1961 Championship Beer Guy

After a series of photos showing the days and weeks leading up to the 1961 NFL championship, today we switch to photos taken during the contest. It’s New Year’s Eve in Green Bay’s City Stadium, and the caption to this photo reads: “Harold Baker, a vendor at City Stadium, sits on his case of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and watches part of the NFL championship game against the New York Giants on Dec. 31, 1961. A bottle of Pabst went for 35 cents.”

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

The Day Before the Game

Today we have another in our series of photos from the Green Bay Press-Gazette that depict the days and weeks leading up to the 1961 NFL championship game at City Stadium. The original caption for this photo read: “From left, New York Giants president Jack Mara, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and Packers president Dominic Olejniczak (the man who hired Vince Lombardi) examine the playing field at City Stadium on Dec. 30, 1961, the day before the NFL championship game between the Packers and the Giants.”

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

Practice Before the 1961 Championship

Today’s posting is another in our series of photos from the week leading up to the 1961 NFL championship game, played in Green Bay’s City Stadium on December 31st of that year. The original caption that ran with the photo is: “Tight end Ron Kramer, center, and defensive back Jesse Whittenton, right, walk with their teammates from City Stadium to their practice field along South Oneida Street shortly before Christmas 1961.”

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

Before the 1961 NFL Championship

After a few days off, including a weekend in Green Bay for the Packers-Chargers game on Sunday, we’re back with another in our series of photos from the week and days leading up to the 1961 championship game. The caption for this photo read: “Arnold DesJardins stands in the knee-deep hay under the goal posts in the south end zone in early December 1961. The hay was put on the field to preserve it for a month before the NFL championship game, which was played on Dec. 31.

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

The Night Before the 1961 NFL Championship

Another in our series from the Green Bay Press-Gazette archives of the preparations before the 1961 NFL championship game held at City Stadium.

The original photo caption reads: “Crews brush snow from the playing field before the NFL championship game against the New York Giants on Dec. 31, 1961.”

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

Two Days Before the 1961 NFL Championship

Here’s another in our series about the City Stadium efforts to ready the facility for the 1961 NFL championship game. According to the original photo caption:

“Jack Orde paints the words ‘Green Bay’ in the south end zone at City Stadium on Dec. 29, 1961, two days before the NFL championship game between the Packers and New York Giants.

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

Two Days Before the 1961 NFL Championship

Today we present the second in a series of images from the Green Bay Press-Gazette that depict the days of preparation before the 1961 NFL championship game at City Stadium (now Lambeau Field).

The original caption for this photo was: “The bunting and ‘Titletown U.S.A.’ banners are up along the railing and the tarp is rolled back as the finishing touches are applied to the south end zone at City Stadium on December 29, 1961, two days before the NFL championship game between the Packers and New York Giants.”

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

Ten Days Before the 1961 NFL Championship

Today we start a series of images from the Green Bay Press-Gazette newspaper’s archive. The photos are of the Lambeau Field preparations from the week and days prior to the 1961 NFL championship game between the Packers and the New York Giants. The original newspaper caption that ran with the photo stated:

“City Stadium’s seats are filled with snow in December 1961, about 10 days before the NFL championship game against the New York Giants was played there on New Year’s Eve — December 31st.”

Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette archives

Charlie “Choo Choo” Brackins

Black quarterback Charlie “Choo Choo” Brackins played in 1955 for the Green Bay Packers. Drafted in the 16th round of the 1955 draft by the Packers out of Prairie View A&M, where he was a four-year starter and led his team to 33 victories in 37 games. He was a big tall passer at 6'-2" and 205 lbs.

Brackins became the fourth black quarterback to play in an NFL game. He played in the closing minutes for the Green Bay Packers in a blowout game against the Cleveland Browns on October 23,1955. Green Bay won the game 41-10 and Brackins had two incompletions.

His career only lasted seven games and the Packers placed him on waivers after he had broken curfew before a game in Chicago and other unnamed problems. After the “violations,” Brackins never got a chance to return to the NFL. He had tryouts, mostly as a defensive back, but never caught on again and injured his knee before leaving the game. He died of cancer in 1990 at the age of 58.

Packers vs. Giants

As the Green Bay Packers head to New York this weekend to play the Giants on Sunday, we thought we’d post an page of images from an NFL book that was published after the 1962 championship game. This was the game played in Yankee Stadium on December 30, 1962 in which the Packers won their second straight title 16-7 — thanks in large part to the field goal kicking of guard Jerry Kramer. We’d like to see Daryn Colledge or Jason Spitz try kicking field goals these days.