1919 Green Bay Packers season

NFL team season (inaugural)

1919 Green Bay Packers season

Head coach|

* Curly Lambeau
* Willard Ryan

[note 1]
Home stadium| Hagemeister Park
Results
Record| 10–1

* Packers seasons
* 1920 ->

The 1919 Green Bay Packers season was their first season of competitive football. The team was formed by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun with help from the Indian Packing Company. Lambeau served as team captain, the position closest related to the modern position of head coach, while Willard Ryan served as the official head coach.[1] The club posted a 10–1 record against other teams in Wisconsin and Michigan.

## Founding

[edit]

The original Packers

According to traditional accounts, Curly Lambeau, a standout high school football player, made Knute Rockne's varsity Notre Dame team in his freshman year, only to resign after a severe case of tonsillitis. Still wanting to play football, a casual conversation with George Calhoun, editor of the Press-Gazette, in the Summer of 1919 convinced him to organize his own team. In the succeeding weeks, Calhoun ran advertisements in the Press-Gazette inviting prospective players to join the team.[2] On August 11, local athletes came together in the editorial room at the Press-Gazette building and formed the team that would become the Green Bay Packers.[3]

While the Packer organization recognizes 1919 as the year this town team was founded, a number of sources show that the 1919 team succeeded teams organized on an annual basis since 1896. Lambeau organized the team in 1919 and brought it to the NFL in 1921 but the tradition of football in Green Bay goes back to 1896,[4] earlier than any other NFL team, including the 1898 Racine St. Cardinals in Chicago.[5]

## Sponsorship

[edit]

Since the team needed funds for uniforms and equipment, Lambeau entered an agreement with his employer, the Indian Packing Company. The company provided $500 and Lambeau agreed to name the team after it. At first the team was denoted the "Green Bay Indians" but by the end of the year the press was referring to the team as the Packers. The company also allowed the team to use an open lot on company property for practices three times a week.[2]

## Home field

[edit]

The Packers played their home games in Hagemeister Park, a vacant lot next to East High. There were no bleachers and fans could watch the game for free, walking along the sideline next to the line of scrimmage. The field was sectioned off by ropes although the fans sometimes entered the field of play during particularly exciting parts of the game. At halftime, the players would gather in the endzone to discuss strategy and the fans would often join the discussion. To pay player salaries, a hat was passed around the crowd for donations. The Packers played 8 games at Hagemeister Park in their first season.[6]

## Season results

[edit]

The Packers finished the season with a record of 10–1, only losing to the Beloit Fairies 6–0 in a questionable loss where the Beloit hometown referee, George Zabel, called back two Packer touchdowns on consecutive plays at the end of the game.[7] Apart from the Beloit loss, they only allowed one other team to score, Racine Iroquois. For the 1919 season, they placed first among all professional teams in Wisconsin.[8] Their first ever road game occurred on Oct 19, 1919, at Ishpeming, MI.[9]

Game  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Location

|
|
|
|
|

1  | September 14  | Menominee North End A.C.  | W 53–0  | 1–0  | Hagemeister Park
2  | September 21  | Marinette Northerners  | W 61–0  | 2–0  | Hagemeister Park
3  | September 28  | New London  | W 54–0  | 3–0  | Hagemeister Park
4  | October 5  | Sheboygan Company C  | W 87–0  | 4–0  | Hagemeister Park
5  | October 12  | Racine Iroquois  | W 76–6  | 5–0  | Hagemeister Park
6  | October 19  | at Ishpeming  | W 33–0  | 6–0  | Ishpeming, MI
7  | October 26  | Oshkosh Professionals  | W 85–0  | 7–0  | Hagemeister Park
8  | November 2  | Milwaukee Maple Leaf A.C.  | W 53–0  | 8–0  | Hagemeister Park
9  | November 9  | Chicago Chilar A.C.  | W 46–0  | 9–0  | Hagemeister Park
10  | November 16  | at Stambaugh Miners  | W 17–0  | 10–0  | Stambaugh, MI
11  | November 23  | at Beloit Fairies  | L 0–6  | 10–1  | Beloit, WI

* Source[10]

## Roster

[edit]

Player Name

Nate Abrams
Henry "Tubby" Bero
"Bradlee"
Jim Coffeen
John Des Jardins
Dutch Dwyer
Riggie Dwyer
Jen Gallager
Fritz Gavin
Wally Ladrow
Curly Lambeau
Wes Leaper
Herman Martell
Al Martin
Orlo McLean
Andy Muldoon
Herbert Nichols
Al Petcka
Sammy Powers
Gus Rosenow
Charlie Sauber
Cowboy Wheeler
Milt Wilson
Martin Zoll
Carl Zoll

[11]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Curly Lambeau served as team captain during the 1919 season, while Willard Ryan served as head coach. In the early 1900s, the position of team captain was more closely related to the modern position of head coach, which is why the Packers consider Lambeau to be the first coach.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Lambeau's status as Packers' first coach debated". The Sheboygan Press (clipping). Associated Press. January 10, 2004. p. B4. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b "History of the Green Bay Packers". PackersNews.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008.
3. ^ "Packers.com » History » Birth of a Team & a Legend". Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
4. ^ "Packers born in 1919, not 1921". Packers.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
5. ^ Names, Larry (1987). The History of the Green Bay Packers. Wautoma, Wisconsin: Angel Press of Wisconsin. pp. 25–27\. ISBN 0-939995-00-X.
6. ^ LambeauField.com » Stadium Info » History » Packers Stadium History Archived April 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ "100 Years Ago Today, the Green Bay Packers' Perfect Inaugural Season was Spoiled by Fairies". November 24, 2019.
8. ^ Green Bay Packers
9. ^ "TWIN CITY MEETS DEFEAT: Ishpeming-Negaunee Eleven Lost by 33 to 0 Score to Green Bay". ishhistsoc.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011., Iron Ore newspaper, Oct 1919; via Ishpeming Historical Society
10. ^ "1919 Green Bay Packers - Pro Football Archives".
11. ^ "The 1919 and 1920 Green Bay Packers – Independent Football". Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Cliff Christl, The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packers, 1919–2019. 4 volumes. Stevens Point, WI: KCI Sports Publishing, 2021.
* Larry D. Names, The History of the Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years, Part One. Wautoma, WI: Angel Press of Wisconsin, 1987.
* Arch Ward, The Green Bay Packers. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1946.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to 1919 Green Bay Packers season at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
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Green Bay Packers

* Founded in 1919
* Based and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Franchise|

Overview

* Team
* Green Bay Packers, Inc.
* Charitable Foundation
* Season-by-season results

|

Notable people|

Founders

* Curly Lambeau & George Whitney Calhoun

|

Personnel

* Coaches
* General managers
* Presidents

Players

* Lists of players
* All-Anniversary Team selections
* All-Decade Team selections
* All-Pro selections
* All-Rookie Team selections
* All-time roster
* Award winners
* Draft history
* Picks, 1936 to 1969
* Picks, 1970 to present
* First-round picks
* Hall of Famers
* Pro Bowlers
* Retired numbers
* Starting quarterbacks
* Team Hall of Fame
* Team records

Facilities|

Stadiums

* List of stadiums
* Current: Lambeau Field
* Past: Hagemeister Park
* Bellevue Park
* City Stadium
* Borchert Field
* Wisconsin State Fair Park
* Marquette Stadium
* Milwaukee County Stadium

|

Other

* Clarke Hinkle Field
* Don Hutson Center
* Ray Nitschke Field
* Rockwood Lodge (former)
* St. Norbert College (training camp)
* Titletown District

Team history|

General

* History
* Home games in Milwaukee
* The Hungry Five
* Indian Packing Company
* Packers Heritage Trail

|

Culture

* "Bang the Drum All Day"
* Bart Starr Award
* Cheerleaders
* Cheese League
* Cheesehead
* Dolly Gray impostor
* Fight song
* Lambeau Leap
* Lumberjack Band
* Packers sweep
* Receiver (statue)

Notable games

* 1940 NFL All-Star Game
* 1965 NFL playoffs
* 1967 NFL playoffs
* 1982 Los Angeles Rams–Green Bay Packers game
* 1997 NFC Championship Game
* 2009 NFC Wild Card playoff game
* 2013 Green Bay Packers–Dallas Cowboys game
* 2014 NFC Championship Game
* 2019 NFC Divisional playoff game
* 2019 NFC Championship Game
* 2020 NFC Championship Game
* 4th and 26
* Dez Caught It
* Fail Mary
* Favre's Dad Game
* Hail Larry
* Instant Replay Game
* Matt Flynn Game
* Miracle in Motown
* Snow Globe Game
* The Catch II
* The Ice Bowl
* The Snow Bowl
* We want the ball and we're going to score!

Rivalries

* Chicago Bears
* Dallas Cowboys
* Detroit Lions
* Minnesota Vikings
* New York Giants
* San Francisco 49ers
* Seattle Seahawks
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Championships|

Division (21)

* 1936
* 1938
* 1939
* 1944
* 1967
* 1972
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2007
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2016
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021

|

Conference (9)

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1996
* 1997
* 2010

League (13†)

* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1936
* 1939
* 1944
* 1961
* 1962
* 1965
* 1966 (I)
* 1967 (II)
* 1996 (XXXI)
* 2010 (XLV)

Media|

Radio

* Packers Radio Network (WIXX in Green Bay, WRNW in Milwaukee)

|

Television

* WGBA-TV
* WTMJ-TV
* Spectrum News 1 WI

Personnel

* Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play)
* Larry McCarren (color/analysis)

Related

* Driven
* Instant Replay
* Lombardi (film)
* Lombardi (play)
* Pigskin Champions
* Pitch Perfect 2
* Second Effort
* That '70s Show
* The 60 Yard Line
* When Pride Still Mattered

Current affiliations|

Division

* North Division (2002–present)

|

Conference

* National Football Conference (1970–present)

League

* National Football League (1921–present)

† does not include 1966 or 1967 NFL championships

* v
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Green Bay Packers seasons

* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory
Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance

* v
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Green Bay Packers 1919 inaugural season roster

* Nate Abrams
* Henry "Tubby" Bero
* "Bradlee"
* Jim Coffeen
* John Des Jardin
* Dutch Dwyer
* Riggie Dwyer
* Jen Gallager
* Fritz Gavin
* Wally Ladrow
* Curly Lambeau
* Wes Leaper
* Herm Martell
* Al Martin
* Orlo McLean
* Andy Muldoon
* Herbert Nichols
* Al Petcka
* Sammy Powers
* Gus Rosenow
* Charlie Sauber
* Cowboy Wheeler
* Milt Wilson
* Martin Zoll
* Carl Zoll

Head coach: Curly Lambeau

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