Green Bay Packers Founded August 11th 1919

Green Bay Packers Founded

The Green Bay Packers football team was founded on August 11^th, 1919. Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun are considered the original founders of the football team. Curly Lambeau talked to the company he was working for at the time, called the Indian Packing Company seeking financial backing. The company enjoyed the thought of Green Bay having their own football team, so they gave him 500 dollars total to provide the team with equipment and uniforms. They were originally named the “Green Bay Indians” due to the sponsorship with Lambeau’s company. With just enough money to make the dream possible, the first couple years of the team’s existence, the Green Bay Packers did not play in the National Football League. They played in a smaller league, that included teams from the Michigan and Wisconsin area.

Before the famous Lambeau Field was made for the team, the home of the Green Bay Packers at the time was Hagemeister Park. This park was owned by a local Wisconsin brewery and was very different from what National Football League stadiums look like nowadays. The field was in very rough shape due to no grounds keeping, nor any ushers during the Green Bay games. Not only was this park used for football games, but it was also open to the public. At the time, the park did not have any gate or fence to protect the playing surface for the football players. There were no stands for spectators to watch, so the fans of the team would line up on the sidelines and stand during the full 60 minutes to watch their team fight for victory. During halftime, the fans of the teams got to circle around the team they supported, and were able to give their own input on the game. This was normal back then, and sometimes coaches of the football teams would even listen to the suggestions certain spectators had and use them in their game tactics. The team decided to have a “donation hat” where one of the team representatives passed around a hat, and fans of the team would give them donations which were used to buy higher quality equipment for the team members. The first year the football club existed, it was very successful. The team ended their season with a record of 10-1, which was incredible, especially during their inaugural season.

During the year 1921, the Packers joined the American Professional Football Association, which today is known as the National Football League (NFL). In 1923, The Green Bay Football Corporation had major financial troubles. Due to this, the football team had become a publicly owned football team, and they officially changed their name to the Green Bay Packers. Every year, the Packers had new owners. They had Board of Directors voted in each year to see who would get to own the team for that season. The Packers became a very successful team early into their journey. Between the years 1929-1944, the Packers won 6 NFL Championships. The Packers were a very special team at the time. They were the first team to start getting creative with the forwards pass, and it gave them a major advantage from the beginning. Don Hutson was the star wide receiver for the Packers who made the passing game a big threat to other teams. Lambeau resigned from the team in 1949. After he did this, the Packers had a very rough decade ahead of them. The team was not playing well at all, in fact, until 1959 they did not have a winning season. This called for a change. The Green Bay Packers hired coach Vince Lombardi, which was one of the best moves the Green Bay franchise had ever made. Under coach Lombardi, the Packers ended up losing 1 NFL Championship and winning 5 of them in the next 7 years of the franchise. Lombardi was so famous for winning championships, that today they give the most valuable player of the super bowl a trophy named after legendary coach Vince Lombardi called the Lombardi trophy. Currently, the Green Bay Packers have a future Hall of Fame quarterback, named Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers started off his career as the backup to another future Hall of Famer Brett Farve. Rodgers has already won a super bowl in his short career, and is on the quest for number 2. Green Bay has been the place for breeding hall of fame quarterbacks as of late. Looking back at football history today, the Green Bay Packers could be considered one of the best franchises’ in the world.

Press, Associated. “Rodgers’ Last-minute Drive Holds off Giants as Packers (12-0) Clinch North Title.” ESPN. December 05, 2011. Accessed March 25, 2019. http://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=311204019.