Friday, October 15, 2010

Farewell, Vernon Biever

Green Bay Packers

Sad news out of Green Bay, as former team photographer Vernon Biever (pictured above on the sidelines with Vince Lombardi) has passed away at the age of 87.

He was the team's longtime photograper (possibly the first of his kind in the NFL), and his photographs are the definitive chronicle of the Packers' early decades.

In particular, those of us interested in the Packers' sartorial history owe him a debt of gratitude, as much of what we know about the team's early days comes from his work.

Green Bay Packers

Virtually every iconic Packers photo, from this glorious mud-encrusted Forrest Gregg to Lombardi being lifted onto Jerry Kramer's shouder after Super Bowl II, came from Beiver's camera.

In honor of his passing, the Green Bay Press Gazette is running archives of his work here and here.

Courtesy of the Biever family

Biever is survived by his sons John (left) and Jim, who followed him into the business. John is a photographer for Sports Illustrated and Jim continues to work for the Packers.

Official prints of Beiver's artwork are available through The Gallery of Sports Art, Inc. and the Green Bay Packers Official Photo Store.

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