Willie and Ed Blaine

On the Lambeau Field sidelines today, we see Packer star Willie Davis (#87) and reserve player Ed Blaine (#60) taking a breather during a 1962 game. Davis, a defensive end from Grambling, earned his way into both the Packer and Pro Football Halls of Fame by terrorizing offenses from 1960-1969 and establishing himself as truly one of the all-time greats at that position. Blaine, a guard out of the University of Missouri, spent only the one season on the Packers roster, playing in 14 games. A reader corrected us on the identity of Blaine, and we welcome all reader input as we strive for historical accuracy.

A Break at Practice

Today’s photo is historically interesting for several reasons. It was taken at a Packers practice in what we believe may be 1961 or 1962, and coach Vince Lombardi is standing and addressing the players with the Packers founder, longtime coach, and eventual stadium namesake Curly Lambeau. Here are the two men who we think are the most important figures in Green Bay Packers history. One started the team early in the century and brought it to national attention, and the other returned it to glory when it was at its lowest point in the 1950’s. Some of those listening to the coach and his guest are (left to right) Jerry Kramer, Ray Nitschke, and behind Lambeau, Henry Jordan.

Lombardi was known to not be particularly fond of Lambeau — some say because of the former coach’s flamboyant lifestyle, or because Lombardi did not like to share the spotlight with anyone. When the Packers yearbook publisher Art Daley put both of them on the cover of the 1965 book, Lombardi wouldn’t talk to Daley for months.

Two very interesting gentlemen... both indispensable parts of the Packers’ history.

Lombardi’s First Team

The 1959 Green Bay Packers season was their 39th season in the National Football League and 41st overall. The club posted a 7-5 record under first-year coach Vince Lombardi, earning a third-place finish in the National Conference.

The Lombardi Era Begins

On February 4, 1959, Vince Lombardi seized his opportunity and began building his football dynasty in Green Bay. He started by trading away the Packers best receiver of the decade Billy Howton, to the Cleveland Browns. To bring some much-needed leadership to the defensive backfield, Lombardi obtained future Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell from the New York Giants. He also acquired Fuzzy Thurston from the Baltimore Colts and defensive tackle Henry Jordan form Cleveland by the start of training camp. In all, 16 veterans from the previous season were sent packing as Lombardi installed a new attitude in the Packers' locker room.

Training Camp

Lombardi borrowed from the Giants model — the players had to feel like champions. The team traveled first class under the philosophy that “you can't be a winner unless you feel like one.” The change in culture was pronounced. Lombardi had to find a quarterback, and he was resistant to making Bart Starr the quarterback. Starr was in his fourth year in the league and hadn't won a game he played four quarters in. "Did Bart tell you how bad he was?" a player was to later quip to biographer John Eisenberg. Former Razorback Lamar McCann beat out Starr.

A Master Plan

Through his now legendary coaching style, Lombardi whipped the underachieving Packers into instant winners. he set his plan immediately into action at his very first team meeting. "I have never been on a losing team gentlemen and I do not intend to start now!"

A Dramatic Improvement

The results of Lombardi's approach were dramatic. in the season opener against the Chicago Bears, the Packers held on to win 9-6 and celebrated the victory by carrying their new head coach off the field. In his first year on the sidelines, the Packers posted their first winning record since 1947. The team's quick turnaround netted Lombardi unanimous honors as coach of the year.

Source: Wikipedia

Sports Stars of 1968

After the retirement of Vince Lombardi in February 1968, his hand-picked successor was longtime defensive coach Phil Bengston. He was, as this 1968 season preview magazine stated, the “Man On The Spot.” Could Green Bay actually make a run at four straight NFL titles? Unfortunately, the aging talent on the roster, Bengston’s coaching demeanor, and luck worked together to make sure that the championship runs of the Sixties were over. Nevertheless, enjoy this snapshot of how you would have been reading about the team in the summer of 1968.

And, being a season preview magazine, below we see how they analyzed the team’s prospects for ’68:

The Packers in 1964

In 1963, the Packers did not get a chance to play for three straight NFL titles because they lost twice to the eventual champion Chicago Bears in the regular season. Adding to their woes that season, star halfback Paul Hornung was suspended the entire season for gambling (along with Detroit’s Alex Karras). On the cover of today’s blog posting — Dell Sports Football 1964 — is New York Giants’ veteran quarterback Y.A. Tittle, who was trying to lead his team to an NFL championship after they had lost title games in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963. They were the “Minnesota Vikings” or “Buffalo Bills” of that era.

The article above deals with both Hornung and Karras as they were coming back to the League after sitting out their one-year suspensions.

Dell Sports predicts the order of finish in the NFL’s Western Conference for the upcoming 1964 season.

And here is the four-page preview of the Green Bay Packers’ prospects for winning the NFL title in 1964. For the record, it was won by the Cleveland Browns. They have never won another.

And, for a last bit of nostalgic fun, what sports magazine of that era didn’t have a classic ad for Charles Atlas?

1967 Season Preview

Wrapping up our presentation of archival material from Sports Review’s 1967 Pro Football, we have their prediction of how the season would go for the Packers. Let’s say they were pretty accurate in their final assessment.

We also present a great image of famous broadcaster Ray Scott and quarterback Bart Starr. Scott began his broadcasting career on radio in the late 1930s. His first NFL broadcasts came in 1953 over the DuMont network; three years later he began doing play-by-play on Packers broadcasts for CBS-TV, and it was in Green Bay that his terse, minimalist style (e.g.: "Starr… Dowler… Touchdown") developed its greatest following. Scott was paired primarily with former Packer great Tony Canadeo on Green Bay telecasts. As the team's announcer, Scott broadcast Super Bowl I and II for CBS, along with the brutally cold "Ice Bowl" NFL championship game of 1967.

Scott was twice named National Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, was given regional awards by that organization 12 times in four different states, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1982. Posthumous honors include the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, and induction into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame as a contributor in July 2001.

Indeed, Who Can Stop Green Bay?

After a week of no posts (we apologize — time got away from us), we present another article from the Pro Football 1967 magazine we featured in our last blog entry. We hope you enjoy these looks back in time at how our team was covered in the Lombardi era.

By the way, don’t forget to vote in our weekly polls in the right hand column!

Back to 1967

Today, after a couple of days off to enjoy the 2010 NFL Draft, we present a new feature here in Packerville. We’re digging back into our archives to share not just historic photographs of Green Bay Packers history, but also media coverage as it was at various times. We start with a football preview magazine from the start of the 1967 season, when the Packers were going to try and win their third straight NFL title. The focus of this issue — Sports Review’s 1967 Pro Football — was “Bart Starr — Is He Really That Great?” We’ll let you read the article and judge for yourself.

Three Days ’Til Christmas — 1965

We are at the Green Bay Packers’ practice on Wednesday, December 22, 1965, as our team prepares to meet the Baltimore Colts in the Western Conference Championship. The game would be played the following Sunday at Lambeau Field. According to the Packers’ current media guide: “Don Chandler’s game-winning field goal, at 13:39 of sudden death, ended the Packers’ first-ever overtime game, and their only such Playoff contest until 2003. His 25-yard kick sent Green Bay to the NFL championship, after both the Colts and Packers ended the regular season 10-3-1.

“Chandler’s first field goal, a game-tying 22-yarder with 1:58 in regulation, remains controversial. Baltimore loyalists, led by coach Don Shula, claimed it sailed wide right. The kick, which flew high above the upright, actually triggered the League to extend the goal posts’ height for the following season.

“The Colts, playing without starting quarterback Johnny Unitas (knee) and his backup gary Cuozzo (dislocated shoulder), used halfback Tom Matte as a fill-in. Matte completed only five passes, but did gain 57 yards rushing.”

McGee on the Reception

Former Packer receiving star and radio color commentator Max McGee is seen today having caught a pass from Bart Starr and struggling with a Eagles defender. Also seen in this undated photo from Philadelphia’s Franklin Field is the Eagles’ Chuck Bednarik (No. 60), known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last two-way player in the National Football League.