | Player | College | Position |
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1 | 2 | 2 | Tony Mandarich | Michigan State | T |
3 | 2 | 58 | Matt Brock | Oregon | DE |
3 | 18 | 74 | Anthony Dilweg | Duke | QB |
4 | 3 | 87 | Jeff Graham | Long Beach State | QB |
5 | 12 | 124 | Jeff Query | Millikin | WR |
5 | 15 | 127 | Vince Workman | Ohio State | RB |
6 | 3 | 142 | Chris Jacke | Texas-El Paso | K |
7 | 2 | 169 | Mark Hall | SW Louisiana | DE |
8 | 3 | 198 | Thomas King | SW Louisiana | DB |
8 | 11 | 206 | Brian Shulman | Auburn | P |
9 | 2 | 225 | Scott Kirby | Arizona State | T |
10 | 3 | 254 | Ben Jessie | SW Texas State | DB |
11 | 2 | 281 | Cedric Stallworth | Georgia Tech | DB |
12 | 3 | 310 | Stan Shiver | Florida State | DB |
Personnel[]
Staff[]
1989 Green Bay Packers staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster[]
1989 Green Bay Packers roster | |||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
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Regular season[]
Although the Packers failed to make the Playoffs, they recorded their best record since 1972. The Packers finished 10–6, placing them second in the NFC Central. The Minnesota Vikings also finished 10–6, but held the tiebreaker due to a better conference record. The team finished with a 10–6 record for their first winning season since the strike shortended 1982 season. It was also the first club to record 4 1-point victories in a season. The club was 6–2 at home and 4–4 on the road.[3] The Packers offense had success due to a strong passing game, headed by quarterback Don Majkowski. Majkowski finished first in the NFL in passing yards and completions. He earned a bid to the NFL Pro Bowl. Wide receiver Sterling Sharpe finished the season first in receptions, and second in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Sharpe would also earn a bid to the Pro Bowl.[4]
The Herschel Walker trade and the Packers[]
On October 8, 1989, the Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys, featuring star running back Herschel Walker. Four days later, the Cowboys traded Walker to the Minnesota Vikings, the next team on the Packers' schedule. Walker's debut with the Vikings occurred three days after the trade, on October 15, 1989, against the Packers. The Packers faced Walker for a third time during the regular season, on November 26, 1989, when the Packers played the Vikings again. These regular season games between the Packers and Walker occurred in three different cities: Green Bay, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.
The Instant Replay game[]
On November 5, 1989, the Packers beat the Bears 14–13, but not without controversy. Don Majkowski led the Packers to a comeback and a game-winning touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe with less than a minute left to play. Initially the play was called a touchdown, but line judge Jim Quirk had called a penalty on Majkowski for being beyond the line of scrimmage when he threw the pass. With a nervous and tense crowd at Lambeau Field, the call went up to the instant replay official, Bill Parkinson. Several minutes later the call came down and the touchdown was awarded as recorded by instant replay. The Lambeau faithful and Packer players erupted with joy because it marked the first time since 1984 that the Packers had beaten their long-time rivals. The Packers would later beat the Bears again in the season.[5] The game was broadcast on CBS with Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts on the call.
The last team to beat San Francisco[]
On November 19, 1989, the Packers traveled to Candlestick Park and beat Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. It would be one of only two losses for the 49ers, and the last before the 49ers finished out the season 8–0, including a 55–10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. In that game, the Packers matched their win total from the previous season (4–12). Although regarded at the time as a fluke, Green Bay would proceed to win 13 of the next 15 contests with San Francisco over the next 21 seasons.[6]
Schedule[]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
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1 | September 10, 1989 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 23–21 | Lambeau Field | |
2 | September 17, 1989 | New Orleans Saints | W 35–34 | Lambeau Field | |
3 | September 24, 1989 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 41–38 | Anaheim Stadium | |
4 | October 1, 1989 | Atlanta Falcons | W 23–21 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
5 | October 8, 1989 | Dallas Cowboys | W 31–13 | Lambeau Field | |
6 | October 15, 1989 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 26–14 | Metrodome | |
7 | October 22, 1989 | at Miami Dolphins | L 23–20 | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
8 | October 29, 1989 | Detroit Lions | W 23–20 (OT) | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
9 | November 5, 1989 | Chicago Bears | W 14–13 | Lambeau Field | |
10 | November 12, 1989 | at Detroit Lions | L 31–22 | Pontiac Silverdome | |
11 | November 19, 1989 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 21–17 | Candlestick Park | |
12 | November 26, 1989 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–19 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
13 | December 3, 1989 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–16 | Tampa Stadium | |
14 | December 10, 1989 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–3 | Lambeau Field | |
15 | December 17, 1989 | at Chicago Bears | W 40–28 | Soldier Field | |
16 | December 24, 1989 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 20–10 | Texas Stadium |
Season summary[]
Week 9[]
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Week 15[]
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Standings[]
Template:1989 NFC Central standings
Season statistical leaders[]
- Passing Yards: Don Majkowski 4,318 yards
- Passing Touchdowns: Don Majkowski 27 TDs
- Rushing Yards: Brent Fullwood, 821 yards
- Rushing Touchdowns: Brent Fullwood, 5 TDs
- Receiving Yards: Sterling Sharpe, 1,423 yards
- Receiving Touchdowns: Sterling Sharpe, 12 TDs
- Points: Chris Jacke, 108 points
- Kickoff Return Yards: Vince Workman, 547 yards
- Punt Return Yards: Jeff Query, 247 yards
- Sacks: Tim Harris, 19.5 sacks
- Interceptions: Dave Brown, 6 interceptions[9]
Awards and records[]
- Sterling Sharpe, NFL Leader in Receptions (90)
- Sterling Sharpe, Second in NFL in Receiving Yards (1,423)
Milestones[]
- Don Majkowski, First 4,000 Yard Passing Season
- Sterling Sharpe, First 1,000 Yard Receiving Season
Hall of Fame Inductions[]
- In 1989 Packer great Willie Wood was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Zeke Bratkowski and Ron Kostelnik were inducted to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
References[]
- ↑ ESPN 25 Biggest Sports Flops Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com. http://nfl.packers.com/history/all_time_roster/coaches/. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 266
- ↑ 1989 League Leaders – NFL from Pro-Football-Reference
- ↑ "Majik" Act Still A Big Hit With Packers Fans Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine from 10/05/2004
- ↑ See 1989 San Francisco 49ers season
- ↑ The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Dec-09.
- ↑ The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Dec-09.
- ↑ 1989 Green Bay Packers Stats obtained 12/03/2006
External links[]
- 1989 Green Bay Packers statistics – Pro-Football-Reference
- 1989 Green Bay Packers – Database Football
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