Outside Packer Hall of Fame, SE corner Lombardi Ave. and South Oneida St., Green Bay, Brown County

The Green Bay Packers, an institution and a legend, are unique. The only publicly-owned club in professional sports, they were founded as a town team in 1919 by E. L. "Curly" Lambeau, who coached them to six world championships. They acquired their first jerseys by persuading a packing company to put up money for equipment and, originally, played their games in an open field, where fans "passed the hat." Nurtured into a professional football power that has left a lasting imprint on the sport, they became the first team to win three consecutive National Football League titles (1929-30-31), a feat repeated under Vince Lombardi (1965-66-67) and unequaled. Overall, they have won 11 world championships, more than any other club in league history. Long a "state" team, annually playing games in Milwaukee as well as Green Bay, the Packers have become a national institution, with fans in all 50 states.

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[Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).]