The Green Bay Packers are about to get the ball rolling once again. They won the division title last season but that still wasn't deemed a success in some quarters. They are one of the most successful teams with thirteen league titles to their name. They will be looking to climb the mountain and reach the top once again by the end of the latest campaign. The Packers know how to win and they win big! Their fans certainly know that and those very supporters are once again queuing up to buy Green Bay Packers tickets in thousands to root for their favorite team.
Inception and Early Years George Whitney Calhoun and Curly Lambeau got together and incepted the Green Bay Packers in the year 1919. Packers tasted success for the first time in the year 1929 when they went on to lift the league title. They followed that up by repeating the feat for the next two seasons as well to get their quest for titles underway in some style.
The Green Bay Packers had momentum on their side and they made it count big time. They went on to win their first division title in 1936 on the way to lift their third league crown that year. One more division title was put in the trophy cabinet in 1938 before the Packers once again went to do the division and league double in 1939 to cap off an incredibly successful decade.
The Lean Patch
The Green Bay Packers hit a small lean patch that lasted for five years before making their mark on the sport one more time. In 1944 they got back on track by lifting both the division as well as the league championship. What happened next was something not a lot of people would have expected. The Packers encountered an astonishing fall from grace that lasted longer than they would have hoped form. Between 1945 and 1959 they didn't make the playoffs even once.
Back to Winning Ways
The start of 1960's changed the team's fortunes around as well. They went on to win their first ever conference title in 1960 to kick start another era of dominance. They did the conference and league title double in 1961 and repeated the trick next year too. It was more of the same in 1965 and in 1966. In 1967, they went a step further and did the division, conference and league treble for the first time.
That was followed by another extended drought that saw them win only one division championship since 1994. That period ended with Packers winning the division in 1995. In 1996 the team went on to win the division, conference and Super Bowl. They lifted both the division and the conference championships next year as well but couldn't defend their Super Bowl title. The start of the next millennium brought their way four division crowns between 2002 and 2007. The Packers went to the top of the pile in 2010 by lifting the conference as well as the Super Bowl. A couple of more division titles have followed to keep their astonishing ratio of success going.
As defending division title holders, the onus is on the Packers to make the most of it and go all the way this time around as well. No matter if they win or lose, this will surely be a very interesting season for this legendary football team.
History:
The Packers were founded on 11th August 1919 by Earl Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. Lambeau was an employ at the Indian Packing Company and negotiated a deal with his employers for uniforms, in return for the team to be named after the company. Lambeau completed his team by adding members from other semi-professional teams playing in the Wisconsin area, which is why the Packers can trace their history back to several small teams.
The Packers joined the APFA (American Professional Football Association), forerunner of the NFL, in 1921. They were granted a franchise in this new league but financial troubles continuously plagued the team, until Lambeau found five financial backers. Known as the Hungry Five, they formed the Green Bay Football Corporation, which still owns the team.
Football Success:
The Packer’s had a bright start to their professional football. After a near miss in the 1927 season, they were able to win their first title in 1929. Led by Lambeau, the team posted an undefeated 12-0-1 season. They went on to replicate their success in the 1930 and 1931 seasons.
Don Hutson’s arrival signaled a new era of dominance for the Packers, as they put together the most-feared offensive lineup of the time. The man was a football genius; he is credited with inventing the pass patterns and led the league in receptions in eight seasons and interceptions in one. His presence spurred the Packers to another three titles in 1936, 1939 and 1944.
Hutson’s retirement signaled a slide in fortunes for the Packers and they had unsuccessful seasons for the next decade or so. Their 1958 campaign was the worst in Franchise history, with the team posting a disastrous 1-10-1 mark.
In 1959, the packers signed Vince Lombardi as the head coach and general manager. They had in fact signed the man who would go on to be one of the all time great coaches in the NFL’s history. Under Lombardi, the team’s fortunes took a turn, and he led them to a staggering five championships over seven years. These championships also included winning the first two Super Bowls in history. By winning the first Super Bowl, the team managed a historic three-peat, the first of its kind.
Following Lombardi’s departure, the team had relatively very little success for the next twenty four seasons. However, things started changing with the arrival of Ron Wolf as general manager in 1991. He signed Mike Holmgren as the new coach, and the Packers acquired quarterback Brett Favre. This partnership went on to pay dividends, as the Packers made it to the Super Bowl in 1995. They lost to Dallas in the championship game that season, but the turnaround in fortunes was complete the next season, as the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI in 1996.
The Packers went on to win their fourth Super Bowl and thirteenth Championship overall in the 2010 season. Led by Coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in the Super Bowl. Rodgers was declared MVP for the game.
The team’s future looks bright, as they won their division once again last season. Despite not making it to the playoffs, the team looks hungry for success, and it will be interesting to see what the Packers will bring to the table this season.