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The Green Bay Packers are one of the oldest and most storied franchises in the history of the National Football League. Formed in 1919 by Curly Lambeau, the team joined the league in 1921 and has won a record 12 championship titles. Green Bay is the only NFL team to win three league titles in a row, and they’ve done it twice. Since the NFL started using a playoff system in 1933, the Packers have reached the championship round 12 times, second only to the New York Football Giants.
Green Bay has won three times in the Super Bowl, including the first two contests ever held between the NFL and AFL champions. In 1967 the team beat the Kansas City Chiefs and the following year defeated the Oakland Raiders. In 1996 the Packers made their third Super Bowl run, beating the New England Patriots at the Superdome in New Orleans.
The team’s unique ownership structure also sets Green Bay apart from other professional franchises: it is the only publicly owned football team. A few thousand shareholders, including the Green Bay Press-Gazette, hold most of the control of the Green Bay Football Corporation. As part of the company’s charter, the shares do not increase in value, no dividends are ever paid, and no one is allowed to own more than 200,000 shares. Also, if the franchise were ever to be sold, all of the profits from the sale would go to the Green Bay Packers Foundation. These measures help ensure that the team will never be sold and will never move away from Green Bay, the smallest market by far of any franchise in the NFL.
Ownership issues aside, what keeps professional football in Green Bay has been the loyalty of the fans. Lambeau Field has been sold out on a season-ticket basis since 1960, and the waiting list for season tickets is more than 74,000 names long. Many fans bequeath their tickets to relatives in their wills. With loyal fans at home and around the country, the Packers also travel well: you’ll find large sections of Green & Gold cheering on their team at most away games.
Green Bay Packers 12 Championship Seasons
| Year | Record | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 12-0-1 | ||
| 1930 | 10-3-1 | ||
| 1931 | 12-2 | ||
| 1936 | 10-1-1 | Boston Redskins | 21-6 |
| 1939 | 9-2 | New York Giants | 27-0 |
| 1944 | 8-2 | New York Giants | 14-7 |
| 1961 | 11-3 | New York Giants | 37-0 |
| 1962 | 13-1 | New York Giants | 16-7 |
| 1965 | 10-3-1 | Cleveland Browns | 23-12 |
| 1966 | 12-2 | Dallas Cowboys | 34-27 |
| 1967 | 9-4-1 | Dallas Cowboys | 21-17 |
| 1996 | 13-3 | New England Patriots | 35-21 |