There are many interesting Green Bay Packers facts worth knowing, but the ones we’ve outlined below on this page are the essential ones that every fan should be keenly aware of.
The Packers have been in existence since 1919, but have been in the NFL since 1921.
Green Bay’s all-time record is 756-574-38. The Packers’ all-time playoff record is 35-23.
Six numbers have been retired from the franchise: Tony Canadeo (No. 3), Don Hutson (No. 14), Bart Starr (No. 15), Ray Nitschke (No. 66), Reggie White (No. 92) and Brett Favre (No. 4). However no one has worn No. 1 since Curly Lambeau did in the 1920s.
The Packers’ 26 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, with main contributions granted to Green Bay, are the second-most in NFL history. The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame has 162 members featuring players, coaches, General Managers, executives, photographers, journalists, broadcasters and contributors among others).
The team was named after the Indian Packing Company, the team’s first financial backer (later the Acme Packing Company). The meat-packing industry was a major part of Green Bay’s economy when the franchise was founded and blue-collar workers still represent the majority of the city’s workforce today.
Green Bay has had 15 head coaches in its history. The average tenure of a Packers head coach is 7.14 years. For perspective, the Detroit Lions’ average tenure of a head coach is just 3.30 years. It seems evident that stability breeds consistency and consistency breeds success. We’ll see how long Matt LaFleur is the guy in Green Bay; we hope he exceeds the Packers’ average seven-year tenure.
Championships
Speaking of success, the Green Bay Packers have won the most World Championships in NFL history (13). Six came under Curly Lambeau’s coaching (1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944) and five came while Vince Lombardi was leading the team (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967). The 1966 and 1967 championships were the first two Super Bowls in NFL history.
The NFL’s Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi. Every year it is every franchise’s goal to lift up the trophy named after the Packers legend.
Green Bay’s next Super Bowl victory came in 1996 under Mike Holmgren’s direction and the franchise’s most-recent Super Bowl victory came in 2010 under current-Head Coach Mike McCarthy.
No other franchise in NFL history has ever won three consecutive championships, the Packers have done so twice. As of 2016, the Packers have won nine Conference Championships all-time (1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1996, 1997, 2010).
Green Bay has made the playoffs 31 times, the most in NFL history tied with the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. From 1961-1967 the Packers won nine-consecutive playoff games (the longest streak in franchise history).
Facilities
The team has played at Lambeau Field, originally named “New” City Stadium, since 1957 — the longest any team has been in it’s current stadium in the NFL. The stadium holds 81,435 people and is the third-largest stadium in the league (fourth including the temporarily-used Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum). From 1933 until 1994, the Packers played at least two home games in Milwaukee.
From 1925-1956 the Packers played at City Stadium, a horseshoe style stadium, that reached a top capacity of 25,000. Green Bay went 88-41-7 at City Stadium and won six World Championships with it as the home field. Prior to 1925 the team played home games Hagemeister Park (1919-1922) and Bellevue Park (1923-1924).
The Packers have been lodging at St. Norbert College for training camp since 1958; it is the longest any team has been housed in one location for training camp in the NFL.
For practices the Packers use two outdoor fields: Clarke Hinkle Field (opened in 1958) and Ray Nitschke Field (opened 1997). Nitschke Field is considered by many to be the premier outdoor practice field in the country and it is complete with bleachers that hold roughly 1,500 people.
The team also uses the indoor Don Hutson Center (opened 1994), the largest component of the Packers’ practice facilities.
In 2016, ground broke on the newest expansion of the Lambeau Field complex — the “Titletown District.” It features an open-year-round public plaza, including a park, full-size football field, sledding hill and ice-skating rink. Dining, drinking and retail amenities can be enjoyed, too.
It is conveniently located one block away from the stadium across S Ridge Rd. It undoubtedly adds to the aura of Lambeau Field and makes it even more of a whole weekend full of attractions when you come catch a game.
However the area as a whole can be enjoyed any day of the year and it has added a plethora of jobs to the community. It’s an ode to this team’s impact on the community and is, in our opinion, perfectly named.
The city of Green Bay has long deserved an area like this new business and entertainment district and the proximity to the stadium could not have been more perfect.
Over the next few years even more businesses and attractions will be added to the “Titletown District”.
We cannot wait to see what’s added next; have you walked through it yet?
Most Valuable Players
The city of Green Bay is home to the most AP MVP Award winners in NFL history. Eight times a Green Bay Packers player has won the ultimate single-season individual honor. Paul Hornung (1961), Jim Taylor (1962), Bart Starr (1966), Brett Favre (1995, 1996, 1997) and Aaron Rodgers (2011, 2014) have all taken home the award. The Colts franchise has more total AP MVP Awards (9), but those are split between Baltimore and Indianapolis. That said, Don Hutson won the Joe F. Carr Trophy in 1941 and 1942 and most NFL historians consider that award the official precursor to the AP MVP Award — giving the Packers’ franchise the most NFL MVP winning seasons all-time (10).
Brett Favre is the only player in NFL history to win three consecutive AP MVP Awards, which is second-most in league history behind Peyton Manning (5).
The Green Bay Packers are the first franchise in NFL history to feature three AP MVP Award winners playing on the same team, or in the same backfield, at the same time (Starr, Taylor, Hornung).
Starr is the team’s only two-time Super Bowl MVP (1966 and 1967) and Desmond Howard is the NFL’s only special teams player to ever win the Super Bowl MVP award (1996). Rodgers is the team’s newest Super Bowl MVP (2010).
Quarterbacks
Five years after Aaron Rodgers retires the Green Bay Packers will be the only franchise in NFL history to boast three Pro Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl champion, AP MVP quarterbacks (with Starr and Favre). In fact, no other franchise will be even remotely close to this mark for quite some time. Although it should be mentioned, Arnie Herber (1930-1940) was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was a World Champion quarterback for the Packers, too.
Green Bay’s history at the quarterback position, from the ancient days of football to the present day, is unmatched. Even in the 1920s Green Bay was making waves around the league at the quarterback position, as Curly Lambeau helped bring the forward pass to the game.
The longest starting streak in NFL history belongs to Brett Favre (297 games). He never missed a game while playing for the Packers (253 games).
The GOAT: Don Hutson
Hutson held the NFL’s all-time receiving touchdown record (99 touchdowns) for 44 years, well into the modern era of professional football. From 1945-1989 no player ever caught more touchdown passes than Hutson; he was clearly the first great modern receiver in league history. Steve Largent was the man that first passed Hutson’s magical mark.
Seven times Hutson led the NFL in receiving yards. Eight times he led the NFL in receptions. Nine times he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns. He was the first player in league history to score 100 total touchdowns (with 105 in his career). His 1942 season is the greatest season in NFL history; in 12 games he caught 74 passes for 17 touchdowns and 1,211 yards (averaging 110.1 receiving yards per game). He intercepted seven passes in 1942 as well.
No one has ever dominated a position in the NFL like Hutson did from 1935-1945. Not even Jerry Rice. Not Peyton Manning. Not Lawrence Taylor. No one.
Unbelievably, he registered 30 interceptions in his career and led the NFL with six interceptions in 1940, too. The eight-time First Team All-Pro player even kicked field goals for the team, sometimes returning kicks. He scored two rushing touchdowns and threw a touchdown in his career, too. Amazingly, he is credited with just one fumble in his career.
Hutson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 1963. As of 2016, he is still in the top-10 in the NFL’s all-time receiving touchdown list. In all 11 seasons with the Packers he led the team in touchdowns.
Free Agency
Reggie White was the first free agent signing in Green Bay Packers history in 1993 (and the largest in NFL history). He helped lead the Packers to a Super Bowl championship in 1996 and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1998.
Similarly, Charles Woodson was signed as a free agent in 2006 and also won the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2009 and helped Green Bay win a title in 2010.
They’re the only two players in Green Bay history to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Packers don’t often use free agency to build their team, but when they do sign big-name defensive players, they have hit the lottery multiple times. They’re both legends in Green Bay.
It should also be noted that Green Bay signed free agent Julius Peppers in 2014 and, in three years with the team, he led the Packers with 25 sacks, including the playoffs (Clay Matthews was second over that time). He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and, in his short time in Green Bay, he forced 12 fumbles, recovered four, and intercepted two passes — returning both for touchdowns. If they would have won a ring, he’d be a legendary name, too.
Heading into the 2019 season GM Brian Gutekunst went all out in free agency, also on the defensive side of the ball. He brought in outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith as well as safety Adrian Amos. Could these men be the next set of legendary defensive free agent pick-ups?
Za’Darius Smith, known as “Z”, is well on his way to becoming the next transcendent defensive free agent signing.
The Packers, when they make moves in free agency, often do so on the defensive side of the ball. We’ll see how this newest batch of players perform in the coming years.
Random Facts
- The Green Bay Packers can never have a majority owner
- The team has no official cheerleaders and uses primarily collegiate squads
- The “Tundra Line” is the Packers’ official drum-line, known for performing at tailgates
- The Packers’ official song is, “Go! You Packers Go!”
- The Lumberjack Band was the team’s original marching band, formed in 1921
- Most points scored in a game: 57 against the Detroit Lions in 1945
- Most points scored in a game (both teams): 95 against the Washington “Redskins” in 1983 (on Monday Night Football)
- Longest winning streak in team history: 15 games (2010-2011)
- Most consecutive games without a loss: 23 games (1928-1930)
- Most consecutive victories at home: 25 games (1995-1998)
- Nine times the Packers have led the NFL in scoring: 1931, 1936-1938, 1961-1962, 1996, 2011 and 2014
- The most seasons played in Green Bay: 16 (Bart Starr and Brett Favre)
- Don Hutson led the league in scoring five times (NFL record) and Paul Hornung did so three times, second-most in team history
- Most touchdowns in a single-season: 20 (Ahman Green, 2003)
- Most touchdowns in a single-season including playoffs: 23 (Aaron Jones, 2019)
- Longest reception in Packers History: 99 Yards (Robert Brooks, 1995)
- Longest rush in Packers History: 98 Yards (Ahman Green, 2003)
- Most sacks in a single game: 5 (Vonnie Holliday, 2002)
- Most points scored in a single game: 33 Points (Paul Hornung, 1961)
- Most points scored in a single quarter: 29 Points (Don Hutson, 1945)
- Most points scored in Packers History: 1,575 Points (K Mason Crosby)
If you ever find yourself at a Packers Bar Trivia Night perhaps these facts will come in handy. If you’d like to know any other random facts that you cannot find, please feel free to email us at packershistory@gmail.com and I’ll gladly research it and let you know the answer.