Green Bay Packers - Greatest Sports Franchises

This is the oldest NFL team to remain in its original home city. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be continuing our series of the most successful sports franchises with a look at the Green Bay Packers. The team was founded in 1919 by Earl “Curly” Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. It was two years later that the Green Bay Packers joined the American Professional Football Association, which today is known as the National Football League. In an effort to come up with the funds necessary to field a team, Lambeau approached his employer who ended up contributing $500 for equipment and uniforms. The Indian Packing Company, however, donated the money on the condition the team be named after them. Today, the Packers is the oldest team name still in use in the NFL. In February 1959, the Packers hired New York Giants assistant coach Vince Lombardi as head coach and general manager. From then onwards, the Packers became the Team of the 60s. They won five world championships in seven years, led by quarterback Bart Starr and halfback Paul Hornung, as well as an impressive bunch on defense. For 25 years following Lombardi’s retirement, the team struggled with bad luck and ineptitude. This incompetence was galvanized with the team drafting offensive lineman Tony Mandarich second overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. He was chosen ahead of players like Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders and Derrick Thomas, all of whom went on to have incredible careers. After this series of failures, the team was retooled by new GM Ron Wolf. One of his first moves was to recruit San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren as the Packers’ new head coach. Wolf then traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Brett Favre. This quarterback stepped in for Don Majkowski in 1992, and then incredibly never missed a start until he left the team after the 2007 season. But, it wasn’t until the Packers managed to sign Reggie White in 1993 that the team was really on its way to reaching the top again, and it did with a Super Bowl win after the 1996 season. After the 2007 season, Brett Favre was let go in favor of up-and-coming prospect Aaron Rodgers. Favre moved to the NY Jets, and then to the Minnesota Vikings, and was treated with hostility by faithful Green Bay fans upon his return to Lambeau Field. Throughout their history, Green Bay has won 12 league titles, including nine NFL Championships and three Super Bowl victories. The Packers won the first-ever Super Bowl, played in 1967, and again the next year, and finally ended the ensuing drought by taking Super Bowl 31. This remains the NFL record for most championships won by one team. The Packers are also the only team to win three consecutive NFL titles twice. They accomplished this first in 1929-30-31 under Lambeau, and again for the 1965-66-67 seasons under Lombardi. The Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States. Regardless of how the team performs, the cheeseheads – as the team’s fans are known – are one of the most dedicated and loyal fanbases in all of professional sports. In fact, the team has one of the longest waiting lists for season tickets. With such a storied and historic team come traditions, and the Packers are no exception. The Lambeau Leap is where a Packers player jumps into the end-zone and stands in a post-touchdown celebration. While players and traditions come and go, what stands the test of time is the team itself, with the help of its unwavering fans.