There’s no shortage of exciting occurrences in a professional football game. People tune in for the amazing catches, the incredible runs, the crushing hits, the tremendous blocks, thrilling turnovers, and the drama of a last-second field goal or Hail Mary heave. While there are so many things that make the sport special, one of the best reasons to watch is the chance to witness the ever-elusive “Big Guy Touchdown.” Every so often, the stars align, lightning strikes, and everything goes wrong in just the right way in order to allow a larger-than-average gentleman to wind up with the ball in his hands and his sights set on the end zone.
Through the years, the Green Bay Packers have experienced a few Big Guy Touchdowns. There have been defensive lineman scooping up fumbles and making interceptions, massive linebackers showcasing surprising speed, and a few less-than-lean Lambeau Leaps. Since the NFL body type is always changing and players are getting bigger every generation, we decided classify anyone weighing more than 265 pounds (a.k.a. heavier than former Packers tight end Jimmy Graham) as “big.” Using that distinction, here are eight of the largest Packers to ever score a touchdown.
Keith McKenzie (267 pounds)
Though Keith McKenzie barely qualifies as a “big guy” by our self-imposed qualifications, we couldn’t leave out the 267-pound defensive lineman. After all, McKenzie managed an impressive four touchdowns for Green Bay over the span of just two seasons in the late ’90s. The oft-forgotten edge rusher returned an interception for a touchdown and took a fumble to the house in 1998. In 1999, McKenzie returned two more fumbles for scores. No, he’s wasn’t huge by today’s standards, but when a lineman makes that many big plays, we’re not leaving him off this list.
Sean Jones (270 pounds)
Following a combined 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders and Houston Oilers, Sean Jones came to Green Bay for the final three years of his already-storied career. Though the semi-svelte defensive end had already accomplished a lot before landing in Titletown (including 88.5 career sacks, a Pro Bowl nod, and a 1994 All-Pro selection), Jones managed a few new feats in the waning years of his career with the Packers. During the 1995 season, Jones scored the first and only touchdown of his career when he recovered a fumble for a TD. The following year, he’d have another first when he won his first and only Super Bowl. People will remember the 270-pounder as a major part of the Packers’ fearsome D-line and a guy who had 24.5 sacks in the last three years of his career, but fans should also know him as one of the heaviest Packers ever to score a touchdown.
Mike McCoy (284 pounds)
With the second overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected a nose tackle out of Notre Dame by the name of Mike McCoy. The interior lineman, who weighed in at a once-staggering 284 pounds, is overlooked by fans because he played on some particularly putrid Packers teams. During his seven seasons with Green Bay (spanning 1970-1976), McCoy was one of the few bright spots on the roster. He started 90 games in that span and recovered a total of 12 fumbles while donning green and gold. In 1975, one of those fumbles was returned 19 yards for the only touchdown of McCoy’s quietly respectable career. You can watch it at the 1:30 mark below.
Julius Peppers (295 pounds)
It’s no secret Julius Peppers was an absolute monster on the field. The no-doubt future Hall Of Famer flashed his otherworldly athleticism throughout his astounding 17-year career that was spent with the Panthers, Bears, and Packers. Perhaps the only surprise regarding the perpetual quarterback pest’s stats is his listed playing weight. While creeping towards the 300-pound mark, Peppers had two touchdowns in 2014—both on interceptions. To be fair, he was listed at 283 pounds that year, but he finished his career in 2018 at 295 pounds…most of which was probably muscle.
Dean Lowry (296 pounds)
Defensive end Dean Lowry is the only member of this list who’s a current Packers player. With all due respect to his kinda big teammates like Robert Tonyan and Jace Sternberger, he’s also the last truly large Green Bay player to score a touchdown. In 2017 (his second year in the league and first season as a full-time starter), the 296-pound lineman caught a Jameis Winston fumble and motored 62 yards to score the first and only touchdown of his career…so far.
Gabe Wilkins (304 pounds)
Much like Keith McKenzie, Gabe Wilkins was a defensive lineman from the Super Bowl XXXI and XXXII teams who was overshadowed by the likes of Reggie White, Sean Jones, Santana Dotson, and Gilbert Brown. However, also like McKenzie, he managed to find the end zone far more often than one would expect from a player of his carriage. In 1997, the 304-pound backup defensive tackle scored TWO touchdowns. One came on an interception he, amazingly, brought 77 yards to paydirt. The other was a fumble recovery Wilkins scooped up for a one-yard score.
Mike Daniels (310 pounds)
Before being unceremoniously released prior to the 2019 season, Mike Daniels enjoyed a pretty impressive stint with the Packers. The defensive lineman that Green Bay took out of Iowa stifled opposing rushers, plagued quarterbacks, and tallied 29 sacks in his seven seasons with the Pack. In 2012, his rookie year, the then-291-pounder also scored the first—and only, to this point—touchdown of his quality career when he scooped up a Matt Stafford fumble and sprinted 43 yards for a Packers touchdown. Even more impressively, he punctuated the touchdown with a surprisingly athletic Lambeau Leap. In subsequent seasons, Daniels bulked up a bit. Now a Bengals player, he’s currently listed at 310 pounds.
B.J. Raji (334 pounds)
Last but certainly not least, we come to B.J. Raji. The fan favorite was drafted in 2009, but didn’t make his mark until the following season when he became a full-time starter, plugged innumerable holes, and had 6.5 sacks. He truly cemented his place in Packers history that postseason, as he picked off a Caleb Hanie pass in the NFC Championship and outran the Bears backup to the end zone to put the Packers up by two scores. The interception essentially sealed the game for Green Bay and punched the team’s ticket to Super Bowl XLV. The 334-pound DT’s subsequent hip-shaking celebration also introduced the world to a dance called “The Raji.” During the 2011 regular season game against the Buccaneers, Raji—now a league-wide sensation with a commercial campaign at that point—added to his career touchdown total when he was brought in as fullback and handed the rock for one-yard touchdown run. He was out of football by 2016, but Packers faithful will always have “The Raji.”