Let's remember Antonio Freeman (he's still alive)

It's easy to forget about players from the past, but Antonio Freeman is worth highlighting. 

As seasons for the Green Bay Packers pass us by, it is easy to forget the players that used to wear the green and gold. In the short term, it is hard to forget about the greatness displayed by Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, Clay Matthews, and Aaron Rodgers, to name a few. But one name in particular that is a blast from the past that it is worthy of putting more respect on? Wide receiver Antonio Freeman. 

A third-round selection by the team in the 1995 NFL Draft, Freeman would go on to play eight seasons in Green Bay (1995-2001, 2003) and one season in Philadelphia with the Eagles (2002). Freeman did not make much of an impact in his rookie season with the Packers, only registering eight receptions (12 targets) for 106 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. He started all 12 games that he appeared in the following season and made the most out of his opportunities. He led the team in receiving yards (933), targets (107), and receptions (56), and finished ninth in the NFL – second on the team – in receiving touchdowns (9). In the team’s Super Bowl XXXI victory over the New England Patriots that season, he paced all wide receivers with 105 yards and one touchdown, including an 81-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter that showcased his breakaway speed. The score would put the Packers ahead for good. 

Freeman followed up the 1996 season with a season-long performance in 1997 that put him in the conversation as one of the top-tier receivers in the league. He finished eight in receptions (81), seventh in yards (1,243), and second in touchdowns (12). He also registered nine receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s Super Bowl XXXII loss to the Denver Broncos. Freeman's yardage sits in third among the most receiving yards by a Packer wide receiver in a Super Bowl (Jordy Nelson, 140; Max McGee, 138). 

How did Freeman respond in 1998? With a career year. The Virginia Tech product earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors after leading the league in yards (1,424) and finishing fifth in receptions (84) and second in touchdowns (14). In 1999, he once again led the team in receiving yards (1,074) – the fourth season in a row he paced the team in receiving yards – and touchdowns (6). He then led the team in touchdowns in 2000 with nine, marking the fourth-straight season he was atop the list of the team's pass catchers in that department. 

Of course, I cannot bring up the 2000 season without mentioning his Monday Night Miracle in Week 10 victory against the Minnesota Vikings, a play that earned Freeman the 2001 ESPY for Most Spectacular Play of the Year. “Touchdown! He did what?”

Freeman, who celebrated his 51st birthday last month, currently sits sixth in receiving touchdowns in team history (57), seventh in games played among wide receivers (116), eighth in receiving yards (6,651), and ninth in receptions (431). 

 

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Rex is a lifelong Packers fan but was sick of the cold, so he moved to the heart of Cowboys country. Follow him on Twitter (@Sheild92) and Instagram (@rex.sheild). 

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Comments (15)

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Leatherhead's picture

June 02, 2023 at 12:40 pm

Good player. I remember the Miracle catch against the Vikings, but I also remember one season where he was pressed into punt catching duty. This was back in the day when I thought you should try to return punts, and he infuriated me by always fair catching and if he didn't think he could catch the ball safely, he just let it land and roll. But there weren't any turnovers, or penalties, or injuries on those plays, and it kind of got me thinking.

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LLCHESTY's picture

June 04, 2023 at 08:21 am

"and it kind of got me thinking."

Thinking wrong you mean.

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splitpea1's picture

June 02, 2023 at 01:35 pm

Freeman grew up a few miles south of where I did--but in his case it was (and is still very much so) a brutal neighborhood in East Baltimore. You can thank his family and for pushing him toward Poly, an academically competitive high school well-known for its STEM curriculum. It was here where he became a football star and graduated in 1989. He also had mentors who kept him on the straight and narrow along the way.

Originally Freeman wanted to play basketball for his own local high school, Dunbar--a team that has won three national titles between 1983 and 1992 and 15 state championships since. (The football program is no slouch, either, having won 10 state championships since 1994.)

So that is the deep background of how Antonio Freeman came to be a Packer and not a Buck.

11 points
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Swisch's picture

June 02, 2023 at 05:56 pm

It's heartbreaking to see what has happened to Baltimore and other major cities in America, with so much suffering by so many of the residents.
I've partly read a fascinating book having to do with another Baltimore native who overcame a rough childhood to excel in pro sports: "The Man Who Made Babe Ruth: Brother Matthias of St. Mary's School."
Ruth was an out-of-control street urchin from quite an early age, and was sent to live at St. Mary's even though both of his parents were still alive.
***
What seems true for both Babe Ruth and Antonio Freeman is that the keys to overcoming hardship are faith, family, and freedom -- as well as good jobs.
It's not a matter of race but of grace, as is seen in the case of the Irish of New York City in the mid-1800s, when they were scorned as violent criminals and pathetic lowlifes.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/how-dagger-john-saved-new-yorks-irish
***
If only the NFL would truly help the disadvantaged of society by promoting what truly helps them (instead of supporting BLM, which apparently is going bankrupt financially due to being bankrupt ethically).
One idea would be to use the massive profits of the NFL to offset the added costs associated with an initiative to manufacture NFL merchandise in depressed areas of America with American workers.
We need good jobs to support good families, and good families to fill good jobs.

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bottlefliper's picture

June 05, 2023 at 01:44 am

We have the most jobs we ever had. Thanks to Biden, who saved so many lifes and America every day. But you are right, the orange wig ruined not just jobs before, he ran the country into the ground.
But you confused the GQP (no morals or values since 2016) with BLM.

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Swisch's picture

June 02, 2023 at 02:00 pm

Thanks for the retrospective on a fondly remembered wide receiver in Antonio Freeman, who came up big in big games.
It's good to look back as Packers fans on our guys, to pray for them, and to let them know they have a special place in our hearts.
I would like Green Bay to be the top city in the NFL for its loyal and lasting relationships with players past and present, both from the organization and the fans.
A winning team is more about people than statistics, more about relationships than schemes.
Let's hope we've got something good in that way developing with our current Packers.
***
In that spirit of genuine appreciation for our Packers, a shout out to a couple of other past wide receivers, both alive and 85, Boyd Dowler and Carroll Dale.
To me, Dowler should be considered for the NFL Hall of Fame. At least we as Packers fans could consider the matter and give him his due -- which is considerable in any case.
Dale was also a top player for the Packers coming over from the Rams, and contributed much to our three championships in a row from 1965-1967.
Sadly, I was too young (b.1962) to remember them from the field of play -- although some of their exploits live on in highlights and passages.

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PackfanNY's picture

June 02, 2023 at 02:40 pm

Loved António Freeman, the player. Never had elite speed but always found a way to get open and create space. I still have this SI from the Super Bowl run. “Green Bay All The Way”.

https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Illustrated-Magazine-January-Green/dp/B000...

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

June 02, 2023 at 06:27 pm

Thanks for this article! Perfect for the off-season :)

6 points
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Ferrari-Driver's picture

June 02, 2023 at 08:23 pm

That miracle catch was so spectacular. I can remember watching it on TV and yelling get up...go! go! Definitely one of the most exciting plays I can remember as a Packer fan. Freeman was a good Packer and I'm glad he wore the Green and Gold.

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Handsback's picture

June 02, 2023 at 08:27 pm

Anyone who saw that Monday night game and the catch that Free made will probably never forget it. However, from that era the one moment I will never forget was a commercial for Madden Football (never played it myself) with Robert Brooks playing the game being the Packers and his character catching the ball and getting caught from behind. He looked at the Madden representative who stated since he had knee surgery, he had lost his speed and they programed his character that way. Brooks takes the controller and throws it towards the TV and gives that stare to the Madden rep.
Between those two receivers, and Chewy the TE they were hard to stop. This was after Sharpe's injury and everyone wanted to know how the Packers were going to field an offense. It's a game of replacement as Vic always said.
Just MHO

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greengold's picture

June 03, 2023 at 05:31 am

Remember him? I could never forget him. Antonio Freeman is one of my All-Time favorite receivers.

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HarryHodag's picture

June 03, 2023 at 06:39 am

I chuckled when I saw the headline. You'd think Freeman played in the era of leather helmets. Antonio is ...drum roll....51 years old.

Freeman also was a free spirit which always makes for interesting football. He was a good quote in the media.

Since we're being nostalgic several of Lombardi's Packers are still with us.

From the leather helmet era, for the youth among the readership look up the name Don Hutson. You might be surprised. The reason we are so focused on the forward pass today is largely because of him.

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PeteK's picture

June 03, 2023 at 08:07 am

Hudson started that long tradition of a great passing offense so unlikely in the frozen tundra of Lambeau.

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Tundraboy's picture

June 03, 2023 at 07:56 pm

Good times. One of our unsung heroes. Clutch player.

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PackAttack4155's picture

June 05, 2023 at 10:58 am

Freeman had so many highlight worthy plays. The miracle catch in 2000 is still a great watch. His over the top catch against Chicago's Kevin Miniefield in 96 is up there too. Both plays were well defended, and required top notch awareness, and reaction to make them. Was a lot of fun to watch him play.

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