20.12.2021 - In the NFL, the Green Bay Packers are one of the most prestigious football teams with some of the most loyal fans.
In the NFL, the Green Bay Packers are one of the most prestigious football teams with some of the most loyal fans.
It’s easy to see why. Along with being the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, it’s also the last “small-town team” that survived, turning Green Bay, Wisconsin into a city and putting it on maps all across the world. With a rabid, territorial fanbase and entire industries reliant upon the Packers and their legacy, you instantly get one of the most celebrated, documented, and recognizable franchises in football history.
Today we’re taking a look at that journey, from the Packers’ founding in 1919 to their legacy right now. If you’re part of the betting crowd, you can become a small part of that continued legacy by taking a look at NFL betting lines when the Packers play their next game.
Origin
Before we can appreciate the long legacy of the Green Bay Packers, we need to know where they came from. They were founded in 1919 – now over a century ago – thanks to the work of two men, Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun. Curly was a football player and coach while Calhoun, a newspaper editor, worked administrative and PR-related roles.
They secured funding for the team from Curly’s employer, the Indian Packing Company. This was a Delaware-based meat canning company that had a Green Bay warehouse. The Packers were clearly worth the investment.
The Packers would soon become publicly owned – the only team in football to still operate as a public, not-for-profit company – and this also adds to the pride that comes from many Packers’ fans.
The First Championships (1929 – 1958)
After signing Carl Hubbard, Mike Michalske, and John McNally, the Packers won their very first NFL championship title in 1929. It wasn’t just their first championship win, it was also an undefeated season at 12-0-1.
They defended the title in 1930 (10-3-1) and won yet again in 1931 (12-2), making three straight championship wins. They came close to winning in 1932, too.
In 1935, the team signed Don Hutson, Arnie Herber, and Clarke Hinkle, and used them to storm the championship in 1936 with a 10-1-1 record. After falling short in 1937 they made their way back in ’38, where the New York Giants beat them. In ’39, the Packers came back for revenge and won. A few years later, they’d do it again in 1944.
Then a decline set in. They wouldn’t win again for over a decade, with increasingly diminishing returns with player performance.
Lombardi Era (1959 – 1967)
The team’s fortunes changed when Vince Lombardi was hired as coach. Having been an offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, he was exactly what the team needed and oversaw legendary NFL quarterback Bart Starr.
After nearly winning in 1960, the Packers would finally become champions again in ’61 and ’62. During their next winning season, in 1965, Lambeau died and the team’s stadium was renamed in his honor – Lambeau Field. Quite fittingly, the Packers would take home the championship for that year too.
1966 and 1967 then marked two more championship wins, including the first and second-ever Super Bowls. After such a successful run, Lombardi announced he was stepping down. Predictably, the Packers’ performance hit another slump after Lombardi’s absence. The Packers wouldn’t make their mark on the NFL again until the 1990s.
Return To Form (1992 – 1997)
As the 1990s set in, it was clear that the Packers were rallying. After decades of inconsistent performances, they started to see improvement after picking up quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White.
While they didn’t score any championship wins for the first few years, 1996 marked their return to form when they swept the Super Bowl XXXI. They would make it to Super Bowl XXXII in 1997 too but lost to the Denver Broncos.
Aaron Rodgers Era (1998 – Present)
By now, an entire legacy had built up around the Packers. Their return to glory was something that seemed inevitable to their fans, it was just a matter of when. After a few short decades of middling performance, the Packers would sign Aaron Rodgers in 2008. Like Brett Favre before him, he set the team up for future success.
That would come in 2010 at Super Bowl XLV. The Packers cleaned up, as they had before, and haven’t made another championship or Super Bowl win since. At 9 NFL championship wins and 4 Super Bowls, they’re ahead of every other team in the NFL.
