A continuation of the Packer Receivers of History series. To read the articles you missed, go to the Packer Receivers of History category page.
Overshadowed by the dark ages of Packer history. James Lofton’s Herculean effort as a receiver was not enough to keep the team winning much less earn it a championship bid. Still, he was one of the most amazing Packers to play the game and a awe-inspiring deep threat.James Lofton graced Lambeau field for nine seasons from 1978 to 1986. At that time he went to the Raiders. Sadly, this was just a few years from the reawakening of the Packers with Majkowski and the Cardiac Pack followed by Brett Favre. Even in his twilight seasons, Lofton was a force to be reckoned with. Imagine if he had stayed with the Packers until the end of his career in 1993.
Lofton was a part of a high flying offensive attack that simply got little help from their defense. Catching passes from Lynn Dickie and tandem with John Jefferson, Lofton gave Packer fans some outstanding moments in an otherwise depressing era.
In his career, James accumulated 14,004 yards receiving from 764 catches, and six times went over 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
In his nine seasons with the Packers, Lofton made the Pro Bowl seven of those season.
It’s difficult to put Lofton’s impact on the game into perspective, but if we compare him to Jordy Nelson the picture starts to become more clear. In 2014, Jordy was an outstanding deep threat for the Packers averaging 15.5 yards per reception. James Lofton averaged 22.4 yards and 22.0 yards per reception in back to back seasons (1983 and 1984 respectively). In fact, in his entire career, Lofton only averaged fewer yards per reception than Jordy’s 15.5 three times (1986, 1992, and 1993).
Sadly, James Lofton never got to play in a Super Bowl wearing a Packer uniform. However, he did play in three Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills but never earned that elusive ring.
Lofton was a thrill to watch on the field and is to this day a consummate gentleman. Just watch what he has to say about breaking Don Hutson’s record.