1961 Pro Bowl Selections

The Green Bay Packers players that were selected for the “All-Star Pro-Bowl Game at Los Angeles” after the 1961 NFL title season are the subject of today’s post. No fewer than eight of Vince Lombardi’s men made the trip to join the Western Conference against the Eastern Conference on January 14, 1962. The “West” squad won by a score of 31-30 in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The Packers’ Henry Jordan (#74) was named the Western’s Most Valuable Player, while Cleveland’s Jim Brown was named MVP of the Eastern Conference.

1961 Packer Finances

Today we present a page from the September 3, 1962 Bishops Charities preseason game program. This was a re-match between the Packers and the New York Giants, who had squared off for the NFL title game nine months earlier in Green Bay. The Packers won that match-up 37-0. On the day this program was sold at the stadium, the Packers once again beat New York 20-17 in front of 38,669 fans.

The page we’re featuring today depicts the Packers’ administration and directors, etc., as well as the corporation’s finances for the year of 1961. Being the only “publicly” owned team in professional football, they make their finances known each year, whereas the other teams guard these items of information.

This is particularly interesting to anyone who is a Packers’ Shareholder today and sees the costs and income of the modern NFL compared to the early 1960’s.

The Administration in 1968

Finishing our posts from a 1968 game program, we see the Packers’ front office administration as it was the year that Lombardi retired from coaching and focused on being solely the general manager. What is curious is the listings of all the Packers’ ticket offices across Wisconsin, since games have been sold out to season ticket holders since 1960. Also shown is the Packers’ Executive Committee at the time, featuring some big names in Green Bay history.

Time Out

There will be a break in the blog through at least Sunday, due to travel.

The Phil Bengston Show

Here is an advertisement from a 1968 game program for “The Phil Bengston Show.” All of the coaches from at least back to Vince Lombardi have had their own television shows. Usually produced by a local Green Bay station, the shows aired weekly to review the last game and provide a preview look at the upcoming contest.

Bengtson was a native of Roseau, Minnesota, and played tackle under Bernie Bierman at the University of Minnesota during the 1930s. In 1934, he earned All-America honors with the Golden Gophers, working in tandem with a player who would go on to coaching immortality: quarterback Bud Wilkinson.

Bengtson took his first assistant coaching job at the Missouri in 1935, but soon returned to his alma mater as line coach, staying through the 1939 season. Beginning in 1940, he moved to Stanford where he served as an assistant coach for 12 years. Bengtson moved to the professional level in 1952 with the nearby San Francisco 49ers.

In seven seasons with the Niners, Bengtson would serve under three head coaches (Buck Shaw, Red Strader, Frankie Albert) before being dismissed with Albert after the 1958 season. Soon after, he was one of the first four assistants hired in Lombardi's first week with the Packers in early February 1959.
Phil Bengtson would be the only assistant coach to stay during the entire nine-year tenure of Lombardi (1959-1967). His work as defensive coordinator of the Packers established his coaching ability and put him in line to succeed Lombardi. From 1961-67, the Packers captured five NFL titles, and the first two Super Bowls.

Bengtson did replace Lombardi following the 1967 season. His low-key approach was in sharp contrast to the often-volatile Lombardi. With the aging of key players, this translated into mediocrity for the franchise. Bengtson's Packers were 20-21-1 in his three seasons as head coach. After a 6-8 record in 1970, he was relieved of his duties, replaced by Missouri head coach Dan Devine for the 1971 season. Devine lasted four seasons with the Packers, moving back to the collegiate level at Notre Dame following the 1974 season. Lombardi's former quarterback, Bart Starr, became the head coach of the Packers in 1975.

Bengtson resurfaced with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots, becoming the interim head coach of the Patriots in late 1972. Later, he was named the team's Director of Pro Scouting, staying through the 1974 season.

Phil Bengtson died at age 81 after a long illness at his home in San Diego on December 18, 1994.

The Glory Years on Record

We present an ad today for “The Packers’ Glory Years” LP from a 1968 Green Bay game program. Featuring original game action and narration from WTMJ Packers’ radio announcer at the time, Ted Moore, this has become a favorite for those fans of the Lombardi era. In our “Packerville” collection, we have the original LP, a cassette version, and a more recent release on CD. It is a fine historical product that is very enjoyable to experience.

Fans at the Airport

Related to our earlier postings of Packers fans greeting their team at the train station following big out-of-town victories, today we have a photo of early 1960’s fans meeting the team at Austin Straubel Airport.

Lambeau Field Press Box

Today, we thought we’d show a photo of what the Lambeau Field press box looked like in the 1960’s. The new press box looks nothing like this, and is probably three times larger (we’ve been inside).

We would also like to acknowledge the correction sent in by one of our regular viewers — “Tom” — who pointed out that our posting from Friday could not be from the 1966 Packers-Vikings game. We don’t pretend to be perfect, but we do strive for historical accuracy. The photo is most likely from 1964 or perhaps earlier. He called our attention to the fact that the Vikings did not wear purple pants in ’66, and that Dan Currie did not play for Green Bay after 1964. Should anyone notice other mistakes here at “Packerville,” please let us know.

If we had taken more time to analyze the image instead of believing the original publication (“50 Years of Professional Football”), we might have caught the error ourselves.

1966 Viking Game Interception

We present today a fine image, with “the Packer defense striking again as #46 Hank Gremminger runs back an interception. Helping out are #58 Dan Currie, #74 Hank Jordan, and #24 Willie Wood.” This game took place on November 6, 1966, and the Packers lost that day, 20-17 in front of 50,861 hometown fans.

Please note: “Packerville, U.S.A. will be off for the weekend, due to travel.

Ted Fritsch Takes on the Bears

Always aggressive and determined, Ted Fritsch charges through the Bears on September 29, 1946. The Packers lost to the Bears that day, 30-7. Playing from 1942-1950, Fritsch scored 37 touchdowns, 62 extra points, and 36 field goals. His longest field goal was 52 yards, still tied with Paul Hornung, Chester Marcol, Chris Jacke, Ryan Longwell, and current kicker Mason Crosby for the third-longest in team history. For the 1946 season, Fritsch rushed 128 times for 444 yards and nine touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 13 yards and one touchdown — plus one interception on defense.