Receiver’s 94-Game Streak Was a Mere Slip of the Pen

As if the Green Bay Packers weren’t having enough bad luck, a record of one their most revered players has turned out to be a bookkeeping mistake.

Don Hutson’s 94-game receiving streak, which for almost 25 years was considered an NFL record, was actually a 44-game streak, stopped at State Fair Park in Milwaukee on Sept. 21, 1941.

Hutson, who starred with the Packers from 1937 to 1945, failed to catch a pass during Green Bay’s 24-7 victory that day over the Cleveland Rams.

His streak, then, effectively was two streaks, the first stretching 44 games, the second spanning 50.

Who goofed? Seymour Siwoff, president of Elias Sports Bureau and the official statistician of the NFL since 1961, acknowledged the mistake.

“At the time we took over the NFL, there were few records, so we had to research everything,” he said. “There wasn’t even a record for consecutive pass receptions, so we created the category. On the basis of the evidence we had at the time, we missed the game that Hutson didn’t catch a pass in.”

So who cares? Packer enthusiast and self-described “numbers person” Eric Goska said he recently discovered the goof after reading an article written by Dan Daly entitled, “Don Hutson’s Dubious Streak.” But what Siwoff can’t understand is why Goska is making a big deal about it now. Siwoff said the error was uncovered a couple of years ago when he was helping Daly research Hutson’s games.

“By the time Daly found the mistake, the streak had long been exceeded,” Siwoff said.

Trivia time: What receiver holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with at least one reception (regular season only)?

What a mess! Goska says that Hutson’s “record” was broken by Lance Alworth on Dec. 14, 1969, but that the real record at the time belonged to St. Louis’ Bobby Joe Conrad, a 94-game streak from 1961 to 1968. “They all owned the record at one time and didn’t even know it,” Goska said.

Tommy McDonald certainly didn’t know. He had a 93-game streak from 1957-64, but played defense in the 14th game of the 1964 season.

“When he saw me later he said, ‘Hey, Seymour, why didn’t you tell me about that record? I would have caught a pass in that game,’ ” Siwoff said. “He went on to play through 1968, so who knows how long his streak would have lasted?”

Christmas rush: Tom Lasorda has been spending a lot of time lately caring for his wife, Jo, who had back surgery two weeks ago and pretty much is confined to the house. So when Lasorda went to Washington a few days ago for a speaking engagement, Jo worked quickly at getting his Christmas present.

“He needed a new cabinet built for all of his video equipment from his satellite dish and tapes and all, so I called the TV man and as soon as Tommy left the equipment was delivered and they got to work building the cabinets,” Jo said. “When Tommy got home the next day, everything was in place and all put away in his new cabinet and he said, ‘Where did you get this? And I said, ‘Tommy, with a check and the phone you can do anything.’ ”

Trivia answer: Former Seattle Seahawk receiver Steve Largent, with 177 consecutive games, 1977-89; followed by Ozzie Newsome, Cleveland, with 150, 1979-89, and Harold Carmichael, Philadelphia, with 127, 1972-80.

Quotebook: An angry Kansas City Royal fan after the team had traded pitcher Bret Saberhagen to the New York Mets: “I’m glad the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth. That protects us from having made the worst trade in the history of baseball.”