Green Bay Packers History cont...
Notable Players continued below
Green Bay Packers Pro Bowlers
Indian Packing Company, who gave him the money to fund his team. Combining Green Bay with the Packing company, hence the name Green Bay Packers was born; this is an interesting aspect of Green Bay Packers history considering it the oldest team name that is still being used.
In 1920, the Packers joined the new national pro football league, which survived only a year due to their financial problems. The next year, Lambeau acquired new funding, and the Green Bay Football Corporation was formed. The Packers immediately became a force to be reckoned with in professional football. A significant accomplishment in Green Bay Packers history is their 12 league championship wins, which is the most in NFL franchise history by any one team. Three of those championships are credited as Super Bowls. In addition, Green Bay Packers history also includes three straight NFL titles twice, in 1929, 1930, and 1931, and again in 1965, 66, and 67, which is an NFL record.
In the 1960s, Vince Lombardi accepted the coaching position and the team won five league championships during his era. In 1968, Lombardi became the General Manager, and Phil Bengtson was chosen as the next head coach. Lombardi then left Green Bay in 1969, subsequently became head coach of the Redskins, and unfortunately died in 1970. The Super Bowl trophy was named after Vince Lombardi and the road that goes by Lambeau Field in Green Bay was named after him to honor this legendary man. They had 5 winning seasons between 1968 and 1991, and had two playoff appearances. They had five different head coaches and many changes in their roster, which may have been attributed to the lack of structure and poor drafting choices.
In 1992, the arrival of Brett Favre brought Green Bay Packers history into a new era. Brett Favre's numerous victories and triumphs, helped boost the sales of Green Bay Packers tickets, memorabilia and merchandise. Favre started 271 consecutive games for the Packers, an NFL record that the Packers can add to their laundry list of accomplishments. After picking up Reggie White for defense, the team took off again. They have had several winning seasons, played in a numerous championship games and eventually made it to Super Bowl XXXI. They returned to Super Bowl XXXII, but ended up losing to John Elway and his Denver Broncos in a close game.
The Green Bay Packers made history once again in the 2007 season, appearing in the NFC Championship game for the first time in 10 years. The sales of Green Bay Packers memorabilia soared and especially those items related to their Super Bowl run. In addition, anything that Brett Favre contributed to, including Green Bay Packers autographed items, was extremely popular among fans of all ages. The biggest controversy of the Green Bay Packers history came in 2008, when Brett Favre retired, and then requested to be reinstated in that same year. His reinstatement was granted, but was then traded to the New York Jets. That season, the Packers came out with a 6-10 record, but despite those struggles, Green Bay Packers team supporters are still considered as some of the most loyal fans in the league.
Autographed Collectibles |
Photomints and Coins |
Apparel |
Pro Bowlers #
| | Forrest Gregg | 9 |
| | 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, |
| | Jim Ringo | 7 |
| | 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 |
| | Willie Wood | 8 |
| | 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 |
| | Willie Davis | 5 |
| | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| | Brett Favre | 9 |
| | 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, |
| | Herb Adderley | 5 |
| | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| | Sterling Sharpe | 5 |
| | 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
| | Reggie White | 6 |
| | 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| | Gale Gillingham | 5 |
| | 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| | James Lofton | 7 |
| | 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| | Jim Taylor | 5 |
| | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 |
**This list includes those who have were invited to 5 or more Pro Bowls
Pro Bowlers #
| | Forrest Gregg | 9 |
| | 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, |
| | Jim Ringo | 7 |
| | 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 |
| | Willie Wood | 8 |
| | 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 |
| | Willie Davis | 5 |
| | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| | Brett Favre | 9 |
| | 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, |
| | Herb Adderley | 5 |
| | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| | Sterling Sharpe | 5 |
| | 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
| | Reggie White | 6 |
| | 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| | Gale Gillingham | 5 |
| | 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| | James Lofton | 7 |
| | 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| | Jim Taylor | 5 |
| | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 |
**This list includes those who have were invited to 5 or more Pro Bowls
Pro Bowlers #
| | Forrest Gregg | 9 |
| | 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, |
| | Jim Ringo | 7 |
| | 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 |
| | Willie Wood | 8 |
| | 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 |
| | Willie Davis | 5 |
| | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| | Brett Favre | 9 |
| | 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, |
| | Herb Adderley | 5 |
| | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 |
| | Sterling Sharpe | 5 |
| | 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
| | Reggie White | 6 |
| | 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| | Gale Gillingham | 5 |
| | 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| | James Lofton | 7 |
| | 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| | Jim Taylor | 5 |
| | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 |
**This list includes those who have were invited to 5 or more Pro Bowls
Notable Players
Herb Adderley was drafted by the Packers with the intentions to be another star running back. This would be tough spot to grab considering the current talent at that position; Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung, both future Hall of Famers. Packers coach Vince Lombardi recognized Adderly’s talents and placed him in a backup role for the cornerback position on defense. Once the Hank Gremminger became injured, Adderley took advantage of the opportunity given to him half way through the season. The rest is Green Bay Packers history; Adderley won All-NFL honors four times and had five Pro Bowl appearances. Many publications note Herb’s interception total, 48 over his 12-years in the NFL and over 1,000 return yards with 7 touchdowns to his credit. To give you an idea of how important Adderly’s performance was to the game, Lombardi was once quoted as saying, “I was too stubborn to switch him to defense until I had to,” then went on to say, “Now when I think of what Adderley means to our defense, it scares me to think of how I almost mishandled him.” Even though Willie Davis had a slow start in his first year, once he was traded to Green Bay from Cleveland his career was reborn. Willie had amazing dedication to the game considering he played 162 games straight, not missing a single game; this was his entire 12 year career, 10 of those years with the Packers. Similar to Adderley, Davis also won All-NFL numerous times, a total of 5 from 1962 to 1967. He recovered 21 opponents’ fumbles over his 12 year stint, almost beating the NFL record. Willie attended five Pro Bowls and enjoyed six divisional titles, along with the other Packer greats of his time. Another dedicated Green Bay Packer player was Forrest Gregg, known for his exceptional work ethic, which included playing 188 consecutive games. This number earned him the title “iron-man”, a name that spread throughout the league. Gregg earned his right to 8 different Pro Bowls and selected as All-NFL eight years in a row. Forrest was initially slated for right tackle when he was drafted in 1956, but easily took over in the offensive guard position when necessary. Forrest Gregg quickly learned that defensive ends were often too big and ferocious, so he watched tapes of each one and eventually learned how to finesse his way into stopping some of the largest guys in the league. Vince Lombardi was so impressed with Forrest Gregg, in his book he said, "Forrest Gregg is the finest player I ever coached!”