History of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay, Wisconsin, home to just over 100,000 people is the smallest market in any major sports league in the United States. Dubbed in the mid-sixties as “Title town, USA”, Green Bay is the proud home of the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers. Such a small town allows for many unique experiences. Only in Green Bay will you see a professional football player riding the bike of a six-year-old to the Clark Hinkle practice field. The team’s helmet is also present on the official city flag, along with a wedge of cheese, a roll of paper and a ship. Such a small town and a big name franchise once purchased for 250 dollars is now worth over 125 million. A big name franchise started from humble beginnings, a conversation between two men, and a drive for excellence.
On August 11, 1919, Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun gathered young athletes from around the area, in a close editorial room of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, to discuss the creation of a professional football team. Several weeks before, in a casual street-corner conversation, they had discussed the idea, but hadn’t given it much thought. From that room, one of the proudest and most storied NFL franchise.
In order to start the team, the two would need financial backing. Lambeau approached his employer, the Indian Packing Company, for the necessary funds to buy the team jerseys. The company agreed to purchase uniforms, and to allow the use of their private athletic field. In exchange for the resources, the team was named the Green Bay Packers. The newly formed Green Bay Packers played opponents from Michigan and Wisconsin on an open field without stands or fences. By going 10-1 in their first ever season, losing only to the Beloit Fairies in the last game, the Packers gained the backing of the Indian Packing Company once again in pursuit of an official franchise in the National Pro Football League on August 27, 1921. The players split the money collected by donation at the end of the season; each
On August 11, 1919, Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun gathered young athletes from around the area, in a close editorial room of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, to discuss the creation of a professional football team. Several weeks before, in a casual street-corner conversation, they had discussed the idea, but hadn’t given it much thought. From that room, one of the proudest and most storied NFL franchise.
In order to start the team, the two would need financial backing. Lambeau approached his employer, the Indian Packing Company, for the necessary funds to buy the team jerseys. The company agreed to purchase uniforms, and to allow the use of their private athletic field. In exchange for the resources, the team was named the Green Bay Packers. The newly formed Green Bay Packers played opponents from Michigan and Wisconsin on an open field without stands or fences. By going 10-1 in their first ever season, losing only to the Beloit Fairies in the last game, the Packers gained the backing of the Indian Packing Company once again in pursuit of an official franchise in the National Pro Football League on August 27, 1921. The players split the money collected by donation at the end of the season; each
Cited: Bengtson, Phil. Packer Dynasty. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1969. Behreandt, Denise L. "Coaching with conviction: Vince Lombardi 's extraordinary success as the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers demonstrates the dramatic difference principle-based leadership can make." The New American 21.12 (June 13, 2005): 32(7). Student Edition. Gale. SDLN, South Dakota State Library. 6 Dec. 2007 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>. "Birth of a Team & a Legend." Packers.com. 7 Dec. 2007 <http://www.packers.com/history/birth_of_a_team_and_a_legend/#chapter10>. Doherty, Jim. "In chilly Green Bay, Curly 's old team is still packing them in." Smithsonian 22.n5 (August 1991): 80(10). Student Edition. Gale. SDLN, South Dakota State Library. 7 Dec. 2007 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>. Lombardi Jr, Vince. What it takes to be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2001. 205.