Jim Ringo

Ringo was born on November 21, 1931, in Orange, New Jersey, to James Sr. and Vera Ringo. The family moved to Harmony Township, New Jersey when he was three, and then a few years later to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where he was raised. and also was on the school's basketball and track teams. As a junior in 1947, the football team had an 8–1 record. He was captain of the 1948 football team, and was named New Jersey All-State in football. In 1993, Phillipsburg's field house was renamed in his honor. == College ==

Ringo attended Syracuse University, in Syracuse, New York, where he earned a marketing degree in 1953. He chose to attend Syracuse because of Schwartzwalder's honest and direct character. The 1952 team had an 8–2 record, and played against the University of Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Alabama won the game easily, being led by future Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr. Ringo would be Starr's center on the Packers from 1956 to 1963 (winning two NFL championships together). Some reports state he was an All-American in 1952 and others state he did not make any All-American teams while at Syracuse. High school football teammate Joe Szombathy was also his teammate at Syracuse. ==Professional career==

Green Bay Packers The Packers selected him in the seventh round of the 1953 NFL draft. Ringo was considered vastly undersized at . Ringo left training camp in his rookie year, returning to his wife Betty (Martin) Ringo and their new home in Easton, Pennsylvania, after facing a tough disciplinarian in Packers' coach Gene Ronzani; and doubting his own ability to make the team at 211 pounds. As Ringo later said, "'I thought I was too damn small to play in a big man's game'". However, Betty and Ringo's friends sent him back to training camp, where he made the 33-player squad. Vince Lombardi's arrival as head coach in January 1959 changed everything, and was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press (AP) and Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), and second-team All Pro by United Press International (UPI). This was his first of seven straight Pro Bowl appearances with the Packers. In 1959, Lombardi led the Packers to their first winning season since 1947 (7–5). Ringo was again named first-team All-Pro by the AP, UPI, and NEA, as he would be from 1960 to 1963 with the Packers. The Packers were Western Division champions from 1960-62, but winning championships in 1961 (37–0) and 1962 (16–7) over the Giants. The Packers had an 11–2–1 record in 1963, but finished second in the Western Division to the 11–1–2 Chicago Bears, the eventual 1963 NFL champions. Ringo's speed and mobility made him an ideal blocker for Lombardi's famous Packers sweep, and all but one of running back Jim Taylor's five 1,000-yard seasons—including his then-record 1,474-yard effort in 1962—came with Ringo at center. In 1974, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Lombardi said of Ringo, "'A bigger man might not be able to make the cut-off blocks on our sweeps the way Jim does. The reason Ringo’s the best in the league is because he's quick and he's smart. He runs the offensive line, calls the blocks and he knows what every lineman does on every play.'" Philadelphia Eagles On May 5, 1964, the Packers traded Ringo and fullback Earl Gros to the Philadelphia Eagles for second-year linebacker Lee Roy Caffey and a 1965 first-round draft pick, which was used to select halfback-punter Donny Anderson as a "future pick" in 1965 (7th overall), a year before he was eligible to play in the NFL. While Ringo's cut blocking technique and judgment in who to block on defense were key to Lombardi's power sweep running attack against a typical defensive front four, Lombardi eventually became concerned about Ringo's ability to block the larger tackles playing directly over center. On the other hand, Eagles coach Joe Kuharich said at the time of the trade, "'Ringo is one of the league's all-time great centers ... consider the Eagles lucky to have him.'" He was named to the Pro Bowl three of his four years in Philadelphia (1964, 1965, 1967). The Eagles only had one winning season with Ringo, going 9–5 in 1966. Ringo enjoyed his years in Philadelphia, and liked the owner Jerry Wolman, but believed Wolman's financial difficulties kept the team from success. In 1987, Ringo was a member of the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame. The Lombardi-Ringo trade story The details of Ringo's trade have been the subject of speculation, originating with Ringo's teammate Jerry Kramer. In his memoir, Kramer, who played guard next to Ringo from 1958 to 1963, recounted the story that following the 1963 season, Ringo showed up in Lombardi's office with an agent in tow and looking to negotiate a raise. Lombardi, according to this account, was so angered that he excused himself for five minutes only to return and announce that he had traded Ringo to the Eagles. Ringo himself has said this never happened, stating "'I didn't have an agent ... 'I really don't know how that story got going.'" It appears undisputed that Ringo had asked Lombardi for a substantial raise, in Lombardi's capacity as the Packers' general manager. Also, as anticipated at the time of the trade, the Packers drafted University of Wisconsin center Ken Bowman in the 1964 NFL draft, who would become the Packers full-time starting center by 1965. Ironically, Bowman only weighed 230 pounds (104.3 kg), but would remain the starting center with the Packers until his 1973 retirement. As to the other players involved in the trade, Caffey was a six-year starter at linebacker for the Packers, and a first-team All-Pro for the 1966 Packers team that won Super Bowl I. Caffey was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1986. Anderson had a number of productive years with the Packers, until he was traded because of a contract dispute. == Legacy and honors ==

Despite his relatively small size for a lineman, listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85) 232 lbs. (105 kg), though actually closer to 220 lbs. (99.8 kg) during his career, he used his outstanding quickness, speed, football intelligence and excellent technique to build a 15-year Hall of Fame NFL career. He played in 10 Pro Bowls and started 182 consecutive games. said of Ringo's time with the Packers, "'In those days he was as well known as Bart Starr, Paul Hornung ... Offensive linemen don't really get that much notoriety, but he was exceptionally well known at the time. He was dominant and a key part of those Packer teams.'" Ringo has received the following awards and honors, among others; • Inducted Pro Football Hall of Fame (1981) • Inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame (1974) • Inducted into inaugural class of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame (1987) • NFL All-Decade Team 1960s • Packers 50th Anniversary Team (1969) • Packers All-Modern Era Team (1976) • Green Bay Press-Gazette All-Century Team (1999) == Coaching ==

After retiring in 1967, Ringo went on to become an offensive line coach, offensive coordinator and head coach from 1969 to 1988. Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills In February 1969, Chicago Bears coach Jim Dooley hired Ringo as an offensive line coach. He worked under Dooley from 1969 to 1971. In February 1972, Buffalo Bills coach Lou Saban hired Ringo as his offensive line coach, and Dooley as his linebackers coach. Ringo was key in assembling and then coaching the Bills offensive line known as the Electric Company, led by guards Reggie McKenzie and Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure. including his 2,003-rushing yard season in 1973, over a 14-game regular season schedule. Ringo became the Bills interim head coach in 1976 when Saban resigned after five games, but the Bills lost their remaining nine games. Ringo served one more year as head coach in 1977, but Simpson was lost to injury for much of the season and the Bills finished 3–11. He was fired shortly after the season ended, and this would be his last job as a head coach, though he did later return to the Bills. New England Patriots, Los Angeles Ram, and New York Jets In 1978, Ringo was hired by the New England Patriots as their offensive line coach, adding the role of offensive coordinator from 1979 to 1981. In 1980, they improved to 10–6, were second in the NFL again in points scored, and 7th in total rushing yardage. The Patriots fell to 2–14 in 1981, and the coaching staff was fired in late December. He next spent a year as offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Rams (1982), and then two years as the New York Jets offensive line coach (1983-84). As a coach, Levy considered Ringo "a good teacher, he studied the game well. He tried to help players and they knew it. He was very highly respected and for good reason.'" ==Death==

Ringo died of pneumonia on November 19, 2007, in Chesapeake, Virginia, after a short illness. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease since 1996. He was predeceased by his first wife Betty in 1987, and by his son Anthony. He was survived by his wife Judy, three children and six grandchildren. He is buried at Fairmount Cemetery in his hometown of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. ==Head coaching record==