About the Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are like dinosaurs, but they still roam the National Football League and occasionally pack a mighty roar. Founded in 1919, independent teams like the Packers were fairly common as the team began to play other professional teams. But unlike those teams, the Packers thrived and gained membership in the fledgling NFL in 1921. Since then, the Packers have won 12 league titles, more than any team in the league.

History

They play in Lambeau Field in tiny Green Bay, Wisconsin, more than 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Lambeau Field may often be frozen in December and January, but it is one of the jewels of professional football and most fans agree that taking in a game there is a great experience with many of the remnants of small town football that were common in pro football's early days.
Those early days were marked by a Green Bay franchise that dominated football the 1930s. After winning the NFL championship in 1929, they added four more titles in the 1930s. There would be only one more title--in 1944--before Vince Lombardi was hired to turn the franchise around in 1959.
Lombardi had been an outstanding assistant coach with the New York Giants before he was hired to turn around a team that had endured consecutive last place finishes in the NFC Western Conference in 1957 and 1958. The situations was considered nearly hopeless by most NFL insiders.
Lombardi had prepared a lifetime for a head coaching opportunity and he immediately changed the atmosphere by demanding excellence from his players. In addition to being a disciplinarian and a tough task master, Lombardi put his team through intense drills that were designed to test his players' commitment to the team. He was also a hands-on coach who would correct mistakes as soon as he saw them made on the field.
The Packers had a winning record in 1959 and won the Western Conference title in 1960. They dropped a 17-13 decision to the Eagles in the league's championship game. While the Packers had grown by leaps and bounds in two seasons under Lombardi, the coach and his players were unsatisfied. They would never lose another postseason game with Lombardi on the sidelines.
The following year, the Packers went 11-3 in the regular season and overpowered the Giants 37-0 in the championship game. With Bart Starr at quarterback, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung at running back and a defense that featured fast and hard-hitting players who were not necessarily the biggest at their position, the Packers had become pro football's dominant team. They would win titles in 1962, '65 and '66, and the '66 championship--a 34-27 win over an emerging powerhouse in the Dallas Cowboys--earned them a spot in the first Super Bowl.
That game in the January, 1967 featured the NFL champion Packers against the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers were playing not only for themselves but for the pride of the NFL. The Chiefs were doing the same for the upstart league and motivation for each team was high. There was far more pressure on the Packers since they were expected to trounce the Chiefs. They had little to gain but could have embarrased themselves and the NFL if they had lost. Kansas City played a great game for 30 minutes and trailed 14-10 at the half. However, Green Bay's talent won out and the Packers cruised to a 35-10 win.
Another Super Bowl title was one the following year with a similar 33-14 win over the AFL's Oakland Raiders, however it was their performance in the NFL championship game that forever marked Lombardi as perhaps the best coach ever in NFL history. In that game against the Cowboys, both teams awoke on the morning of December 31, 1967, to a temperature of minus 13 degrees F. It was the coldest day a game has ever been played in NFL history and despite the circumstances it was a well-played game. Dallas had 17-14 lead in the final seconds of the game, but the Packers mounted a last-minute drive that placed them on the Dallas 1-yard line with seconds remaining. Instead of opting for a sure tying field goal, Lombardi had his team go for the win on the final play. Starr followed a block by guard Jerry Kramer into the endzone and the Packers had a 21-17 win.
Lombardi left the Packers following the win in Super Bowl II and the team floundered for many years. The franchise turned around under the coaching of Mike Holmgren and the play of quarterback Brett Favre. Holmgren had been a disciple of 49er head coach Bill Walsh and brought a sophisticated passing gameplan to Green Bay and Favre was the perfect quarterback to execute it. Favre had toughness, arm strength, accuracy and s sense for making the big play at the key moment. The Packers rolled to the NFL championship in 1996, going 13-3 in the regular season and beating the New England Patriots 35-21 in the Super Bowl. They would return to the Super Bowl following the 1997 season, but they suffered a 31-24 loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Packers have not been back since, but they remain one of the most viable and successful teams in pro sports.

Significance

The Packers have had some of the most outstanding players and personalities the game has ever seen. Despite their small-town status, they are a "national" team with fans all over the country and throughout the world. They have been drawn to an exciting team wearing Green and Gold that has had some of the best players to wear a uniform.
Starr ranks with the great players of all time. An unfailingly accurate passer, he rose to the occasion when the Packers were in a position to win the championship. Hornung was a versatile running back who could run the power sweep to perfection. He was also a great receiver and kicker. Taylor was one of the greatest power backs the game has ever seen. Willie Davis was one of the game's greatest pass rushers. Defensive back Willie Wood was a brilliant athlete who also was a big hitter and an outstanding cover man. Holmgren was an outstanding strategist who nearly always got the best of the opposing head coach. Favre was a legendary quarterback for the team who was traded in the 2008 preseason to the New York Jets. Defensive end Reggie White was a top-level pass rusher and dominant against the run.

Considerations

The Packers have had many historic wins, including their three Super Bowl victories and the win over the Cowboys in the 1967 NFL championship "Ice Bowl" game against the Cowboys. However, they also beat the Giants in back-to-back NFL championship games in 1961 and 1962. They beat the Cleveland Browns 23-12 to win the 1965 NFL championship, but to get to that game they had to beat the Baltimore Colts in the Western Conference championship game. The two teams had tied for first with a 10-3-1 record and both teams were led by brilliant coaches in Lombardi and Baltimore's Don Shula. The quarterback match-up should have featured Starr against Colt star Johnny Unitas, but Unitas was injured. The Packers won the game 13-10 on a controversial field goal by Don Chandler. Replays showed the kick appeared to be outside the goalposts but officials ruled it good and it gave the Packers the win.

Misconceptions

The loss to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII was considered a shocker. Not only were the Packers huge betting favorites among the fans, the NFC representative had won 13 straight Super Bowls. The NFC was considered the more physical conference and the Packers were expected to dominate the Broncos on both sides of the line of scrimmage. That did not happen. The Broncos asserted themselves and delivered the punch to the Packers and did not take it. The Broncos won the game on a late TD run and a last-ditch attempt by Favre to drive the Packers down the field failed in the final moments.
Favre's departure from Green Bay turned out to be a media circus that blackened the eyes of the franchise and their former star quarterback. During the 2008 offseason, Favre retired from pro football, a decision he arrived at with great difficulty. However, shortly before the start of training camp, he wanted to unretire and come back to the team. The Packers balked at the decision and did not want their venerable leader back. While Favre had been a great player and leader, they were committed to going with a younger quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Favre was ultimately traded to the Jets and the Packers moved forward. Green Bay struggled during the 2008 season.

Expert Insight

The Packers were on the verge of becoming an insignificant NFL entity before the legendary Lombardi was hired in 1959. On the surface, Green Bay appears to be a place that few NFL players would want to live in. However, despite the sometimes brutally cold weather, the fans treat their players like family and the team has significant appeal. The NFL wants the Packers to be successful since it is the last bastion of small-town football that was part of the league's roots. The leadership of the team is strong and forward-thinking, although the Favre departure was a very difficult matter.

Resources

• Green Bay Packers' website