Facts and information about the Green Bay Packers

• Future Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. He was traded to the Packers while still a backup quarterback.

• The name of the trophy a team receives for winning the Super Bowl is the Vince Lombardi Trophy; Lombardi coached the Packers to multiple NFL Championships in the 1960s.

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  In 1967, though he wouldn’t play for them due to injury, the New Orleans Saints selected Packers great and Hall-of-Famer Paul Hornung in the expansion draft. The Saints later traded for Hornung’s longtime Packers backfield partner, fullback Jim Taylor.

• During the 1961 NFL season, Paul Hornung was called up for active service in the United States Army. He was able to get weekend passes to continue playing football, including one approved by President John F. Kennedy (a friend of coach Vince Lombardi’s) to play in the Championship Game against the New York Giants.

• The first rushing touchdown scored in Super Bowl history was scored by the Packers great fullback Jim Taylor.

• In 1962, Packers running back Jim Taylor led the league in rushing. This is the only season Jim Brown did not lead the league in rushing during his entire nine year career.

• In 1974, in what has become known as one of the worst trades in history, the Green Bay Packers traded two first round draft picks, two second round draft picks, and a third round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams for 34 year old quarterback John Hadl.

• Packer great Paul Hornung won the Heisman Trophy in 1956 while at Notre Dame, he was the first (and so far only) player ever to win the Heisman Trophy and be on a team with a losing record (Notre Dame’s record that year was 2-8).

• Packers great Brett Favre is the only player (through 2007) to win three consecutive NFL MVP Awards (1995, 1996, and sharing the 1997 award with Barry Sanders).

• When the Packers won the first Super Bowl in 1967, star player Paul Hornung was the only Packer player to not make it into the game. He remained on the sidelines, suffering from a pinched nerve.

• In a 1965 victory over the Baltimore Colts, Paul Hornung scored a team record five touchdowns… this incredible accomplishment would be overshadowed as later in the day the Chicago Bears great running back Gale Sayers scored six touchdowns in his game.

• With halfback Paul Hornung winning the NFL MVP Award in 1961 and fullback Jim Taylor winning the award in 1962, the pair became the first running back tandem from one team to win back-to-back MVP Awards.

• The Green Bay Packers are not only the only NFL team that is publicly owned by the community and fans, it is the only professional sports team in the United States with such an ownership arrangement.

• During Brett Favre’s entire career with the Green Bay Packers, the wide receiver he threw the most touchdown passes to was Antonio Freeman.

• Brett Favre has thrown more touchdowns in the second quarter than any other quarter over his entire career.

• While Brett Favre was with the Green Bay Packers, the opponent who he completed the most touchdown passes against was a tie between the Vikings and Lions.

• He is a Hall of Famer, an NFL legend, and one of the all time greats, but former Packers quarterback Bart Starr didn’t throw more touchdowns than interceptions in a season until his 7th year in the league.

• The Packers were founded in 1919 and played their first two years as an independent team before joining the NFL in 1921.

• The Green Bay Packers have won back-to-back NFL Championships on five occasions; 1929 & 1930, 1930 & 1931, 1961 & 1962, 1965 & 1966, and 1966 & 1967 (Super Bowls I & II).

• From 1957 to 1965 Lambeau Field, where the Packers play their home games, was known as New City Stadium.

• Brett Favre’s first touchdown pass ever, and as a Packer, was completed to wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.  His last regular season touchdown pass as a Packer was completed to tight end Bubba Franks, while his last overall touchdown pass as a Packer was completed in the playoffs to wide receiver Donald Lee.

• The Packers won the first two Super Bowls ever played, though at the time they were not referred to as Super Bowls.

• The “Packers” is the oldest team name still in use in the NFL.

• After his death in 1970, the Super Bowl trophy was renamed the Lombardi Trophy in honor of former Packers Head Coach Vince Lombardi.

• In the next 24 years after Vince Lombardi left the Packers (1968-1991) the Packers had only five winning seasons.

• A humorous stat line, in the only season that Packer great Brett Favre was on the roster for the Falcons he threw 0 completions on 4 attempts with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

• In 1974, the Packers sent five draft picks (2 first rounders, 2 second rounders, and a third rounder) to the Los Angeles Rams for aging Quarterback John Hadl. Hadl would just spend one and a half seasons with the Packers.

• In 1989, the Packers passed on drafting Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, and Deion Sanders to take Offensive Lineman Tony Mandarich.

• Hall-of-Fame Wide Receiver, and former Green Bay Packer, James Lofton played 16 seasons with five different teams; the Packers, Raiders, Bills, Rams, and Eagles.

• One-time Packers Head Coach Lindy Infante also coached professional football in the USFL as the head man of the Jacksonville Bulls.

• 1995 was the first year the Packers played all of their home football games in Green Bay, up until then they had always played some games in Milwaukee.

• The famous “Lambeau Leap”, where a Packer player celebrates a touchdown by leaping into the crowd was first performed in 1993 by Packers Safety LeRoy Butler.

• The Packers team name comes from the company that first supplied them with uniform money, The Indian Packing Company.

• Team founder, Curly Lambeau, had attended Notre Dame University and used his old college colors (navy blue and gold) for his new football team the Packers.

• In 1959, Vince Lombardi changed the team colors to the current green and gold.
• The oval “G” logo was actually created by former equipment manager George Braisher.

• The Green Bay Packers are governed by a seven member Executive Committee that is elected by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is elected directly by the shareholders which consist mostly of the team’s fans.

• Professional wrestler Lex Luger (the Total Package) spent the strike shortened 1982 NFL season on the injured reserve of the Green Bay Packers.

• Green Bay Packer legend and former Notre Dame standout Paul Hornung retired from the NFL as a member of the New Orleans Saints, although he never played a game for them.

• Star Defensive Lineman Reggie White got his start in professional football with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL.

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