1962 Photo Gallery

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Green Bay Packers fullback Jim Taylor heads upfield as guards Jerry Kramer (64) and Fuzzy Thurston (63) block Baltimore Colts cornerback Bobby Boyd (40) and defensive end Gino Marchetti (89) during a game at new City Stadium on Nov. 18, 1962. Colts defensive tackle Jim Colvin (75) is at right. The Packers won 17-13.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette continues its amazing series of photo galleries. Today's entry chronicles the 1962 Packers, the last Green Bay team to start a season 7-0 (the 1962 Packers stayed unbeaten until Thanksgiving, in what was then an annual Turkey Day match between the clubs, when they fell to the Lions 14-26).

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Green Bay Packers halfback Paul Hornung (5) bursts into the end zone to score on a 7-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of Green Bay's 34-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at new City Stadium on Sept. 16, 1962. His blockers include tackle Bob Skoronski (76) and guard Jerry Kramer (64), who's fending off Vikings linebacker Rip Hawkins (58). Hornung scored 28 of the Packers' 34 points, running for three touchdowns and kicking two field goals and four extra points.

I love the padding on that goalpost.

The details of the photos are outstanding. Check out the stenciled numbers on Nitschke's helmet and Bengston's blazer badge:

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Green Bay Pazkers linebacker Ray Nitschke (66) and defensive tackle Dave Hanner (79) talk with defensive coach Phil Bengston on the sideline during the game against the Chicago Bears at new City Stadium on Sept. 30, 1962. The Packers won 49-0.

The æsthetic goodness doesn't end with the game photos, though. Here is a crossover between Wisconsin's two major league teams:

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Even baseball's Milwaukee Braves got caught up in the excitement over the Green Bay Packers in 1962. The team sponsored this billboard in Green Bay and put up two dozen more just like it across Wisconsin. "We're proud of the Packers," Braves general manager John McHale said, "and we want to tell the state about it."

I particularly love this shot of "Dad" Braisher:

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Equipment manager Dad Braisher adjusts a sign proclaiming the Green Bay Packers as "The Yankees of Football," in the team's locker room at new City Stadium in late December 1962.

Lombardi, as a native Gothamite, recognized the Yankees as the pinnacle of modern sport. He sought to replicate that dominance in Green Bay. He was ultimately successful, not only for his five world championships in nine years, but also in creating a team that forever defined the sport. Although everyone recognizes Lombardi's legacy in the trophy which bears his name, he left an impact on the game reaching farther than most realize, extending even to the uniforms of other clubs like the Saints, 49ers and Cowboys, which adopted his Braisher stripes in an attempt to capture a little of Lombardi's magic on the field.

Outstanding work by the Press-Gazette. Can't wait to see what else they have in their archives.