History of the Green Bay Packers

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The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team that has played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) since 1921. The team was founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, and for the next two years played against local teams in Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. In 1921, the Packers joined the American Professional Football Association, the precursor to the NFL, with Curly Lambeau as their coach. After falling into financial trouble, the Green Bay Football Corporation, now known as Green Bay Packers, Inc., was formed in 1923. The Packers became a publicly owned football team run by a board of directors elected each year. The team went on to win six NFL championships from 1929 to 1944, including three straight (1929–1931). Along the way, Curly Lambeau, with the help of receiver Don Hutson, revolutionized football through the development and utilization of the forward pass.

After Curly Lambeau resigned from the Packers in 1949, the team fell into a slump. They did not have a winning record for 11 straight seasons until 1959, the year that the Packers hired a new coach, Vince Lombardi. Lombardi would go on to lead one of the most successful teams in league history. Thirteen Pro Football Hall of Famers played for Lombardi, including quarterback Bart Starr and linebacker Ray Nitschke. The Packers lost the 1960 NFL Championship, however they would go on to win five championships in seven years under Lombardi, including three straight between 1965 and 1967. This included the infamous Ice Bowl and the first two Super Bowls. After the passing of Curly Lambeau in 1965, the Packers new stadium (built in 1957 as City Stadium) was named Lambeau Field in his honor. Five years later, the Packers' second great coach, Vince Lombardi, died, just two years after leaving the team for the Washington Redskins.

From 1968 to 1992 the Packers only made the playoffs twice, and only once in a non-strike year. Even with former quarterback Bart Starr as head coach, the Packers were unable to regain their former glory. The team continued to falter until Ron Wolf took over as general manager. Wolf hired Mike Holmgren as head coach and traded a first-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for quarterback Brett Favre. Favre would go on to lead the Packers to eleven playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and one championship in 1996. In 1997, the Packers had their fourth stock sale, expanding the number of shareholders and using the money to fund further expansion of Lambeau Field. In 2005, the Packers drafted quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After Favre left the team in 2007, Rodgers became the starter. During his tenure, he led the Packers to eleven playoffs appearances and one Super Bowl victory in 2010. The Packers had their fifth stock sale in 2012, again expanding the number of shareholders and using the funding to expand Lambeau Field. The Packers had a sixth stock sale in 2021, further increasing the number of shareholders. With a capacity of 81,441, Lambeau Field is the fifth-largest stadium in the NFL. As of 2022, the Packers hold the record for the most NFL championships (13 total) and the most wins in NFL history.