On August 11, 1919 a shipping clerk, for a canned meat packing business, along with a sports editor, for a paper serving Northeast Wisconsin, gathered a couple of husky young athletes together to form what has become a football legacy.
In the dingy editorial room of the Green Bay Press Gazette, "Curly" Lambeau, the shipper, and George Calhoun, the editor, co-founded and brought to life the Green Bay Packers Football Team.
The Indian Packing Firm, where Curly Lambeau was a shipping clerk, bought the team's initial jersey's and let them use the organization athletic field for practice and games. With this tie-in the name "Packers" was a natural, and stuck all these 92 years.
Curly Lambeau not only co-founded but was the first coach of the Packers. He led them to a first season record of ten wins and 1 loss against teams from Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. The Packers had been such a profitable team that on August 27, 1921 the American Professional Football Association admitted the Green Bay Packers franchise into the league.
But all was not rosy for the Packers. Curly Lambeau was caught employing college players on his team and the cash paying buyers couldn't fairly pay the freight bill along with the franchise was taken away. But Lambeau wouldn't be kept down. He secured new backers, put up $50.00 of his own money, and promised the league he would play by the rules. The Packers had been back in the football company for the 1922 season. But, far more troubles loomed that season. Rain forced the cancellation of 1 game, the insurance organization refused to pay the claim. A late season storm cancelled the game against Duluth, putting the team at the brink of bankruptcy. Lambeau went to town businessmen and formed what was later dubbed 'The Hungry Five' who financed and backed the team. They incorporated the team as a non-profit corporation and established the Green Bay Packers Board of Directors.
'The Hungry Five' consisted of Curly Lambeau who served the team as coach, publisher of the Green Bay Post Gazette A.B. Turnbull who served as the very first president of the board, attorney Gerald Clifford who handled the teams legal affairs, Dr. W. Webber Kelly who was the team physician, and Leland Joannes who was the board president for 17 years and lead the Packers via the Great Depression.
The team has gone to the fans having a stock drive four times in its history. The first was in 1923 where local merchants sold 1,000 shares at $5 to raise $5,000. In 1935 the corporation went into receivership, it sold raised $15,000 and reorganized as the Green Bay Packers Inc., the present company. 1950 brought another drive. The people of the state of Wisconsin, also as former Green Bay residents raised virtually $118,000 with $50,000 raised in one 11 day period. 105,989 new shareholders had been added in late 1997 when a lot more than $24 million was raised to redevelop Lambeau Field.
Buying stock in Green Bay Packers Inc. is for the love of the team only. Each shareholder knows when they buy stock that they are not allowed to sell their shares to anyone but the team, and at a substantial loss. Shareholders don't get dividends; free tickets to Lambeau Field, swag (not even a foam cheesehead). What they do get can be a professional football team that will not hold them ransom with the threat of leaving.
From 1921 to 2010 the Green Bay Packers have won 654, lost 524 and tied 36 games in normal season. Add to that 29 wins and 16 losses in playoff games. This adds up to a total of 693 wins 540 losses and 36 ties. Then add the 13 league championships they've the trophies for, nine of which had been NFL championships before the Super-Bowl era. The other four are Super-Bowl championships.
The Green Bay Packers are only second to their nemesis, the Chicago Bears, for the number of individuals inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. With 21 inductees they trail the Chicago Bears' 26 but lead the Washington Redskins, New York Giants and Pittsburg Steelers each with 18.
In December 1986 the team formed the Green Bay Packers Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to helping a wide range of programs and activities that benefit civic affairs, human services, health care, education and youth programs.
In 1999 at the annual stockholders meeting the foundation was made the recipient of any remaining assets if the team ever was sold or dissolved. No shareholder is allowed to own much more than 200,000 shares to maintain any individual from gaining control over the team. This also put the Packers in a unique place, in that it's impossible to move them from the state of Wisconsin. As a result they've remained within the tiny marketplace of Green Bay.
Green Bay Wisconsin boasts a population of 100,355 in 2010 based on the U.S. Census. But volunteers work the concession stands, with sixty percent of the profits going to local charities. When Lambeau Field wants the snow removed a call goes out for assist along with the fans flock to assist shovel. Also, you can go here for more info on custom footballs.
Other Cheesehead (Packer Fan) Facts
Regardless of performance, each game at Lambeau Field since 1960 has been sold out. Even with the smallest local TV market Cheesehead's are the greatest fan base within the NFL. There are 86,000 people on the waiting list for season tickets, which means the waiting list has much more individuals than seats in Lambeau Field. In August of 2008 ESPN.com named Cheesehead's the second-best fans within the NFL. Initially they were tied with the Pittsburg Steelers fans, but John Clayton a native of Pittsburg and of ESPN broke the tie.
A summer training camp tradition started in 1957 continues right now. Young Packers fans can bring their bikes to the field. Players will then ride the bike from the practice field to the locker room. Gary Knafelc, who was an end in 1957, said, "The youngsters just wanted us to ride their bikes. I can don't forget children saying, 'Hey, ride my bike.'" And Packers players still ride young Cheesehead's bikes nowadays.
The Green Bay Packers and their fans along with the City of Green Bay have formed a strong community that runs to the aid of the other in time of require and celebrate the victories like none other.
