Green Bay Packers
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Note: Basketball teams from Chicago and Anderson once used the name Packers as well.
The Green Bay Packers are a National Football League team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
- Founded: 1919. Joined the NFL in 1921.
- Formerly known as: Acme Packers
- Home stadium: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Uniform colors: Green and gold
- Helmet design: Yellow background, with a white "G" in a green oval
- League championships won: Before playoff system (by league standing) 1929, 1930, 1931, since playoff system 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1996
- Super Bowl Appearances: - I (won), II (won); League Championships - XXXI (won), XXXII (lost)
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Franchise history
The Green Bay Packers were founded on August 11, 1919. Curly Lambeau, the team's founder, solicted funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. Although the Indian Packing Company only supported the team through part of its first season, the Green Bay football club has always been known as the Packers. Lambeau, a Notre Dame alum, chose the teams' colors of blue and gold/yellow from his alma mater. The colors where later changed to the current green and gold/yellow.
The Packers became a professional franchise in 1921. Financial troubles plagued the team and the franchise was lost the same year. The Packers found new backers the next year and regained the franchise. The financial backers, known as the "Hungry Five", formed the Green Bay Football Corporation.
The Packers are now the only publicly owned company with shares to buy and sell and a board of directors in professional sports. The typical scenario is a team owned by one person; thus, a 'team owner'. It has been speculated that this is one of the reasons the Green Bay Packers have never been moved from the city of Green Bay, a city of just over 100,000 people. By comparison, the typical NFL football city must be populated in the millions to support a team. However, the Packers have long had a large following throughout the state of Wisconsin; in fact, for decades, the Packers played several home games each year in Milwaukee. The Packers did not move their entire home schedule to Green Bay until 1995.
In 1950, the Packers held a stock sale to again raise money to support the team. In 1956 area voters approved the construction of a new stadium, which would later be called Lambeau Field.
The Packers have won more league championships (twelve, including two world championships) than any other professional football team. They are also the only professional football team to win three straight titles, which they did twice (1929, 1930, 1931, and 1965, 1966, 1967).
The Green Bay Packers of the 1960s were one of the most dominant NFL teams of all time. Coach Vince Lombardi took over a last-place team and built it into a juggernaut, winning five league championships over a seven-year span. Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls. The Super Bowl trophy was ultimately named the Vince Lombardi trophy in recognition of his and his team's accomplishment.
In recent decades, the Packers have found themselves with an extremely dedicated fan base. No matter how good or poor the season, Lambeau Field has been a sellout every game for years; the Packers have one of the longest waiting lists for season tickets in professional sports. The current wait time for season tickets is approximately 35 years. That is, someone who entered their name on the waiting list for Packers season tickets in 1970 is just now coming to the top of the list in 2004. For this reason, it is not unusual for parents to will their Packers tickets to next-of-kin.
The Packers also draw the largest national TV audiences for the NFLs Monday Night Football telecasts. Packers fans are commonly known as "cheese heads" because of the foam triangles, made to look like cheese worn on their heads.
Coaches
| 1921-1949 | Earl (Curly) Lambeau | (212-106-21) |
| 1950-1953 | Gene Ronzani | (14-31-1) |
| 1953 | Hugh Devore and Ray (Scooter) McLean | (0-2-0) |
| 1954-1957 | Lisle Blackbourn | (17-31-0) |
| 1958 | Ray (Scooter) McLean | (1-10-1) |
| 1959-1967 | Vince Lombardi | (98-30-4) |
| 1968-1970 | Phil Bengtson | (20-21-1) |
| 1971-1974 | Dan Devine | (25-28-4) |
| 1975-1983 | Bart Starr | (53-77-3) |
| 1984-1987 | Forrest Gregg | (25-37-1) |
| 1988-1991 | Lindy Infante | (24-40-0) |
| 1992-1998 | Mike Holmgren | (73-36-0) |
| 1999 | Ray Rhodes | (8-8-0) |
| 2000- | Mike Sherman | (45-24-0) |
Players of note
Pro Football Hall of Famers
- Herb Adderly
- Tony Canadeo
- Willie Davis
- Len Ford
- Forrest Gregg
- Ted Hendricks
- Arnie Herber
- Clarke Hinkle
- Paul Hornung
- Cal Hubbard
- Don Hutson
- Henry Jordan
- Walt Kiesling
- Earl (Curly) Lambeau
- James Lofton
- Vince Lombardi
- John (Blood) McNally
- Mike Michalske
- Ray Nitschke
- Jim Ringo
- Bart Starr
- Jan Stenerud
- Jim Taylor
- Emlen Tunnell
- Willie Wood
Current stars
- Nick Barnett
- Donald Driver
- Brett Favre
- Mike Flanagan
- Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
- Ahman Green
- William Henderson
- Grady Jackson
- Ryan Longwell
- Darren Sharper
- Javon Walker
Retired numbers
- Tony Canadeo #3
- Don Hutson #14
- Bart Starr #15
- Ray Nitschke #66
- Reggie White #92 (Recently, the NFL has discouraged the retiring of numbers, therefore they have retired his jersey and not his #92. However, no player has worn #92 since White's retirement.)
Not to be forgotten:
- Jerry Kramer (author of Instant Replay)
- Sterling Sharpe
- John Brockington
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