Glory Days T he Packers might not exist if not for a case of tonsillitis In 1919 Curly Lambeau fell ill while in college and decided to return home to Green Bay to recover from his throat infection Lambeau had been a football star in high school George Calhoun knew all about him Calhoun was one of the newspaper reporters who wrote about Lambeau’s heroics One day the two men met by chance and in no time they decided to form a professional football team The Indian Packing Company put up 500 for equipment and uniforms so Lambeau named the club the Indian Packers After each game the fans put bills and coins in a hat and the players divided the money While the Packers earned a reputation for their fine play a new football league 6
was being organized Green Bay joined in 1921 A year later the league changed its name to the National Football League NFL Over the next few years Lambeau built an excellent squad It included Red Dunn Lavvie Dilweg Mike Michalske Cal Hubbard Verne Lewellen and Dick O’Donnell Green Bay had a winning record in each of its first 12 seasons The team finished the season as the NFL champion each year from 1929 to 1931 The Packers continued their success through the 1930s and into the 1940s Lambeau made the forward pass an important part of his team’s playbook at a time when the rules greatly favored the running game He was able to do so because he had two strong armed quarterbacks Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell and a talented receiver named Don Hutson Another star of this era for Green Bay was Clarke Hinkle He did everything well On offense he was a powerful runner and good passer He was also one of the league’s top punters and kickers Hinkle was a defensive star as well The Packers won the NFL championship in 1936 1939 and 1944 LEFT Curly Lambeau ABOVE Clarke Hinkle 7
After struggling during the 1950s the Packers returned to the top of the NFL in the 1960s Their coach was Vince Lombardi He demanded perfection from his players They practiced plays until they knew them in their sleep Green Bay captured five NFL titles from 1961 to 1967 including a victory in the first Super Bowl These great teams depended on a handful of stars including quarterback Bart Starr and running backs Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung However the key to victory was teamwork When the Packers had the ball the offensive line controlled the field On defense Green Bay’s linebackers and defensive backs were always in the right place at the right time No fewer than 10 players who played for Lombardi made it to the Hall of Fame Included among them were Herb Adderley Willie Davis Forrest Gregg Henry Jordan Ray Nitschke Jim Ringo and Willie Wood LEFT Paul Hornung signed this photo taken during warm-ups for Super Bowl I ABOVE The Packers carry Vince Lombardi off the field after Super Bowl II 9
