1940 Packers Film in Color!

Absolutely have to share this - Ryan Dowgin posted this amazing video to YouTube, showing the 1940 Packers in full color!



Based on the unusual and short-lived helmets the other team is wearing, this footage has been identified as being from the September 29, 1940 game against the Chicago Cardinals at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.

What a rare treat.

"Train for Game with Giants", 1946

Seventy years ago today, this photo hit the wires:

GREEN BAY PACKERS TRAIN FOR GAME WITH GIANTS

SPRING VALLEY, N.Y.--Masterminding the Green Bay Packers are, left to right: Walter Kiesling, line coach; Curly Lambeau, head coach; and Don Hutson, backfield coach. They are shown at Spring Valley, N.Y., Sept. 16th, as the Packers began the final phase of training for their Sept. 20th Tribune Fresh-Air Fund game with the New York Football Giants.

CREDIT (ACME)

Don Hutson had retired at the end of the previous season, but in his new role as coach he was often pictured wearing his old uniform in practice. Walt Kiesling himself had played for the Packers in 1935 and 1936, but neither he nor Curly Lambeau ever dug their uniforms out of mothballs.

Spring Valley is in Rockland County, New York, just across the Hudson River from Westchester County (and just north of New Jersey). The Packers were in town, as the caption indicates, to play the Giants in a charity game to benefit the Fresh Air Fund, which even to today gives New York City kids summer experiences in rural camps all up and down the East Coast.

Despite the work of Kiesling, Lambeau, and Hutson, the Packers lost that exhibition game, 35-21, in front of a crowd of over 48,000. The following week, the Packers were back in Green Bay to face the Chicago Bears in the season opener. Unfortunately for the Bays, that game didn't end any better, as the Bears rolled over them 30–7.

Custom "World Champions" Plaques

This weekend, I received an amazing email from reader Trevor Whitlock, who created a project you'll have to see to believe.

Long time reader of your blog and figured I'd share one of my homemade packer creations during this packers down time.

I've got a small section of my basement dedicated to Packers stuff. Among the pieces, i have plaques for the 1996 team, the 2010 team and a team of the 60s plaque. For years I've been hoping the packers or the NFL would honor/acknowledge the first 6 championships so all of them could be represented on my wall. Earlier this year, i stopped waiting and took it upon myself.

I searched the internet to find the highest resolution photo I could of each team, identified the players and created a design for two plaques (3 teams on each). I tried to be as historically accurate as possible (ex. reconstructing the graphic of the 1945 media guide cover for the second plaque). I then had the images printed on metallic paper and adhered them to some basic black plaques that I had re-purposed. The result, I feel, is a great tribute to those teams and really blends in with the style of the Healey plaques of the 90s.

Here's the photos he sent me:

Absolutely stunning. Here they are in context, hung with the commercially-available plaques honoring the 1960s teams:

Nailed it. The effect is perfect.

A real labor of love; you can see how much work he put into them.

This is an amazing project. I share Trevor's frustration with the NFL's ongoing pre-Super Bowl myopia, and admire his determination to make these himself. They are indeed a fitting tribute to those teams. Bravo, sir.

Best Players by Number, and a Big Fumble

Mitchell and Ness, purveyors of throwback jerseys, recently posted their take on the "Best Football Players at Every Number".

(W)e decided to look at the best players at every number in the history of the NFL. We'll take any chance we get to reminisce about amazing players such as Jim Brown or Barry Sanders - it's almost like going back in time to a different era of the National Football League. It's also great to think about the current players who are putting together Hall of Fame careers right front of our eyes, reminding us to not take their talents for granted. After much debate, we’ve created a thorough list, picking players from past and present, to create the "Best Players by Number – Gridiron Edition".

Four Packers made their list.

The full breakdown is at their site, but here's what they had to say about the Bays who topped their respective numbers:

4 – BRETT FAVRE

Favre wore #4 over 20 seasons with the Falcons, Packers, Jets and Vikings. One of the best quarterbacks to play the game, Favre was a XXXI Super Bowl Champ, 2x NFC Champion, 11x Pro Bowler, 3x First-team All-Pro, 3x Second-team All-Pro, 3x NFL MVP, 5x NFC Player of the Year, and 4x NFL Passing TDs Leader. His #4 has been retired by the Packers where he was also inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mentions: Jim Harbaugh, Jason Hanson

15 – BART STARR

Starr spent his entire 16 year career with the Packers where he won 5 NFL Championships and 2 Super Bowls. In more personal accolades, Starr was the 1966 NFL MVP, a 2x Super Bowl MVP, a 4x Pro Bowl selection, 1966 First-team All-Pro, and 2x Second-team All-Pro. Post-career, Bart’s #15 was retired by the Packers and he was inducted into both the Packers and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Shop Bart Starr jerseys here.

Honorable Mentions: Jack Kemp, Neil Lomax

66 – RAY NITSCHKE

Nitschke, known for this strength and toughness, was a middle linebacker who spent his entire 15-year career with the Packers. He was the anchor of a disciplined defense that helped win 5 NFL titles and the first 2 Super Bowls of the 1960s. Ray’s #66 has been retired by the Packers, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nitschke was also voted as a member of the NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. Shop Ray Nitschke jerseys here.

Honorable Mentions: Alan Faneca, Larry Little

92 - REGGIE WHITE

Multitalented, this (primarily) defensive end and defensive tackle played in the NFL for fifteen seasons during the 1980’s and 90’s. Playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and Carolina Panthers, White became one of the most decorated players in NFL history! The second place all-time sack leader (198.5 sacks) was a two time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, thirteen time Pro-Bowler, and twelve time All Pro. He was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 1990’s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 1980’s All-Decade Team. A Super Bowl XXXI champion, 1985 All-USFL, and 1986 Pro Bowl MVP, are a few of his many accomplishments. Also famous for his philanthropy as an ordained Evangelical minister, he has been given the name “Minister of Defense.” Shop Reggie White jerseys here.

Honorable Mentions: Michael Strahan, Haloti Ngata, James Harrison, Ted Washington

Two other Packers made the list, although they're represented by jerseys from other teams they played for; Eugene Robinson (Falcons) and Emlen Tunnell (Giants).

Those aren't bad picks, but come on. I know couple guys who would like to have a word with the author of this list.

#14 is Dan Fouts? And the only "honorable mention" they could come up with was Ken Anderson? Fouts was a great, to be sure. But Don Hutson was an immortal. Hutson was football's Babe Ruth, in his prime playing at a level far above his contemporaries. In 1942, Hutson had more receiving touchdowns by himself than eight of the other nine teams in the league. Seventy years after he retired, he still holds ten league records, and a couple of them are unlikely ever to be broken (most notably, leading the league in TDs 8 years in a row). All this, and he played defense too. He's one of the greatest to ever play the game, not to mention being the greatest receiver in the sport's history.

Also notably absent is Tony Canadeo, the "Gray Ghost".

Canadeo doesn't have the gaudy numbers that Hutson brings to the conversation, but he was still a dominant player for a decade. He was one of the greatest Packers ever to put on a uniform, already saying something, and did it on some of the worst teams Green Bay ever fielded. There's a good reason that his #3 was the second number retired by the team, and not to even include him as an honorable mention is a ludicrous oversight.

The NFL has a tendency towards myopia in its treatment of the pre-Super Bowl era. That continues to trickle down all across the sport, even to manufacturers of high-end collectibles.

Icon-oclastic

A few months ago, I wondered if the Packers would be using their new throwback wordmark as a proper logo during their throwback-uniform weeks. Well, yesterday the team made it official by adopting it as their Twitter icon.

I do love this wordmark, inspired by the late 1940s sideline jackets. The letters are obviously hand-drawn with all the idiosyncrasies you'd expect. It would probably be more effective as a social media icon if the team had put it on a blue background; gold text doesn't read very well against white, especially at this small size.

To compliment this new icon, they have also updated their Twitter header photo, with a blue-and-gold photo of Don Hutson and Tony Canadeo, the legendary Gray Ghost.

Nice overall effect; I always like to see the throwback colors.

Interestingly, the Packers have not updated their main website to match, as they did in 2010, 2011, 2013, and last year (the Packers didn't wear the alternate uniforms in 2012).

Shame. I always look forward to that.

"A Forties Classic Is Back in Fashion"

Got this email this morning:

That gold shirt is part of the coaches' sideline gear - they're going to stand out, especially if it turns out to be a sunny day.

Nice to see them emphasizing the Curly Lambeau era, even if in the context of selling us stuff. Our "Forties Classic" never went out of fashion in the first place.

What the Heck is This Supposed to Be?!

This just appeared on the Packers Pro Shop site.

Green Bay Packers Classic Pump Fake Top

Item Number: 5102-298-019

$84.95
New!

Description:
Heavy-weight ringspun jersey top is 100% cotton. Has rib trim at collar, self-fabric shoulder yoke, quilted elbow patches, and side vents. Vintage garment-washed with embroidered jersey appliqued logo and embroidered felt patch. Mitchell & Ness woven jock tag at lower left hem.

What the hell is that supposed to be? Forget about "Pump", because "Fake" is the perfect description for this Frankenstein's Monster of a jersey.

It's more or less the template for the Packers' 1937-49 jerseys. But they've slapped the new "GREEN BAY PACKERS" wordmark across the front where the numbers should be.

This is especially disappointing considering the source. The last time Mitchell and Ness manufactured throwback Packers jerseys, in the early 2000s, they did a marvelous job recreating the classic construction.

In particular, note how the gold yoke sits high on the front of the jersey, revealing the gold collar ring. That's the way it was back in the 1940s.

That detail is one of the things the NFL got right with the reproductions for their "Evolution" commercial back in 2012.

Unfortunately, the Packers' 1994 and 2015 throwbacks drop the ball, lowering the yoke to the very bottom of the collar.

If they got the yoke right on this new "Classic Pump Fake Top", we could at least adapt it into a serviceable throwback jersey by replacing the wordmark with numbers. As it stands, it's neither terribly attractive nor useful.

The Spirit of Curly Lambeau on the Sidelines

Along with the new throwback alternate jerseys, the Packers have started selling sideline gear and fan merchandise featuring the classic blue and gold color scheme and a new "GREEN BAY PACKERS" wordmark.

The lettering is obviously based on this 1949 sideline jacket, which I posted in 2009. With its unique three-line layout, it squares off the words and fits well across a cap, jacket or t-shirt.

What's also interesting is that they're treating this wordmark just like a logo, dropping it into the standard merchandise templates for the throwback sideline gear.

I wonder if this means the wordmark logo will make it to the Style Guide, and if the team will use it as a primary logo in connection with their annual social media rebranding. Two years ago I bemoaned the lack of a proper throwback logo they could use in place of the iconic "G" during Throwback Week; we'll see if this is their solution.

See the New Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame

Packers.com

This morning, the revamped Packers Hall of Fame opened to the public, and we're seeing some great views of what's in store for visitors to Lambeau Field.

The new museum displays are very impressive.

Packers.com

Gone are the old plaques; each inductee is now represented by a sculpture of a football.

Packers.com

It's a stunning representation, even more impressive close up. Each football is engraved with the inductee's name, picture, years with the team and year of induction.

Packers.com

Jeff Ash of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has suggested that these football sculptures would make excellent souvenirs if the Hall of Fame should ever sell them.

Packers.com

I think he's on to something there.

The reminds me a little of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, which ditched its plaques about ten years ago in favor of staggered rows of busts. Using footballs, however, emphasizes the team nature of the game. From a distance, it's all a unified whole. Only when you get close can you see the individuals comprising the team.

Of course, there's a lot for uniform fans to like. This is the new locker room section:

Packers.com

How could they get these reproductions so right and yet the new 2015 on-field alternate uniforms so wrong?

Of course, it's not all reproductions. The authentic Don Hutson jersey is still on display:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

I think my favorite area has to be this overhead display of Packers uniforms, arranged in a chronological timeline:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

As you move from right to left, the figures appear to be throwing a pass, and you advance through the highlights of the team's uniform history from the earliest days to modern times:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

I'm a little jealous; the effect is one I was planning to use for a lithograph to celebrate the team's Centennial in a couple years.

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

There are two items of note I see in this tableau, which we'll address in separate posts.

Overall, the new Hall looks outstanding. Can't wait for my next trip to Lambeau Field.

R.I.P. Lee Remmel, Packers Historian

Sad news out of Titletown; Lee Remmel, who has been associated with the Packers since the Curly Lambeau days, has passed away at the age of 90.

Remmel was a true icon in a sport which tends to over-use the word. He started covering Packers games for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in 1945.

Reporters wait while the Packers’ board of directors meets for four hours in the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay on Nov. 30, 1949, deliberating the fate of coach and general manager Curly Lambeau. From left are Lee Remmel, Art Daley and Dave Yuenger of the Green Bay Press-Gazette; Packers publicity director George Strickler, Don Arthur of radio station WDUZ, Bob Savage of radio station WBAY and Earl Gillespie of WJPG, the Press-Gazette’s radio station. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

For nearly thirty years, he reported on the ins and outs of the team, and when he finally left his beat in 1974, it was to join the Packers as their public relations director. Remmel's second career was as long and illustrious as his first, through the lean years of the 1970s and 1980s and finally renewed glory days that continue today. In February 2004, he was named team historian. Aided with an uncanny memory and a true gift for personal stories, he has done as much to educate modern football fans as anyone in the sport.

Lee Remmel stands next to the plaque erected in the Lambeau Field press box after it was named for him in August 2003. (Green Bay Packers archives)

The Press-Gazette has a wonderful gallery of Remmel's life. Of course, there are a few uniform gems in the gallery, including these two glimpses of 1950s uniforms. This period has been almost forgotten, lost between Curly's famous gold-yoked jerseys and the world-famous Lombardi design that endures (with a few tweaks) to this very day.

Packers fullback Fred Cone walks past Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel, left, on the sideline at old City Stadium during the Packers’ 37-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts on Oct. 18, 1953. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel kneels along the sideline during the Packers’ 17-13 victory over the New York Giants in a preseason game at old City Stadium on Aug. 25, 1956. He’s flanked by Packers coach Lisle Blackbourn, left, and end Gary Knafelc. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

It's fascinating to watch the evolution of his career, as he starts out covering the players for the paper and transitions into working with them to manage that paper's coverage.

Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel interviews Packers quarterback Bart Starr after Green Bay’s 13-10 victory over the Baltimore Colts in overtime in the Western Division championship game at Lambeau Field on Dec. 26, 1965. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

He flips from one side of the notebook to the other, but maintains the same intense look on his face.

Packers director of public relations Lee Remmel, second from right, stands between Press-Gazette sports writer Cliff Christl and Packers coach Bart Starr during an interview during the 1979 season. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

I love this look at a Lindy Infante's press conference, partly for the peek at 1989's sideline gear but also the guy next to Remmel wearing a Bucks jacket; you're more likely to find Packer apparel inserted in the background of unrelated sporting events than the other way around.

Lee Remmel, the Packers' director of public relations, stands at second from right as coach Lindy Infante meets the media during the 1989 season. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

For generations, Remmel has been a living link to the club's history. For people of my generation, it was to Lambeau and Lombardi. To younger fans, he was an official witness to those long-ago glory days of White and Favre.

Lee Remmel enjoys a laugh with Packers quarterback Brett Favre in the team's locker room during the mid-1990s. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

The Packers have created a tribute page to Remmel on their site with links to press releases and galleries covering his career (with an emphasis on his most recent recognitions). It's well worth a read.

Longtime Packers public relations man and historian and former Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel talks about his life with the Packers at his home on Feb. 10, 2009. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

It is perhaps inevitable that loss seems to stalk any team with the long history of the Packers, as every year we lose one more human connection to that glorious past. I've long enjoyed reading Remmel's reminisces on that history, and we are the poorer now for his voice being silenced. R.I.P., Mr. Remmel.

Auction Gold from Heritage

Heritage Auctions has a fantastic auction ending this weekend, inclding some amazing Packers artifacts.

First and foremost is this incredibly rare, game-worn 1940s helmet, worn by Packer Hall of Famer Charley Brock.

From the second era of Glory Days, this flag flew over Lambeau Field in the 1960s:

The 1962 Packer squad is widely regarded as one of the best teams in sports history, let alone the NFL. This ball was signed by the entire squad:

Turning to sideline gear, Mary Jane Sorgel occupies a unique place in Packer history. During the Vince Lombardi era, she was the Lumberjack Band's majorette and romantically involved with team founder and former coach Curly Lambeau. This is the outfit she wore as the "Golden Girl" in those days:

There's something from every era in Green Bay's glorious gridiron history. I love this 1989-90 Tony Mandarich game-worn jersey, one of the last before the NFL added its logo to the collar:

I'm also partial to this 1980s helmet worn by Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud. Single-bar facemask cool! It's signed by Stenerud and others such as Bart Starr, Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke.

This lot of ticket and two buttons from the first Super Bowl at the LA Coliseum show us that the nickname "Super Bowl" was applied to the game from the start, even if it didn't become official for a couple years:

They also have programs from many championship games - the 1962 World Championship against the Giants in Yankee Stadium, 1965 World Championship Game against Cleveland at Lambeau Field, the 1966 NFL Championship in Dallas and the Ice Bowl, as well as Super Bowls I and II.

This just scratches the surface of Heritage's amazing offerings - check out the whole assortment here. Bid early, bid often!