Certainly one of the most recognizable team names in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers are also one of the most successful franchises in the history of the organization as well. The Packers were one of the founding members of the NFL in 1919 and have the distinction of being the only franchise that is non-profit and owned by the community. The non-profit and community owned status has allowed the Packers to survive as a small market team in the NFL which were quite common in the first two decades of their existence.
From a town that is so small compared to the major cities where NFL franchises are located today, the Packers have won a record 13 NFL Championships that include four Super Bowls. Plus, their establishment in the North Division of the NFL has allowed them to engage in one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.
Super Bowl Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 5/4 |
| New England Patriots | 19/10 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11/2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 13/2 |
The Packers are currently the 3rd favorite to the win the Super Bowl. Both the Seahawks and Patriots have lower odds, and that’s great news for Packers fan! It means that you’re getting a great price on Green Bay because Las Vegas thinks both Seattle and New England have a better shot at winning.
What this means is that you should bet on the Packers now before tomorrow’s game. If Green Bay wins tomorrow, their Super Bowl odds are going to drop and you’ll never get as good a bet as you can on them right now… Thinking about it this goes for all these teams.
The History of the Green Bay Packers
George Whitney Calhoun and Earl “Curly” Lambeau founded the Packers in 1919 as part of what would become the NFL, although in terms of team history they can trace back their roots to 1896. The very name “Packers” comes from the Indian Packing Company, the employer of Lambeau of whom he solicited the funds in order to get the uniforms for the team. The $500 contribution has allowed the Packers name to be sealed into immortality even though the actual company was bought out just two years after it made its donation.
Curly Lambeau was the first coach of the team as well, managing to guide the franchise through the 1920s with some success, but his breakout year was 1920 when his squad managed to go undefeated with a 12 – 0 – 1 record and recording a remarkable 8 shutouts during that run. This was the first of three championships that Lambeau would win in a row, a feat that was not to be duplicated for another thirty years.
There were many great players were at Green Bay during that time, but arguably the most remarkable feat was the streak of 30 consecutive home wins which is an NFL record that still stands to this day. So great were Lambeau’s accomplishments that his stature in Green Bay history is sealed with the very field being named after him, even though many people outside of Green Bay might not know his accomplishments.
Lambeau would go on to win the Packers three more NFL championships in 1936, 1939 and 1944 thanks in large part to Don Hutson, one of the most remarkable players in NFL history. Hutson actually invented pass patterns which before were virtually unheard of in the NFL. During his time with the Packers, Hutson set 18 NFL records, some of which still stand today and became a charter member of Hall of Fame in 1963.
After Hutson retired in 1946, Curly Lambeau could not find any more success with the team and retired in 1949. Over the next decade the Packers skidded down to becoming one of the worst franchises in the history of the league, garnering a meager 1 – 10 – 1 record in 1958 which resulted in the firing of their head coach and the hiring of an assistant from the New York Giants named Vince Lombardi.
While Lombardi’s task was large, he somehow managed to turn the team around immediately and earn a 7 – 5 record in his initial season, the first winning season since Curly Lambeau retired. Lombardi managed to find a considerable amount of talent on both sides of the ball, but it was his emphasis on precision and perfection that led the Packers to a remarkable five NFL Championships.
Two years later, Lombardi won his first of two championships in a row when the Packers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 37 – 0. The following year, the Packers beat the New York Giants 16 – 7 and it seemed that a dynasty was being formed. However, the Packers could not make it back to the championship game until 1965 when they defeated the Cleveland Browns 23 – 12 and then completed the trifeca over the next two years with consecutive defeats of the Dallas Cowboys. The second game against the Cowboys was the famous “Ice Bowl” game which went into legendary status because of the brutal cold.
During the time that the Packers were playing the Cowboys, the AFL-NFL Championship Game or “Super Bowl” as it had been dubbed by the media had been created as a post-season match between the two rival leagues. The Packers managed to win both games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders respectively to become the first Super Bowl champions.
After Lombardi left the Packers following their second Super Bowl victory, the team fell into a slump that lasted for over 20 years with little on the field success and disastrous drafting choices that seemingly put the team at the bottom of the league.
However, in 1992 the Packers acquired Bart Farve as their quarterback and the team’s fortuned turned around sharply. Farve led the Packers into Super Bowl XXXI and defeated the New England Patriots 35 – 21 for their third Super Bowl victory. Although the Packers made it back to the Super Bowl the following year, they were defeated by the Denver Broncos 34 – 21.
Over the next decade, the Packers would continue to make the playoffs, but could not get back into the Super Bowl until 2010 with Aaron Rogers at the helm. Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Packers managed to peak at the right time and won 31 – 25, becoming the first sixth-seed in the playoffs to ever win a Super Bowl.
The fortunes of the Packers are still shining bright as the team has remained a perennial contender in the ensuring years. However, the most remarkable fact is that this team still exists being in the smallest market in the NFL. Thanks to a dedicated fan base that is second-to-none along with their non-profit, community based organization, they have remained quite competitive in the billion dollar world of the NFL.
Good Luck with all you’re NFL playoff and Super Bowl bets!
Thanks for reading 🙂
