|
|
|
|
|
Green Bay PackersNote: Basketball teams from Chicago and Anderson once used the name Packers as well. The Green Bay Packers are a National Football League team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. - Founded: 1919. Joined the NFL in 1921.
- Formerly known as: Acme Packers
- Home stadium: Lambeau Field
- Uniform colors: Green, gold and white
- Helmet design: Yellow background, with a white "G" in a green oval
- League championships won: Before playoff system (by league standing) 1929, 1930, 1931, since playoff system 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1996
- Super Bowl Appearances: - I (won), II (won); League Championships - XXXI (won), XXXII (lost)
Franchise history The Green Bay Packers were founded on August 11, 1919. Curly Lambeau, the team's founder, solicited funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. Although the Indian Packing Company only supported the team through part of its first season, the Green Bay football club has always been known as the Packers. Lambeau, a Notre Dame alum, chose the teams' colors of blue and gold/yellow from his alma mater. The colors where later changed to the current green and gold/yellow. The Packers became a professional franchise in 1921. Financial troubles plagued the team and the franchise was lost the same year. The Packers found new backers the next year and regained the franchise. The financial backers, known as the "Hungry Five," formed the Green Bay Football Corporation. The Packers are now the only publicly owned company with shares to buy and sell and a board of directors in American professional sports. The typical scenario is a team owned by one person; thus, a "team owner." It has been speculated that this is one of the reasons the Green Bay Packers have never been moved from the city of Green Bay, a city of just over 100,000 people. By comparison, the typical NFL football city must be populated in the millions to support a team. However, the Packers have long had a large following throughout the state of Wisconsin; in fact, for decades, the Packers played several home games each year in Milwaukee. The Packers did not move their entire home schedule to Green Bay until 1995. Based on the original 'Articles of Incorporation for the (then) Green Bay Football Corporation' put into place in 1923, if the Packers franchise was sold, after the payment of all expenses, any remaining monies would go to the Sullivan-Wallen Post of the American Legion in order to build "a proper soldier's memorial." This stipulation was enacted to ensure that the club remained in Green Bay and that there could never be any financial enhancement for the shareholder. The beneficiary was changed from the Sullivan-Wallen Post to the Green Bay Packers Foundation on the basis of a shareholder vote at the November, 1997 meeting. In 1950, the Packers held a stock sale to again raise money to support the team. In 1956 area voters approved the construction of a new stadium, which would later be called Lambeau Field. Another stock sale occurred late in 1997 and early in 1998. It added 105,989 new shareholders and raised more than $24 million, monies which were utilized for the Lambeau Field redevelopment project. Priced at $200 per share, fans bought 120,010 shares during the 17-week sale, which ended March 16, 1998. Presently, 111,507 people (representing 4,748,910 shares) can lay claim to a franchise ownership interest. Shares of stock include voting rights, but the redemption price is minimal, no dividends are ever paid, the stock cannot appreciate in value, and there are no season ticket privileges associated with stock ownership. No shareholder is allowed to own more than 200,000 shares, a safeguard to ensure that no one individual is able to assume control of the club. As a means of running the corporation, a board of directors is elected by the stockholders. The board of directors in turn elect a seven-member Executive Committee (officers) of the corporation, consisting of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and three members-at-large. The president is the only officer who receives compensation. The balance of the committee is sitting gratis. The Packers have won more league championships (twelve, including two world championships) than any other professional football team. They are also the only professional football team to win three straight titles, which they did twice (1929, 1930, 1931, and 1965, 1966, 1967). The Green Bay Packers of the 1960s were one of the most dominant NFL teams of all time. Coach Vince Lombardi took over a last-place team and built it into a juggernaut, winning five league championships over a seven-year span. Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls. The Super Bowl trophy was ultimately named the Vince Lombardi Trophy in recognition of his and his team's accomplishment. In recent decades, the Packers have found themselves with an extremely dedicated fan base. No matter how good or poor the season, Lambeau Field has been a sellout every game for years; the Packers have one of the longest waiting lists for season tickets in professional sports. The current wait time for season tickets is approximately 35 years. That is, someone who entered their name on the waiting list for Packers season tickets in 1970 is just now coming to the top of the list in 2004. For this reason, it is not unusual for parents to will their Packers tickets to next-of-kin. The Packers also draw the largest national TV audiences for the NFL's Monday Night Football telecasts. Packers fans are commonly known as "cheeseheads," presumably because Wisconsin is known for its cheese production. To poke fun at this nickname, they wear foam triangles made to look like cheese on their heads, which further re-enforces the "cheesehead" designation. Coaches Players of note Current stars Retired numbers Not to be forgotten: External link
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|