From humble beginnings in a meatpacking town to thirteen NFL titles, discover how the community-owned Green Bay Packers defied the odds to become an enduring icon of American sports.
When people say the Green Bay Packers are one of the most historic franchises not just in the NFL, but in all of sports, they're not lying.
The Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major sports team in the United States. They can also trace their roots far back into NFL history, though.
Founded in August of 1919 by Earl "Curly" Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the Packers were originally funded and sponsored by Lambeau's employer, the Indian Packing Company, which later became the Acme Packing Company.
Lambeau was a shipping clerk for the meat packing company and in return for being able to use the company's athletic field plus $500 for equipment and jerseys, he named the team he founded the Packers.
They first played games in Hagemeister Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and then later at Bellevue Park. In 1925, the Packers played in City Stadium, which was shared with Green Bay East High School.
Historic Lambeau Field, built in 1956, was informally known as "New City Stadium" for its first eight seasons. In August of 1965, it was named after Lambeau, who had died two months before the renaming.
The Packers joined the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1921. In 1922, that league was renamed the National Football League. Only the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals can trace their NFL roots back further than the Packers (1920), but the Packers are the only franchise that has remained in its original location.
The Packers have won 13 league championships. That includes nine pre-Super Bowl NFL titles and four Super Bowl victories. Led by legendary head coach Vince Lombardi, the Packers won the first two Super Bowls.
The dang Super Bowl trophy is now named after Lombardi.
Few franchises are more important to their specific sport than the Packers are to football, and as he reflected on our country's milestone of a 250th birthday, team President and CEO Ed Policy equated the Packers' history to that of the country.
"As I think about all that's happened in the 250 years of American history, to see the Packers have been a part of that history for nearly 107 years is beyond gratifying," Policy recently wrote. "Since we were founded in 1919, dozens of football teams in small midwestern manufacturing towns fell by the wayside as professional football became a big business and cultural juggernaut. While the Akron Indians, Canton Bulldogs, and Muncie Flyers struggled to compete and ultimately closed up shop, Green Bay refused to let the Packers die. Much like our nation, we were underdogs from the start but have overcome all odds to compete on the greatest stage."
Policy's take on the Packers originally being underdogs is correct. In fact, Lambeau actually lost the franchise for a brief period of time in 1923 due to financial hardships.
To survive, he found several backers who helped the franchise become a publicly-owned, non-profit organization. Originally known as the Green Bay Football Corporation (now known as Green Bay Packers, Inc.), a stock sale helped the Packers raise $5,000.
What that meant is that the Packers had to have a board of directors as well as an executive committee, which is led by a team President. The very first team President was Andrew B. Turnbull, who was also the owner of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Policy is the 12th President in franchise history.
Sep 7, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; A general view during the flyover before the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Wm. Glasheen-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images.Policy was clear in his writing that he wasn't comparing the founding of the Packers to the life-or-death founding of the United States, but rather, men like Lambeau, Calhoun and Turnbull had similar character to that of George Washington and our nation's founding fathers.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Calhoun and Lambeau were fighting a life-or-death battle like Washington and the Continental Army in 1776. But Calhoun, Lambeau and all the leaders of the Packers organization have had common traits with those Founders – they were resilient and visionary," wrote Policy. "It's an indelible reminder of the responsibility the leaders of this organization have to this day, to be good stewards of our resources, staunch advocates, and fierce defenders of the Packers. If we do that well, we will continue to survive and thrive in the smallest market in pro sports to ensure we see America's 300th birthday."
As of 2025, the Packers are "owned" by 538,967 stockholders, many of which are fans.
Despite being in the smallest media market in all of North American professional sports, the Packers are one of the most famous and well-loved sports franchises in the world.
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