Ronald John Kramer (June 24, 1935 – September 11, 2010) was an American multi-sport college athlete and professional football player.
Kramer attended the University of Michigan from 1953 to 1957, winning a total of nine varsity letters in football, basketball, and track. Playing at left end for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1954 to 1956, he was selected as a consensus first-team All-American in 1955 and a unanimous first-team All-American in 1956. His jersey no. 87 was retired after Kramer's senior year, and he was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1978.
Kramer was selected by the Green Bay Packers as the fourth pick in the 1957 NFL Draft and played for the Packers for seven seasons (1957, 1959–1964). He was a key player on coach Vince Lombardi's first NFL championship teams in 1961 and 1962. Kramer was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1962 after catching 37 passes for 555 yards and seven touchdowns. He also played three seasons for the Detroit Lions from 1965 to 1967.
Early life
Born in Girard, Kansas, Kramer moved to East Detroit, Michigan (now Eastpointe) at age five. He attended East Detroit High School where he was an all-state player in football, basketball and track in high school. He competed in the shot put and long jump in track. In December 1952, Kramer was named as an end on the United Press All-Michigan football team.
University of Michigan
Kramer enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1953. He was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, and track) and led both the football and basketball teams in scoring for two years. Altogether, Kramer won a total of nine varsity letters in his three sports — the maximum number possible, as freshmen did not have athletic eligibility at the time.
Football
Kramer played college football at the end position (both defensive and offensive) for the Michigan Woverines from 1954 through 1956.
As a 19-year-old sophomore, Kramer started all nine games at left end for the 1954 team that finished the season ranked #15 in the final AP Poll. He was the leading receiver for the Wolverines with 23 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns. At the end of the 1954 season, he was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player.
As a junior in 1955, Kramer started six games at left end and Michigan finished 12th in the final AP Poll. Kramer set a Michigan record with three touchdown passes in a game against Missouri in 1955. For the season as a whole, he caught 12 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns, and he was selected as a consensus first-team end on the 1955 College Football All-America Team.
Kramer had his best collegiate season as a senior, starting all nine games in 1956 and the Wolverines ended at seventh in the final AP Poll. Kramer caught 18 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns in 1956. At the end of the season, Kramer was an consensus first-team All-American.
Following Kramer's senior year, Michigan retired his jersey number 87 -- one of only five numbers in school history to be retired. In three years at Michigan, Kramer caught 53 passes for 880 yards and eight touchdowns. He was also known as an outstanding tackler and blocker. Bennie Oosterbaan, Kramer's football coach at Michigan, described his blocking and tackling ability as his most valuable asset. Oosterbaan said this of his star player:"To top off his marvelous physical gifts of size and speed and strength, plus an uncanny coordination, Kramer was one of the fiercest competitors I've ever seen. Nothing was impossible for him — the impossible was only a challenge."
Kramer also handled kicking and punting duties for Michigan. He handled 31 punts for a 40.6 yard average, kicked two field goals, and successfully converted 43 of 51 extra point attempts.
Basketball
Kramer also excelled in basketball. He played at the center position and was selected as the basketball team's most valuable player as a junior. As basketball team captain, he was third-team All-Big Ten in 1957 after being second-team All-Big Ten in both 1955 and 1956. During his junior year, he averaged 20.4 points per game over a 22-game season and is a member of the career 1,000-point club. He held the Michigan career scoring record of 1,119 points from 1957 until it was broken by John Tidwell in 1961. He was a fifth round pick in the 1957 NBA draft (34th overall), selected by the Detroit Pistons.