The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, established in 1919, and are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Since 1957, home games have been played at Lambeau Field. They hold the record for the most wins in NFL history.
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin, native George Whitney Calhoun, founded the Green Bay Packers in 1919. He served as team captain in the team's first year before becoming player-coach in 1920. As a player, Lambeau lined up as a halfback, which in the early years of the NFL was the premier position. He was the team's primary runner and passer, accounting for 35 touchdowns in 77 games. He won his only NFL championship as a player in 1929.
Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing the original City Stadium at Green Bay East High School as the Packers' home field. Informally known as New City Stadium for its first eight seasons, it was renamed in August 1965 in memory of Packers founder, player, and long-time head coach, Earl “Curly” Lambeau, who had died two months earlier.
George Whitney Calhoun was an American newspaper editor and co-founder of the Green Bay Packers, a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. After establishing the Packers in 1919 with Curly Lambeau, Calhoun served the team in various capacities for 44 years until his death in 1963. Utilizing his editorial job at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, he became the team's first publicity director, helping to establish local support and interest. He also served as the first team manager and was a member of the board of directors of the non-profit corporation that owns the team. Although often overshadowed by the more famous Curly Lambeau, Calhoun was instrumental to the early success of the Packers. In recognition of his contributions, Calhoun was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1978.
The Lumberjack Band was a marching band that played at Green Bay Packers' games. The band earned its name because of the plaid flannel jackets its members originally wore.
The Lambeau Leap is a touchdown celebration in American football in which a player leaps into the bleachers behind the end zone after scoring. The celebration was popularized after Green Bay Packers player LeRoy Butler jumped into the Lambeau Field bleachers after scoring a touchdown from a fumble recovery against the Los Angeles Raiders on December 26, 1993. The celebration has remained popular ever since, even as the National Football League tightened rules on touchdown celebrations in the early 2000s. Some safety concerns have been noted by players and staff, including inappropriate touching by fans and the possibility of an injury to the player leaping into the bleachers. Although uncommon, the celebration has been attempted by multiple players from opposing teams at Lambeau Field. The Lambeau Leap is an important component of the history and traditions of the Packers.
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.
Rockwood Lodge was the training facility of the Green Bay Packers from 1946 to 1950. Originally built in 1937 as a retreat for a local Norbertine Order, the Lodge was purchased by Packers coach and general manager Curly Lambeau in 1946 and then heavily renovated, making it the first self-contained training facility in professional football history. Although the facility was state-of-the-art at the time, many members of the Packers franchise and local fans complained of its high cost, distance from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and its poor practice field. The Lodge burned down in 1950, with the likely cause being faulty electrical wiring or lightning. The Packers received $75,000 in insurance from the fire, which would be used to help reestablish the Packers' long-term financial security. Lambeau resigned from the Packers just a week after the fire, citing a lack of unity in the team's direction between him and the Packers' board of directors. The Rockwood Lodge site would lay vacant for a number of years before being purchased by Brown County, Wisconsin, and developed into a public park.
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.
The 1929 Green Bay Packers season was their 11th season overall and their ninth season in the National Football League. The team finished with an undefeated 12–0–1 record under player/coach Curly Lambeau, earning them a first-place finish and the Packers' first National Football League Championship. A victory celebration of 20,000 fans greeted them upon their return to Green Bay from their final game in Chicago. In an exhibition game after the season, on December 15, the Packers lost to the Memphis Tigers, who then claimed a pro football championship.
The 1919 Green Bay Packers season was their first season of competitive football. The team was formed by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun with help from the Indian Packing Company. Lambeau served as team captain, the position closest related to the modern position of head coach, while Willard Ryan served as the official head coach. The club posted a 10–1 record against other teams in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Adolph E. Kliebhan, sometimes listed as Kliebhahn, was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) who played one game for the Green Bay Packers in 1921.
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.
William Plankinton was an American businessman, manufacturer, and industrialist. He followed in his father's footsteps in the meat packing and meat processing industry.
W. Webber Kelly, born William Webber Kelly, was a prominent medical doctor in the state of Wisconsin known for being the third president of the Green Bay Football Corporation, the non-profit organization that owns the Green Bay Packers. Kelly was a practicing physician in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for almost 50 years and a respected civic leader. During his one year as president of the Packers for the 1929 season, the team went 12–0–1 and won its first NFL Championship. Kelly was identified as part of The Hungry Five, a group of Green Bay businessmen who were instrumental in guiding the Packers through multiple financially challenging periods. In addition to his presidency, Kelly served as the team physician from 1921 to 1943 and as a member of the Packers' board of directors from 1923 to 1949. After a falling-out with Packers co-founder, head coach, and general manager Curly Lambeau, Kelly resigned from the Board in 1949. Two years later he died of a heart attack at the age of 75. In recognition of his contributions, Kelly was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1994.
Emil Richard Fischer was an American businessman and a football executive for the Green Bay Packers. Fischer was well known in the Green Bay cheese industry, a nationally recognized businessman, and a local civic leader. From 1948 to 1952, he served as the fifth president of the Packers. He is credited with leading the Packers through one of the most difficult periods in the team's history. During his tenure, the team's co-founder and longtime coach Curly Lambeau resigned, the Packers issued their third stock sale, and the National Football League (NFL) merged with the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He also sat on the organization's board of directors and executive committee from 1935 to 1958. After his presidency ended, he served as chairman of the board until his death in 1958. In recognition of his contributions to the team, Fischer was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2013.
Russell W. Bogda was an American automotive executive and president of the Green Bay Packers. From 1953 to 1957, he served as the sixth president of the Green Bay Packers. During his presidency, the Packers secured funding and built New City Stadium, which would be renamed in 1965 to Lambeau Field. Although the Packers during Bogda's tenure saw little on-field success, he helped the organization stay financially successful and the construction of a new stadium during his tenure kept the Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Bogda died at the age of 46 on February 22, 1958, of lung cancer.
Willard J. Ryan was an American teacher and football coach who served as the first head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Historically, Curly Lambeau has been credited as being the Packers' first head coach, although this is primarily due to the different rules of American football in the early 1900s. In Ryan's era, the head coach was not allowed to communicate with the players while they were playing a game. Lambeau, as team captain, would call the plays during a game and also organized practices, tasks that are now allocated to the head coaching position. Ryan, who also coached the Green Bay West High School football team, only coached the Packers in their inaugural season in 1919, leading the team to a record of . Before his coaching career, Ryan served in World War I in 1918. In 1920, he moved to Minnesota to work as a school teacher and a superintendent of schools. He retired in 1955 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1961. He died of unknown causes on February 7, 1962, at the age of 71.
Frank John Jonet was an American accountant known for serving as the secretary-treasurer of the Green Bay Packers. Jonet graduated from State Teachers College in Wisconsin and taught for 14 years. Professionally, he was a trained accountant who worked for various businesses and was the treasurer for the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Associated with the Packers from his time with the Indian Packing Company in 1919 and 1920, Jonet would maintain some link with the team for the next 32 years. In 1933, Jonet was named the receiver for the Packers after the team experienced severe financial issues and entered bankruptcy. After reorganizing to Green Bay Packers, Inc. in 1935 and raising funds through a stock sale, the Packers were saved from folding as an organization. That year, Jonet was named the treasurer for the Packers. In 1941 his title was changed to secretary-treasurer and in 1947 he was elected to the team's board of directors, which he would serve on until his death in 1951. In 2011, Jonet was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
