Every great football dynasty needs a competent backup quarterback. In the 1960's, the Green Bay Packers enjoyed the subtle services of Zeke Bratkowski. Dubbed the "Super Sub", he found great success leading the team to victory when their franchise quarterback Bart Starr was either hurt or ineffective. But there is so much more to his story than years collecting splinters on the bench.
The Early Years
Edmund Raymond Bratkowski was born in Danville, Illinois no October 20, 1931. Growing up, he often wore White Sox player Zeke Bonura's jersey, thus earning him the lifelong nickname "Zeke". After graduating from Scholarman Academy, he enrolled at the University of Georgia where he enjoyed some of the most invigorating sporting moments of his life.
As a three year starter for the Bulldogs, he twice led the SEC in passing and once even led the storied conference in punting. In three attempts, he managed to defeat arch-rival Florida just once, 7-6 as a sophomore in 1951. But alas, he never did defeat the mighty Crimson Tide. After graduation, he was taken in the second round of the 1953 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
The NFL
The man who would one day be known as "Super Sub" began his professional career as a starter. However, completing just two of twelve passes for 118 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions was certainly a humbling experience. So to was the 48-23 beatdown at the hands of the Detroit Lions.
He rebounded seven weeks later by completing 13 of 21 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown in a 28-13 win over Baltimore. This began the best stretch of hsi career, where he completed 56% of his passes in four straight games while throwing six touchdowns in four straight wins. In total, he finished 1954 completing 51.54% of his passes for 1,087 yards and eight touchdowns against 17 interceptions.
After that season, he spent the next two years ion the Air Force where he spent much of his time near Duke University. While he was developing a fondness of his surroundings as well as a love for flight, Ed Brown was making a name for himself in Chicago. During those two years, Bratkowski's fellow 1953 draftee was invited to two Pro Bowls while establishing himself as the everyday starter.
Although Zeke was no longer the everyday starter, he quickly found work as a valuable backup for the Bears once he returned from the service. He started four times in 1957, splitting his wins and losses. One of those wins was a 21-14 victory over Green Bay where he threw for 182 yards and a touchdown.
The following year, the Bears found themselves down by a point at the half against the Lions when their faithful backup led the way to victory. Two of his nine completions went to Bill McColl for touchdowns in the third quarter to lead the Bears to a resounding 20-7 victory against the defending champs.
In 1959, Bratkowski faced Lombardi's Packers twice, losing the opener 9-6 and winning the rematch six weeks later 28-17. By 1961, the Bears decided to trade Zeke Bratkowski to the Rams for Bill Wade.
Bratkowski's time in Los Angeles was a disaster. In two and a half years and 20 starts, he went a deplorable 3-17 while throwing 17 touchdown passes against 29 interceptions. But despite his poor play on the field, Vince Lombardi still saw something in him. In the middle of 1963, despite going 0-4, Vince Lombardi claimed him off waivers while his starter, Bart Starr, was mending a broken hand. Zeke's life would never be the same.
Green Bay
While starters and their backups are not normally close friends, Bart Starr and Zeke Bratkowski never competed for the starting job as each knew exactly why he was in Green Bay. Over the next few years as the Packers embarked on a resilient tour of dominance rarely seen in sports today, Bratkowski and Starr forged a close knit friendship that would last the rest of their lives.
Bratkowski only started three times for the Packers during their Super Bowl seasons, but he really added depth to the position when Green Bay needed it the most. In the 1965 regular season, he stepped in when Starr was either hurt or ineffective, leading the team to key wins over the Colts and Rams.
In the 1965 playoffs, he once again stepped in when Starr was hurt and led the Packers to a controversial win over the Colts. A week later, the Packers beat the Browns for the NFL Championship. They would repeat the feat twice more over the next two years as Zeke Bratkowski continued to provide valuable depth under center. When it was all said and done, the Green Bay Packers had won three straight NFL championships as well as the first two Super Bowls.
Although he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1969, Bratkowki refused to play for the division rivals and chose to begin his coaching career in Green Bay, coaching the Packers backfield for the next two years. He played six games for the Packers in 1971 and retired as a player after the season.
Later Life
After retiring as a player for good in 1971, Zeke Bratkowski embarked on a long coaching career in the NFL. After serving as a quarterbacks coach with the Bears, he joined Starr's staff in Green Bay in 1975, serving as both a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator through 1981.
From there, he coached quarterbacks or coordinated offenses for the Colts (1982-1984), the Jets (1985-1989), the Browns (1990), the Eagles (1991-1994) and the Jets again in 1995 before retiring from any formal roles with teams. Since 1996, Zeke Bratkowski spent his time tutoring college quarterbacks such as Patrick Ramsey, Matt Flynn, Brody Coyle and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Zeke's legacy in the game went beyond his own knowledge as his son, Bob, had a long coaching career of his own, working as a coach in the NFL for almost 25 years. Zeke's son, Steven, was once a quarterback at Arizona State before becoming a successful commodities trader. After a tragic jet ski accident took his life, Zeke and his wife founded "the Brat" in his memory. The organization has spent much of its existence funding numerous causes, including St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
Zeke Bratkowski died of a fatal heart attack on November 11, 2019. His memory live on in the University of Georgia's Circle of Honor, the Packers Hall of Fame and the National Polish-American Hall of Fame. Although few remember him, those who encountered him would not soon forget his presence.
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