Packers of the Past: The Underrated Zeke Bratkowski
He was no Bart Starr, but he was invaluable to the Lombardi-era Packers.
By Kevin Gibson
A lot of names rush to mind when the phrases “Green Bay Packers” and “Vince Lombardi” come together: Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Willie Davis, Ray Nitschke … you get the idea.
One name that sometimes gets overlooked is former Green Bay quarterback Zeke Bratkowski.
Bratkowski, sometimes referred to as the “Super Sub,” had a long if not illustrious NFL career, and during his stint with the Packers, he often proved nearly indispensable when Starr would get injured.
Bratkowski originally was a 17th-round draft pick – much like Starr himself – albeit a few years earlier, in 1953. His original team was the Chicago Bears, with which he would have two stints, along with the Packers (also twice) and Los Angeles Rams. But it’s his time in Green Bay, from 1963 until 1968 during Lombardi’s dynastic stint, that Zeke is probably best known for.
In a 15-year career in which Bratkowski threw for more than 10,000 yards and 65 touchdowns, He spent close to half of his time on the Packers and had the greatest contribution, often being called the “super sub” for his service in backing up Starr whenever injury would arise.
After four seasons with the Bears and three with the Rams, Bratkowski was a 32-year-old waiver claim by Lombardi’s Packers in October of 1963, and he would spend the next five-plus seasons shadowing Starr. What is sometimes forgotten is that, when Bratkowski would sub in for the Hall of Fame starter, the Packers’ offense barely skipped a beat. In fact, Green Bay was 8-1 when he either started or played in Starr’s stead.
One of the bright spots in his career in green and gold came in a battle for the Western Conference title against Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts. Bratkowski entered the game early when Starr left with an injury, and the understudy – who many of his teammates called “Uncle Zeke” because of his age – willed the Packers to a 13-10 win in overtime.
One reason Bratkowski was so successful in Green Bay was preparation. Packers.com quoted his former teammate Boyd Dowler as saying, “He had a good arm and he was a good passer. He followed Bart around. They talked. They watched tape together. And they prepared together.”
"I've tried to pattern myself after Bart," Bratkowski said in 1967. "We study the movies together and go over the game plan together. I try to think as much like he does as I can so the team will not have to make a big adjustment if I'm needed."
Fittingly, Bratkowski would end up as an assistant coach for the Packers and other teams, and in 1971 he came out of retirement and once again joined the team to be Starr’s backup one final time.
After one final season with the Packers in ’71 and another with the Bears in ’73, Bratkowski enjoyed a long career as an NFL assistant coach with six different teams, including a pair of stints, including nine seasons as an assistant in Green Bay.
Bratkowski, who died in 2019, was never an All-Pro or a Pro Bowler, but he claimed two Super Bowl rings and made enough of a mark that he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1989.
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Kevin Gibson is a professional writer and author based in Louisville, Ky. He's also a former sports writer who covered high school, college and professional sports, a Packers shareholder and a fan since 1975. Even John Hadl couldn't break him. Follow him on Twitter: @kgramone
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Comments (12)
DougXX57
March 13, 2026 at 07:19 am
as an old guy.. I remember Zeke.. steady and came in to back up Bart when he did got dinged up.. always liked him
mrtundra
March 13, 2026 at 08:03 am
Zeke was Bart's Malik Willis, back in the Glory Days!
LambeauPlain
March 13, 2026 at 08:12 am
And like Bart, Zeke had a big brain called all the plays when behind center. While he was kind of like Bart's big brother, Bart was a mentor to Zeke. I have a younger brother like that.
FAVRE04
March 13, 2026 at 08:34 am
Zeke Bratkowski was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the SECOND ROUND of the 1953 NFL drafft by the CHICAGO BEARS.
He was NOT a 17th round draft pick.
Spock
March 13, 2026 at 11:03 am
Good catch, FAVRE04. I thought that wasn't right when I first read the article. Wikipedia backs up what you say. I had forgotten how old Zeke was when he first became Bart's backup. I say "old" in football terms as 32 is "young" to me now (I'm 71). :)
JQ
March 13, 2026 at 02:18 pm
My brothers and I loved Zeke! Starr seemed to be frequently hurt, but Zeke would come in and always seemed to save the day. Great Times...
HarryHodag
March 13, 2026 at 02:35 pm
One item often forgotten is the rules concerning contact on a quarterback were VERY different than now. QB's were fair game in any form, like running backs and receivers. I saw Alex Karras(Mongo in the movie 'Blazing Saddles') pile drive Bart Starr in a game vs. the Lions. QB's were knocked around and Starr was injured almost every season. Zeke would step in and the offense kept moving, like Willis did this year.
There was no fear when Zeke took over.
LeotisHarris
March 13, 2026 at 02:42 pm
Have to offer a correction, Kevin. In the 13-10 overtime victory against the Colts, Zeke went head-to-head with Colts RB Tom Matte who had be filling in at QB for an injured Johnny Unitas for the previous three games. Matte wore a wrist band to help him remember plays, and that was unusual for the times. Lombardi praised Matte's efforts after the game.
Zeke was a bigshot QB at the University of Georgia, and was the NCAA's all-time leading passer until 1961. He also led the NCAA in punting his senior year in 1953.
Yeah, it's a good idea to have an experienced backup QB. Thanks for this series, Kevin.
EricTorkelson
March 14, 2026 at 07:58 am
Awesome research LH , my memories of ( Malik ) oops ... Zeke was watching old Packer films and thinking wow does this guy have a great arm maybe he should have started : )
lou
March 13, 2026 at 02:48 pm
Fortunately for Lombardi's Packers when Starr had several years with little or no injuries the QB behind him rode the bench which was good because the quality of their play plus experience levels were not close to Zeke's resume. In his early years with the Bears and Rams the talent level of those teams was not close to the Packers so moving to Green Bay was great for both parties. In addition he always stayed in shape, and when Devine had to move him from coach to player after 2 retirement years he stepped right in again as Hunter and Tagge struggled.
Zeke lost 2 seasons to active military service when he was with the Bears, he was an Air Force fighter pilot activated from reserve status and in his squadron was the Packers Max McGee under the same circumstances.
Since'61
March 13, 2026 at 02:54 pm
Zeke played excellently for the Packers in his backup QB role. His 8-1 record is proof that Lombardi's Packers particularly the OL and the defense were good enough to win games without their future HOF QB in the game. As for the Western conference playoff game against the Colts in 1965 Starr was injured on the game's very first play. He went out with bruised ribs while trying to tackle a Colt's defender who recovered a Packers fumble.
Zeke took over it what became a tenacious defensive struggle between the two teams with the Packers winning in Sudden Death OT. Zeke played very well in that game. Yet the win is included in Starr's 9-1 playoff record. I don't understand how or why the NFL doesn't have a minimum snap count for a starting QB to earn a win on their record even to this day. Taking nothing from Starr but he only played one play before he went out of the game, while Zeke played the entire game and is not the winning QB in the record books. It makes no sense to me.
In any case whoever played behind Lombardi's OL whether it was Starr or Zeke at QB or later on at RB Elijah Pitts, Donny Anderson, Chuck Mercein, Ben Wilson or Travis Williams they all had success thanks to the Packers OL.
Thanks, Since '61
THESZOTMAN1
March 13, 2026 at 06:55 pm
Zeke and Malik. Probably the 2 best backup QBs in Packer history. With props to Matt Flynn.
We can only hope that Love's new backup is 1/2 as good. Time will tell.
The Szotman