Established | 1966 |
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Location |
|
Coordinates | 44°30′5″N88°3′38″W / 44.50139°N 88.06056°W |
Type | Hall of fame |
Founder | William Brault |
Owner | Packers Hall of Fame Association |
Public transit access | Green Bay Metro |
Website | packershofandtours |
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame is a team-specific hall of fame honoring players, coaches, executives and other contributors to the history and success of the Green Bay Packers, an American football team in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first hall of fame built to honor a single professional American football team. William Brault, a Green Bay restaurateur and Packers fan, founded the Packer Hall of Fame in 1966. [1] According to them, they got the idea after visitors to Green Bay would repeatedly ask about the Packers' storied history. Sensing opportunity, they went to Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, suggesting a hall of fame should be made to attract and educate tourists about the Packers and their history. Lombardi gave them his approval as long as the hall of fame would not interfere with the existing players. [2]
Brault also led the Green Bay Area Visitor and Convention Bureau, which he also helped form in 1964. The Packers Hall of Fame opened as a series of exhibits displayed in the lower concourse of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, although it was not a permanent residence. In 1967, the Packer Hall of Fame Association, a separate corporate entity from the team, was founded and then six years later became Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, Inc. [1] The Hall did not become a permanent site until 1976 when its new home, an addition to the Brown County Veterans Arena, was formally dedicated on April 3, 1976, by President Gerald Ford. [3] Outside of the Packers Hall of Fame was Receiver , a statue that was dedicated to the invention of the forward pass. [4]
The Packers Hall of Fame has been expanded and renovated numerous times over its history. In 2003, renovations to Lambeau Field provided a new home within the new Lambeau Field Atrium for the Hall of Fame. [5] Packers legends Bart Starr and Ron Wolf rededicated the Hall on September 4, 2003. [6] [7] In 2015, the Packers Hall of Fame was moved from the basement to the second floor of the Lambeau Field Atrium as part of a larger renovation of Lambeau Field. [8] [9] The Hall contains a vast array of Packers memorabilia, a re-creation of Vince Lombardi's office, plaques representing each of the inductees and the Lombardi trophies from Green Bay's four Super Bowl wins. [10] The Packers Hall of Fame has inducted 170 people, 29 of whom have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [11] In August 2024, Clay Matthews and Aaron Kampman became the most recent inductees into the hall of fame. [12]
In 1998, the Packers and the Packers Hall of Fame created the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame (capitalized by the organization as the Green Bay Packers FAN Hall of Fame), the first hall of fame built to honor fans of a professional football team. Fans may nominate themselves or others for induction by submitting an essay of 500 words or less why they or their nominee deserve recognition in the Fan Hall of Fame. [13] Ten finalists are chosen by a selection committee and then fans are then given an opportunity to vote on the 10 finalists. [14] The nominee who receives the most votes each year is named as the honorary fan and is inducted into the FAN Hall of Fame. The inductee's name is displayed in the Packers Hall of Fame and they receive other prizes, including tickets to a Packers game and a gift card to the team's pro shop. [15] Since the Fan Hall of Fame was founded, 25 fans have been inducted. [16]
* | Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
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Induction year | Inductee | Hometown | Refs |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Mel Knoke | Appleton, Wisconsin | [183] |
1999 | Louis Gardipee | Black River Falls, Wisconsin | [184] |
2000 | Ed Jablonski | Wausau, Wisconsin | [185] |
2001 | Paul Mazzoleni | Green Bay, Wisconsin | [186] |
2002 | Wanda Boggs | Brookfield, Wisconsin | [187] |
2003 | Sister Isaac Jogues Rousseau | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | [188] |
2004 | Dorothy Hanke | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | [189] |
2005 | Kathy Lazzaro | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | [190] |
2006 | Rich Barbera | River Vale, New Jersey | [191] |
2007 | Richard 'Ike' Eisenhauer | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin | [192] |
2008 | Allan Hale | Green Bay, Wisconsin | [193] |
2009 | Jim Becker | Racine, Wisconsin | [194] |
2010 | Tom Little | Mount Sterling, Illinois | [195] |
2011 | Rick Steele | Greensburg, Pennsylvania | [196] |
2012 | Edward Fritsch | Sheboygan, Wisconsin | [197] |
2013 | Vivian Scherf-Laabs | Cedarburg, Wisconsin | [198] |
2014 | Steve Schumer | Gillette, New Jersey | [199] |
2015 | Patricia Nevala | Menomonie, Wisconsin | [200] |
2016 | Frank Lamping | Union Grove, Wisconsin | [201] |
2017 | Marguerite "Mugs" Bachhuber | Green Bay, Wisconsin | [202] |
2018 | Amy Nelson | Fence, Wisconsin | [203] |
2019 | Kari Bernier | Dyersburg, Tennessee | [15] |
2020 | George Oudhuis | Rolling Prairie, Indiana | [204] |
2021 | Jeff Yasik | Mazomanie, Wisconsin | [14] |
2022 | John Breske | Elderon, Wisconsin | [16] |
2023 | Dan Bogenschuetz | Sheboygan, Wisconsin | [205] |
Robert Ernest Harlan is an American former football executive who served as the president of the Green Bay Packers for 19 years. Harlan also held the titles of chairman of the board and chief executive officer for the Packers. He was a graduate of Marquette University, where he later served as the Sports Information Director for six years. After his tenure at Marquette, Harlan worked for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team for five years in community and public relations. In 1971, he was hired by the Packers as assistant general manager. For the next 18 years, Harlan worked in different positions in the front office for the Packers before being promoted to executive vice president in 1988. In 1989, after the retirement of Robert J. Parins, Harlan was elected as the Packers' ninth president, a position he held until 2008. Harlan became the first team president whose background was primarily in football; all previous presidents of the Packers were local civic leaders or businessmen in the Green Bay, Wisconsin-area.
Freddie Alton Carr was an American professional football player who played linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977.
Gary Knafelc was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played one game at the start of his career with the Chicago Cardinals and his final season was with the San Francisco 49ers.
Robert Francis Skoronski was an American professional football player who was a tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Hungry Five are the Green Bay, Wisconsin-area businessmen who were instrumental in keeping the Green Bay Packers franchise in operation during its early years. They raised funds, incorporated the team as a non-profit corporation, sold stock and otherwise promoted the franchise. The Five were Andrew B. Turnbull, Curly Lambeau, Gerald Francis Clifford, Lee Joannes and W. Webber Kelly. Turnbull, Joannes, and Kelly all served as president of the Packers, in addition to other leadership roles. Clifford served as team lawyer and ultimately vice president under Joannes. Lambeau founded the Packers and served as the team's head coach and general manager for almost 30 years. Although other people made significant contributions to the Packers, the Five were recognized as helping manage the team through difficult periods and were essential in maintaining the team's publicly-owned, non-profit status. All of the Five have been inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, while Lambeau was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and had the Packers' stadium, Lambeau Field, named after him.
Gerald Francis Clifford was an American trial lawyer, politician, and executive officer of the Green Bay Packers. Clifford began his legal career in 1913 after studying law at the University of Michigan. He was an active trial lawyer, specializing in cases regarding search and seizure and Prohibition. He once served as assistant Attorney General of Wisconsin where he became well known for prosecuting corruption cases. Politically, Clifford was a leader in the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and was once a Wisconsin Democratic nominee for Congress in 1934. In addition to his work in law and politics, he also served as an executive officer and team lawyer for the Green Bay Packers. Clifford assisted the organization in avoiding bankruptcy, reincorporated the team under a new ownership model, and helped prevent the team from moving away from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is one of The Hungry Five, a group of businessman who were instrumental in the early development of the Packers. Clifford died on February 24, 1952, at the age of 62. In recognition of his contributions, he was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1991.
John George Martinkovic was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. He played college football and basketball at Xavier University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1951 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1974. Martinkovic died on February 8, 2018, at the age of 91.
Dominic John Olejniczak was an American real estate broker, politician, and football executive. Olejniczak served as an alderman of Green Bay, Wisconsin, from 1936 to 1944. He was then elected mayor, serving for 10 years from 1945 to 1955. During his tenure as mayor, a number of large infrastructure projects were completed and city administration was streamlined. Olejniczak was also known for his work with the Green Bay Packers. Over a period of almost 40 years, Olejniczak served as a member of the board of directors, a vice president, president, and chairman of the board. His 24 years as president is the longest tenure of any Packers president. During his presidency, he hired Vince Lombardi in 1959, the Packers won five championships, and the team saw its net worth grow over 5,000%. In recognition of his contributions, Olejniczak was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1979 and the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. He died in 1989, after a series of strokes.
Leland "Lee" Remmel was an American public relations/historian/spokesman and sportswriter. He was known for working 62 years with the Green Bay Packers as a sportswriter and later a team employee.
Mark Steven Murphy is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from GlenOak High School near his hometown of Canton, Ohio, Murphy attended West Liberty State College. At West Liberty, he played college football for all four years, with the last three as a starter for the Hilltoppers. In his senior year, he was named All-WVIAC and won the WVIAC championship. He went undrafted in the 1980 NFL draft, but was subsequently signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent. He played for the Packers for 12 years before retiring in 1991. After his playing career, Murphy coached high school and college football in Ohio. He was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1998 in recognition of his contributions to the team.
The Packers Heritage Trail is a self-guided walking and biking heritage trail that traverses locations relating to the history of the Green Bay Packers, an American football team in the National Football League (NFL). All of the 25 sites have bronze commemorative plaques that explain the history of the site and its association to the Green Bay Packers. Each plaque, which has individual sponsors, is either affixed to the side of the relevant building or placed on a pole in front of the site. The Trail is split into three sections: the City Walk, which includes 16 sites and the Packers Heritage Plaza generally in downtown Green Bay; the Packing Plant Spur, which includes 4 sites along Baird Creek; and the Lambeau – Lombardi Spur, which includes another 4 sites along the Fox River.
Lee Joannes, born Joseph Leland Heath Joannes and also known as Leland Joannes, was a businessman and American football executive. Joannes owned Joannes Brothers Company, a wholesale grocery store, and was the fourth president of the Green Bay Football Corporation, which became Green Bay Packers, Inc. during his tenure. He was part of The Hungry Five, a group of businessmen who are credited with keeping the Green Bay Packers in operation during numerous financially difficult times. He served on the Packers board of directors for over 58 years in various roles, including chairman, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and director emeritus. During his 17 years as president from 1930 to 1947, the Packers won five NFL Championships while enduring the Great Depression and World War II. In recognition of his contributions, he was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1981. Joannes died in 1982 at the age of 89.
Burton F. Gustafson was an American athlete and sports coach. After attending Northern Michigan University (NMU) where he was a three-sport star, he coached several high school football, basketball, and track and field teams. He then returned to NMU where he served from 1956 to 1961 as a coach in four sports. He later was an assistant coach for the Wyoming Cowboys and coach and administrator for the Green Bay Packers.
William Leon Brault was an American businessman known for founding the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and serving as the executive director of the Green Bay Area Visitor and Convention Bureau. A native of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Brault served in the United States Navy during World War II before attending St. Norbert College and the Milwaukee Business College. In the early 1960s, Brault helped found the Green Bay Area Visitor and Convention Bureau; he was later named the organization's executive director, a post he would hold until 1994. During his tenure with the Bureau, Brault won numerous awards for his advocacy and work supporting tourism in Green Bay. As a way to promote tourism, Brault approached Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi with an idea to create a hall of fame recognizing the past players, coaches and contributors to the Packers organization. Founded in 1966, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame became the first hall of fame to honor a single professional American football team. Brault served in leadership positions within the hall of fame organization and helped expand it over the next 38 years. He was elected to the Packers Hall of Fame in 1995 in recognition of his contributions to the team.
Clifford A. Christl is an American sportswriter who is the team historian of the Green Bay Packers, a football team in the National Football League (NFL). Prior to this role, Christl worked as a newspaper reporter for over 30 years at newspapers in Wisconsin, including the Manitowoc Herald Times, the Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal. Throughout his years as a reporter, Christl covered the Packers as a sportswriter, while also chronicling the team in his spare time and helping establish the Packers Heritage Trail. In 2014, after historian Lee Remmel left the team, Christl was named the team's historian. One of his first activities after being hired was to write The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packers 1919–2019, a four-part book chronicling the first 100 years of the history of the Packers. Christl also writes articles on the team's history, records oral histories with past Packers' players and coaches and answers fan's questions about the team.