The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Since their establishment as a professional football team in 1919, the Packers have played home games in eight stadiums. [1] Their first home was Hagemeister Park, where they played from 1919 to 1922, including their first two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Hagemeister Park was a park owned by the Hagemeister Brewery. During games ropes were set up around the field and attendees either walked up or parked their cars nearby. After the first season, a small grandstand was built and the field was fenced off. [2] Green Bay East High School was built at the location of Hagemeister Park in 1922, which forced the Packers to move to Bellevue Park, a small minor league baseball stadium that seated about 5,000. They only played for two seasons at Bellevue Park before moving to City Stadium in 1925. [1] Although City Stadium was the Packers' official home field, in 1933 they began to play some of their home games in Milwaukee to attract more fans and revenue. [3] After hosting one game at Borchert Field in 1933, [4] the Packers played two or three home games each year in Milwaukee, at Wisconsin State Fair Park from 1934 to 1951 and at Marquette Stadium in 1952. [1] The games were moved to Milwaukee County Stadium after it opened in 1953 and continued through 1994, after which the Packers moved back to Green Bay permanently. [3]
As of 2023, the current home of the Green Bay Packers is Lambeau Field, an 81,441 seating capacity stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. [5] By the 1950s, City Stadium was seen by the NFL as too small and outdated to host an NFL team. After the NFL threatened to force the team to move to Milwaukee, the City of Green Bay built New City Stadium, which was funded by a voter-approved bond issue, in 1957. [6] In April 1956, Green Bay voters overwhelmingly approved the bond issue to finance the new stadium. [7] After the Packers' founder Curly Lambeau died in 1965, the stadium was renamed to Lambeau Field in his honor. [8] Its original capacity was 32,500 seats, although it was continually expanded from 1961 to 1995 to a capacity of 60,890 seats. [9] The stadium was farther renovated from 2001 to 2003 to increase capacity to 72,515, while also updating various aspects of the stadium. [10] Over 7,000 more seats were added to the south endzone in 2013 and the Lambeau Field Atrium was expanded in 2015. [11] These renovations increased the stadium's capacity to 81,441, making it one of the largest football stadiums by capacity in the United States. [12] Lambeau Field has been continuously ranked as one of the best stadiums in the NFL. [13] [14] [15] As of 2024, it is also the oldest continually operating NFL stadium. [16] Only the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field have longer active home-field tenures in American professional sports. [17]
Image | Stadium | Location | Capacity (seats) | Duration | Coordinates | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hagemeister Park | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 3,500 | 1919–1922 | 44°30′25″N87°59′33″W / 44.50694°N 87.99250°W | [1] | |
Bellevue Park | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 3,300 | 1923–1924 | 44°30′15″N87°59′2″W / 44.50417°N 87.98389°W | [1] | |
City Stadium | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 25,000 | 1925–1956 | 44°30′27″N87°59′33″W / 44.50750°N 87.99250°W | [1] | |
Borchert Field | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 13,000 | 1933 | 43°4′26″N87°55′14″W / 43.07389°N 87.92056°W | [1] [18] | |
Wisconsin State Fair Park (Grandstand) | West Allis, Wisconsin | 34,000 | 1934–1951 | 43°1′19″N88°0′46″W / 43.02194°N 88.01278°W | [1] [19] | |
Marquette Stadium | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 21,000 | 1952 | 43°2′10″N87°57′40″W / 43.03611°N 87.96111°W | [1] [19] | |
Milwaukee County Stadium | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 35,646 | 1953–1994 | 43°1′48″N87°58′27″W / 43.03000°N 87.97417°W | [1] | |
Lambeau Field | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 81,441 | 1957–Present | 44°30′5″N88°3′44″W / 44.50139°N 88.06222°W | [16] | |
In addition to Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers operate three separate training facilities that are part of a large complex located across the street from the stadium:
Since 1958, the Packers have hosted their yearly training camp at St. Norbert College, a private Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. [22] Prior to their current training facilities, the Packers practiced at Rockwood Lodge between 1946 and 1949. The lodge, according to ESPN, is believed to have been the first self-contained team training facility in professional football history, although it burned down in 1950 under suspicious circumstances, just one week before Curly Lambeau resigned from the Packers. [23]
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Competing in the National Football League (NFL) as part of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division, the Packers are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, established in 1919. They 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.
City Stadium is an American football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on the north side of the Green Bay East High School property. It was the home of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1925 through 1956. Renovated and downsized, City Stadium remains the home to the adjacent Green Bay East High School athletic teams. Prior to 1925, the Packers played home games at nearby Hagemeister Park and Bellevue Park.
Hagemeister Park was a park in Green Bay, Wisconsin that was the home of the Green Bay Packers from their founding in 1919 and their first two seasons playing in the National Football League, 1921 and 1922.
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.
Mark Hodge Murphy is an American football executive and former player who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Murphy, a safety, went undrafted in the 1977 NFL draft after playing college football at Colgate University. He was signed by the Washington Redskins, where he played for eight seasons from 1977 to 1984. With the Redskins, Murphy won Super Bowl XVII, played in Super Bowl XVIII and led the NFL in interceptions in 1983, earning his sole Pro Bowl and All-Pro honor that season.
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.
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers have competed in the National Football League (NFL) since 1921, two years after their original founding by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) and play their home games at Lambeau Field in central Wisconsin. Since their founding, over 1,800 players have played at least one game for the team. Many, but not all of these players were selected by the Packers in the NFL draft, which began in 1936. To honor their contributions to the team, the Packers have recognized their own players in various ways, including retiring uniform numbers, establishing a team hall of fame, and documenting the team's all-time statistical leaders. Additionally, Packers' players have been recognized nationally for their performance, most notably through induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Packers players have also won numerous national awards, been named AP All-Pros, been selected for the Pro Bowl, and named to numerous "All-Time Teams". The following lists provide an overview of notable groupings of Green Bay Packers players.
The Snow Bowl was a National Football League (NFL) game played on December 1, 1985, between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers. Contested at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, it is well known for its poor weather conditions, including heavy snow before and during the game. Only 19,856 fans were in attendance, with over 36,000 fans not showing up, making it the least attended game in Lambeau Field history up to that point; about two-thirds of the stadium was empty. The entire storm dropped over 14 inches (36 cm) of snow, before, during and after the game. The game itself saw the Packers dominate the Buccaneers for a 21–0 victory. Despite four turnovers, the Packers offense gained 512 total yards on 31 first downs, with the Buccaneers recording only 65 yards on five first downs. Packers' wide receiver James Lofton received passes totaling over 100 yards from quarterback Lynn Dickey by halftime. Packers defensive end Alphonso Carreker sacked Buccaneers quarterback Steve Young a then-team record four times.
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.
The 1933 Green Bay Packers season was their 15th season overall and their 13th season in the National Football League (NFL). This was the first year of divisional play and Green Bay competed in the Western Division. The team finished with a 5–7–1 record under coach Curly Lambeau, the first losing season in team history. Beginning this season, the Packers began playing some home game in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Borchert Field to draw additional revenue, starting October 1, 1933, against the New York Giants.
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.
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.
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.
Though the city currently has no National Football League (NFL) team, Milwaukee is considered a home market for the Green Bay Packers. The team split its home schedule between Green Bay and Milwaukee from 1933 to 1994, with the majority of the Milwaukee games being played at Milwaukee County Stadium.