History of the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers got their name because a young woman said no. In August 1919, Curly Lambeau wanted to call his new team the Indians. His girlfriend, Agnes Aylward, proposed Packers instead. The name honored the Indian Packing Company, where Lambeau worked as a shipping clerk. That company had given him $500 for uniforms and use of their grounds as a practice field.
The first game that season ended 53-0 in Green Bay's favor, against the North End Athletic Club in Menominee, Michigan. The Packers finished that inaugural year with a 10-1 record, outscoring all their opponents combined 565 to 12.
More than a century later, no franchise in professional American football holds more championships. The Packers' total of 13 titles stands alone at the top of the league's record books. They play in a city whose population measured 104,000 in the 2010 census. Every other NFL franchise plays in a metropolitan area of over two million people. The Packers have never moved.
Part of the reason is a form of ownership found nowhere else in American professional sport. Part of it is a small number of people who arrived at the worst possible moments and turned them around. What makes the story remarkable is how often the worst possible moments came.
As of June 2005, 111,921 people held ownership interests in the Green Bay Packers, representing 4,749,925 shares. They received no dividends. Their stock could not appreciate in value. Owning shares came with no season ticket rights. No individual could hold more than 200,000 shares, a ceiling designed to prevent any single person from seizing control.
The arrangement was created in 1923 by a group of local businessmen who became known as the Hungry Five. They stepped in after the team was verging on bankruptcy and established the Green Bay Football Corporation, which still runs the franchise today. The original articles of incorporation contained an unusual provision: if the Packers were ever sold, proceeds would go to the Sullivan-Wallen Post of the American Legion. The money would fund a soldiers' memorial. Shareholders voted at their November 1997 annual meeting to redirect future proceeds to the Green Bay Packers Foundation. The underlying rule stayed the same: the franchise could not be converted into private wealth.
The 1997 stock sale ran for 17 weeks and ended on the 16th of March 1998. Fans bought 120,010 shares at $200 each, adding 105,989 new shareholders and raising over $24 million. That money went toward the redevelopment of Lambeau Field. The Packers have conducted six stock sales in total, with sales in 2012 and 2021 expanding the ownership base further.
Three teams in the Canadian Football League operate with some form of community ownership, including the Saskatchewan Roughriders, whose structure resembles the Packers'. Among major American professional sports leagues, the Packers stand alone. The city's metropolitan area, at 306,000 people, is smaller than those of nearly every other professional sports market in North America. It is the structural reason the team has remained where it started.
From 1933 to 1994, the team hosted some home games in Milwaukee, using State Fair Park and later Milwaukee County Stadium to reach a larger urban market. Team president Bob Harlan announced in 1994 that all home games would return to Green Bay starting the following season. He offered Milwaukee ticket holders a Gold package: one preseason game and two regular-season games at Lambeau each year. Ninety-seven percent accepted.
Before the 1929 season, Curly Lambeau signed three future Hall of Famers in the same off-season: Johnny Blood McNally, Cal Hubbard, and Mike Michalske. What followed was the most dominant stretch of play in the franchise's first three decades.
In 1929, Green Bay went 12-0-1, with a tie against the Frankford Yellow Jackets as the only blemish. It was the only undefeated season in franchise history, and it produced the team's first NFL championship. Back-to-back titles followed in 1930, when the team went 10-3-1, and 1931, when they went 12-2. Three consecutive championships: no other team in the NFL had ever done it.
The Packers came close to a fourth straight in 1932, finishing 10-3-1. But they ended up behind the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans, who shared the league's best record that year. A 5-7 record in 1933 gave the franchise its first losing season. The following year brought a mediocre 7-6 result. Lambeau used those leaner years to rebuild, signing Clarke Hinkle, Arnie Herber, and, most significantly, receiver Don Hutson in 1935. Lambeau and Hutson together built the forward pass into a primary weapon at a time when most teams were still reluctant to use it.
Green Bay went 10-1-1 in 1936 and beat the Boston Redskins 21-6 for the championship. They lost the title game to the New York Giants in 1938 and came back to beat them 27-0 in 1939. A final championship in that era came in 1944, when the Packers again defeated the Giants, this time 14-7. Other standouts across those years included Tony Canadeo, Cecil Isbell, Ted Fritsch, Buckets Goldenberg, and Russ Letlow.
Between 1929 and 1944, the Packers won six NFL championships. What no one knew in 1944 was that the title game victory over the Giants would be the last for more than two decades.
In 1946, Curly Lambeau purchased Rockwood Lodge, a former Norbertine retreat 17 miles north of Green Bay. He converted it into the first self-contained training facility in pro football history, with living and dining areas for players and their families. What he did not account for was what lay beneath the practice fields: brick-hard limestone. Players quickly came to despise the place. They called it "the Rock." A 2013 article in ESPN The Magazine linked the team's rapid on-field decline partly to the punishment those fields inflicted. When players grew too injured to train there, Lambeau moved sessions back to fields near City Stadium.
By 1949, the financial situation was severe enough that Lambeau handed daily operations to his assistants and focused on the balance sheet. The Lodge's upkeep ate into revenues that were already falling. Cutting the payroll and his own salary was not enough to stop the bleeding. That Thanksgiving, the Packers staged an intrasquad scrimmage using retired players just to raise money.
Lambeau refused to abandon the Notre Dame Box, a single-wing variation, long after most teams had switched to the T formation. His relationship with team management had been fraying for years. Several executives objected to the cost of buying and renovating the Lodge. When he arrived for the 1946 season wearing tailored suits, saddle shoes, and a cigarette holder, fans started calling him "the Earl of Hollywood." By the end of the decade, rumors circulated that he was quietly seeking private investors to make the franchise privately held again. Some believed this would mean moving the team to the West Coast. Team president Emil Fischer offered a two-year contract extension that would have stripped Lambeau of control over non-football matters. Lambeau declined.
He formally resigned on the 1st of February 1950, just over a week after Rockwood Lodge burned to the ground. The source of the fire was disputed for years. Rumors persisted that a Packers employee had set it. Interviews with the family of caretaker Melvin Flagstad and other team officials suggest faulty electrical wiring was most likely the cause. Whatever started it, the $75,000 insurance payout helped stabilize the franchise. A bond drive that year raised an additional $118,000. Gene Ronzani came in as coach, and the team adopted the green and gold uniforms they still wear today.
For eleven straight seasons after Lambeau's departure, the Packers did not have a winning record. City Stadium was replaced by a new 32,000-seat venue in 1957, approved by local voters through a bond issue. After Lambeau's death in 1965, it was renamed in his honor. The man who would fill that stadium with championships had already been hired six years earlier.
Vince Lombardi's first words to the Green Bay executive committee were direct: "I want it understood that I am in complete command around here." He had come from the New York Giants, where he had been offensive coordinator. The team he was inheriting had gone 1-10-1 the previous season, the worst record in franchise history. His predecessor's passive approach had allowed the players to take advantage.
His first game came on the 27th of September 1959, against the heavily favored Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 9-6. Lombardi had run his first training camp as a harsh taskmaster, and the players had responded. That season finished 7-5, the franchise's first winning record in twelve years. Only one game failed to sell out: a 21-0 shutout of Washington on November 22. Every home game since, preseason through playoffs, has been sold out, with a waiting list that will take hundreds of years to exhaust.
Lombardi's only postseason loss came in the 1960 NFL Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles. Paul Hornung had scored 176 points that season. The game ended when Chuck Bednarik tackled Jim Taylor nine yards from the goal line as time ran out. Philadelphia won 17-13. In the locker room afterward, Lombardi told his players that this would be the last time they lost a championship game while he was their coach. That prediction held for the rest of his career.
In 1961, Paul Hornung had just returned from Army service. He scored an NFL Championship record 19 points as the Packers beat the New York Giants 37-0. The following year, Green Bay went 13-1 and beat the Giants again, 16-7, with Jerry Kramer providing the decisive kick. A three-peat was thwarted in 1963 when Hornung was suspended by the league for betting on games. Without him, the team still finished 11-2-1 but was swept by the Chicago Bears, who won the championship that year.
After a modest 1964, the Packers rebounded in 1965. Paul Hornung scored five touchdowns in a 42-27 win over the Baltimore Colts, sending Green Bay to the championship game, where they beat the Cleveland Browns 23-12. In 1966, the franchise had one of its finest regular seasons, going 12-2 with Bart Starr named league MVP. They beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-27 in the Cotton Bowl for the NFL title. Then they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first Super Bowl, played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Starr was named the game's MVP.
The 1967 championship game at Lambeau Field against Dallas, played in extreme cold, became known as the Ice Bowl. Green Bay won 21-17. In the Super Bowl in Miami's Orange Bowl, the Packers beat the Oakland Raiders 33-14. Starr was again named MVP. Thirteen Pro Football Hall of Famers played under Lombardi during his years in Green Bay. Among them were Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Forrest Gregg, and Paul Hornung. With that second Super Bowl title, the Packers had achieved three consecutive championships for the second time in their history. No other team in the NFL has done it even once. After winning Super Bowl II, Lombardi stepped down as head coach, naming defensive coordinator Phil Bengtson as his replacement. He died in 1970 at the age of 57. The NFL named its championship trophy in his honor.
Before the next Packers championship arrived, the team's draft decisions over the following two decades became case studies in how not to build a roster.
In the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft, Franco Harris was still on the board when the Packers made their selection. They chose a quarterback named Jerry Tagge. In 1979, the Packers chose defensive lineman Charles Johnson in the third round over a college quarterback named Joe Montana. Multiple Packers scouts had vouched highly for Montana. In 1981, with Ronnie Lott, Mike Singletary, and Howie Long all still available, the Packers took another mediocre quarterback, Rich Campbell. In 1989, with Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, and Derrick Thomas all on the board, Green Bay selected offensive tackle Tony Mandarich. Mandarich later admitted to using steroids in college and never came close to his billing.
From 1968 to 1992, the Packers made the playoffs only twice, and only once in a non-strike year. This was the era that gave the franchise a nickname: NFL's Siberia. Coaches from other teams were reportedly known to threaten underperforming players with a trade to Green Bay unless they improved.
There were moments of brightness. In 1972, led by John Brockington, MacArthur Lane, and rookie defensive back Willie Buchanon, Green Bay won the NFC Central Division at 10-4. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Redskins 16-3. In 1975, the Packers won only four games under head coach Bart Starr. One of those wins was a 19-17 upset of the eventual NFC Champion Dallas Cowboys, on October 19 in Dallas. In 1982, a strike-shortened season sent the 5-3-1 Packers to a special playoff tournament, where they routed the Cardinals 41-16 before losing to the Cowboys 37-26. It was their only playoff win in that dark stretch.
In 1989, shareholders elected Bob Harlan as team president. Harlan had worked his way up through the organization since being hired as assistant general manager in 1971. In 1991, he fired general manager Tom Braatz and replaced him with Ron Wolf, giving Wolf complete control over football decisions with no interference from the board of directors.
Wolf's first task was to find a coach who could run a modern passing offense. The Packers hadn't had a quarterback worth building around since Bart Starr.
Ron Wolf's first coaching hire was San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren, who came with a system built around the passing game. His first personnel move was a trade sending a first-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for backup quarterback Brett Favre.
Favre lost five of his first seven starts in Green Bay but then won six in a row. The Packers finished 1992 at 9-7. In the off-season, Wolf signed defensive end Reggie White as a free agent. With Favre and White leading the team, the 1993 Packers went 9-7 and reached the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. It was also the first playoff appearance in a non-strike year in 21 years. They beat the Detroit Lions 28-24 in the wild card round before losing to the eventual champion Dallas Cowboys 27-17 in the divisional round. In 1994, Green Bay again went 9-7, beat Detroit 16-12 in the wild card, then lost to Dallas again, this time 35-9.
In 1995, Favre passed for 4,413 yards and 38 touchdown passes in an 11-5 regular season. Green Bay won the NFC Central title. They beat Atlanta 37-20 in the wild card round and the defending champion 49ers 27-17 in the divisional. The NFC Championship matched them against Dallas again, who won 38-27.
The 1996 season opened with an 8-2 start before a Monday Night loss to Dallas. The Packers won their last five regular season games to finish 13-3. They beat San Francisco 35-14 in the divisional round and the Carolina Panthers 30-13 in the NFC Championship. In the New Orleans Superdome, they faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Green Bay held a 27-14 lead at halftime and won 35-21. Kick returner Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter and was named the game's MVP. He became the first, and to date the only, Super Bowl MVP honored for special teams play.
The Packers went 13-3 the following year. Favre was named the league's MVP for the third consecutive year, throwing for 3,867 yards. They beat Tampa Bay 21-7 in the divisional round and the 49ers 23-10 in the NFC Championship, reaching the Super Bowl in consecutive years.
Super Bowl XXXII was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego against the Denver Broncos. Denver had lost all three of its previous Super Bowl appearances. With the Broncos leading 24-17 in the fourth quarter, head coach Mike Holmgren made a deliberate choice to let running back Terrell Davis score a go-ahead touchdown, preserving time on the clock for a comeback. In the final minute, Favre threw toward tight end Mark Chmura. The pass failed. Denver won, ending a 13-year losing streak for AFC teams in the Super Bowl.
In 2005, Favre threw a career-high 29 interceptions in a 4-12 season. That draft, the Packers selected a California quarterback named Aaron Rodgers as his eventual replacement.
In March 2008, Brett Favre announced his retirement. The Packers named Aaron Rodgers their starting quarterback, and Favre confirmed he was comfortable with the decision. Then summer arrived and Favre changed his mind. He petitioned NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement and received it. The Packers offered Favre $25 million to stay in retirement. He declined. After a three-week standoff, Green Bay traded Favre to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick.
In August 2009, Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings. When he stepped onto Lambeau Field in a Vikings uniform that October, the crowd greeted him with boos. Packers fans had burned effigies of him in the parking lot before the game. Minnesota won 38-26. The low point of that season came the following week, when the Packers lost to the then-winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-28. But the team recovered, won five consecutive games, and secured a wild card spot.
The 2009 wild card game against Arizona ended 51-45, the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history. Arizona won on a fumble return in overtime. During the 2009 regular season, Rodgers had been sacked 50 times and hit 93 times.
In 2010, the Packers entered the playoffs as the sixth seed. They beat the Eagles in Philadelphia 21-16 when Tramon Williams intercepted a pass in the final minutes to close the game. In Atlanta, facing the top seed, the Packers led 28-14 at halftime. Williams had returned an interception for a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half. Green Bay won 48-21. The NFC Championship and Super Bowl XLV followed, delivering the franchise its fourth Super Bowl title and 13th championship overall.
As of 2025, the Green Bay Packers hold more NFL championships than any other franchise: 13 in total. They also hold the record for the most wins in NFL history. Aaron Rodgers led the franchise to eleven playoff appearances during his tenure as starting quarterback. Lambeau Field, repeatedly expanded through stock sales, now seats 81,441 people and is the second-largest stadium in the NFL. The record of consecutive Super Bowl victories, first achieved in 1966 and 1967, has since been tied seven times by six other franchises. None has surpassed it.
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Common questions
When were the Green Bay Packers founded and by whom?
The Green Bay Packers were founded on the 11th of August 1919, by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. Lambeau secured $500 from the Indian Packing Company, where he worked as a shipping clerk, to fund uniforms and equipment. The team's name was suggested by his girlfriend, Agnes Aylward, in honor of the company that provided the initial funding.
Why are the Green Bay Packers publicly owned?
The Packers became publicly owned in 1923 when local businessmen known as the Hungry Five established the Green Bay Football Corporation to rescue the team from near-bankruptcy. Under the original structure, any proceeds from a sale would go to a nonprofit beneficiary rather than shareholders, making personal profit from selling the team impossible. No shareholder may own more than 200,000 shares, and no dividends are paid.
How many NFL championships have the Green Bay Packers won?
As of 2025, the Green Bay Packers have won 13 NFL championships, more than any other franchise in league history, including four Super Bowl victories. They are the only team in NFL history to have won three consecutive championships twice, doing so in 1929-1931 and again in 1965-1967. The franchise also holds the record for the most wins in NFL history.
Who was Vince Lombardi and what did he accomplish with the Green Bay Packers?
Vince Lombardi coached the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967, winning five NFL championships in seven years, including victories in the first two Super Bowls. He took over a team that had gone 1-10-1 the previous season and built it into one of the most dominant rosters in league history, with thirteen Pro Football Hall of Famers playing under him. The NFL named its championship trophy in his honor after his death in 1970 at the age of 57.
How did Brett Favre come to play for the Green Bay Packers?
Brett Favre joined Green Bay in 1992 when general manager Ron Wolf traded a first-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons to acquire him. Favre went on to lead the Packers to eleven playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl championship after the 1996 season. He was named the NFL's most valuable player three consecutive years.
What is the seating capacity of Lambeau Field and what is its significance to the Packers?
Lambeau Field seats 81,441 people, making it the second-largest stadium in the NFL. The original City Stadium on the site was replaced by a new 32,000-seat venue in 1957 and renamed on the 11th of September 1965, following the death of franchise founder Curly Lambeau. Every home game, preseason through playoffs, has been sold out since 1959, with a waiting list expected to take hundreds of years to clear.
All sources
21 references cited across the entry
- 2BookThe History of the Green Bay Packers: The Lambes the oldest team name still in use in the NFL.Larry D Names
- 4NewsPRO FOOTBALL: NOTEBOOK; Can Reich Again Rescue the Bills?Timothy W. Smith — December 18, 1994
- 5JournalBlaze of GloryDavid Fleming — September 19, 2013
- 6NewsRockwood Lodge had turbulent historyMartin Hendricks — August 18, 2016
- 7NewsCurly Lambeau quits to coach the CardinalsFebruary 1, 1950
- 8NewsLambeau quits for Card job; Isbell seeks Packer postFebruary 2, 1950
- 9BookGreen Bay Packers: The Complete Illustrated History - Third EditionDon Guilbrandsen — Voyageur Press — 2011
- 14Packers defeat Cowboys to advance in NFL PlayoffsPhilip Choroser — 2024-01-15
- 19Biggest NFL playoff comebacks ever: Where Bears-Packers ranks on all-time list Sporting NewsDan Treacy — 2026-01-11
- 20Packers' choke job vs. Bears caps off historic season of chokesDan Fappiano — 2026-01-11
- 21Packers' 4th down aggressiveness trumps Lions' decisions to complete season sweepRyan Morik — 2025-11-27