"Champions of Them All"

Heritage Auctions

This amazing team photo comes from Heritage Auctions. They have a pair of championship banquet programs to be auctioned off next month, and this is the preview of the first.

The Packers had held a championship banquet for the Packers following every title won to this point, starting in 1929. This, the fifth World Championship, was no exception.

The Packers had been strong all season, finishing 9-2. The only team with a better record was the Eastern Division champion New York Giants at 9-1-1. On December 10, 1939, the two teams faced off at Wisconsin State Fair Park in the Championship Game. You might have expected two such dominant teams to play an even game, but when they took the field the Packers dismantled the visiting New Yorkers, 27-0.

Four days and 120 miles later, two thousand fans packed the Columbus Community Club building on South Jefferson Street in downtown Green Bay. Among the revelers was Wisconsin governor Julius P. Heil, "perhaps as real, honest to goodness sports fan as ever sat in the governor's chair".

In the words of the Milwaukee Sentinel, the room was

"jarred to the rafters with the flood of adjectives as speaker on speaker lauded the Bays for their marvelous performance all season and for the "greatest football display in the game's history" last Sunday. The Packers, themselves, took the adjectives like blushing school girls, but actually beamed with and more than one made a passing remark: "Gee, boys, this Green Bay town is the place to play your pro football."

The venue itself had a long history with the Packers; the Columbus Club building opened in 1925 as a recreational and social center, and immediately began playing an important role in Packer history.

Columbus Club Building circa 1930

There is a Packers Heritage Trail plaque on the building, listing some of that history:

In the 1920s, before radio broadcasts of Packer games, large crowds gathered on Sunday afternoons when the team was playing on the road. A play-by-play was transmitted by telegraph wire from the site of the game, and the results were posted here on a large board built in the shape of a football field.

From 1927 until the mid-1930s, the Packers used the top floor as a clubhouse. For five years, starting in 1930, their ticket office was located here, as well.

The building also was the site of championship celebrations and rousing public rallies that helped save the franchise. Banquets were held in the first-floor auditorium after the Packers won NFL titles in 1936 and 1939. On April 11, 1950, more than 1,500 fans filled the auditorium to kick off the Packers' third stock drive. And on March 31, 1956, more than 1,000 fans attended a rally in support of building what is now Lambeau Field. George Halas and Curly Lambeau were among the speakers. Three days later, the city-wide referendum passed in a landslide.

This also was where the Vince Lombardi Show was taped by WBAY-TV.

The building is now studios for WBAY, the ABC affiliate in Green Bay.

Google Maps

Columbus Club Building in 2012

Let's take a closer look at that team photo. Curly Lambeau is in the front row, far left, and on the far right of the second row we can see assistant coach Red Smith. Smith spent his offseasons as a catcher, coach, and eventually general manager for the Milwaukee Brewers, and in the early 1940s managed the Brews' farm team in Green Bay.

This is Lambeau's classic blue and gold uniform, introduced in 1937 and emblematic of the franchise through the 1949 season. Their socks still had stripes in 1939, although those would only last for a few years.

You can also see that the players are wearing at least two different number styles; undoubtedly the result of old uniforms being carried over (we would see this happen into the Lombardi era as well).

Some of the players are wearing "4"s with a "foot" on the bottom of the vertical line, and some are a fully sans-serif version.

For what it's worth, the photos I've seen of the Packers' white alternate jerseys from that season featured the sans-serif font.

The numbers on Hutson's jersey don't match any I've ever seen before on a navy jersey, and in any case by 1943 he would be wearing the "footed" 4.

What an amazing piece of Packers history this banquet program is. It's going to make some lucky collector very, very happy.

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.

Hall of Fame Uniform Timeline - "G" Whiz

In addition to the white lettering on the "ACME PACKERS" jersey, the recently-unveiled uniform timeline at the Packers Hall of Fame contains another element of note. Unlike the 1921 uniforms, which may be the product of new research, this one's just an error.

The ingenious timeline shows the march of progress of Packers uniforms.

© 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

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

But let's take a closer look at one of the elements. These pictures don't show it very well, so we'll examine this photo, released by the club:

Packers.com

Do you see it?

The figure labelled "1959" clearly shows the iconic "G" logo. Unfortunately, that logo wasn't added to the helmets until 1961.

I presume that'll be fixed soon, but until then we can take comfort in the fact that even the big guys can get the details wrong now and then.

Hall of Fame Uniform Timeline - ACME PACKERS

In a previous post, we looked at the uniform timeline just unveiled at the Packers Hall of Fame in Lambeau Field:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

There's an absolutely stunning revelation on one of the figures:

© Jeff Ash, used with permission

White lettering on the "ACME PACKERS" jersey?

The only other time I've seen white indicated was in the book "Packers by the Numbers". I had noted this as an outlier in our timeline, as all other sources with which I'm familiar have it as gold.

As far as I know, no jerseys from the era survive. Nor do we have any color photos.

For at least four decades, however, the jersey has been depicted as navy and gold. Consider this artwork, commissioned for the 1972 book NFL: The First 50 Years:

That may well have been the first time a modern artist attempted to re-create the old jersey. Have we been parroting a mistaken presumption since then?

There's also the small matter of the Packers selling navy and gold merchandise for over five years now:

Even today, the Packers' website is using the same Maple Leaf Productions painting as featured on the fridge magnets. You guessed it, navy and gold:

If the Packers now have credible evidence that the lettering was white, it would upend half a century of presumptions. It wouldn't necessarily surprise me; after all, the NFL has been until recently a pretty terrible steward of its own history, the Packers only slightly more so. It's also an exciting reminder that there's so much more to learn and discover about our club.

While we're on the subject, there's also another rumor I've heard for years, that the jerseys also said "ACME PACKERS" on the back. I can't tell from this angle if that's the case on the mannequin's jersey.

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.

First Look at the "Titletown District"

PackersNews.com

For the past several years, the Packers have been buying up strip mall land along Lombardi Avenue, west of Lambeau Field. They have already begun closing the big box stores, fast food restaurants and gas stations to prepare for their own development. Today, they announced just what the "Titletown District" will look like, and it's nothing short of spectacular.

Packers.com

In the shadow of Lambeau Field, the Packers are planning a year-round destination space, incorporating medical, retail space, restaurants, a microbrew and hotel around a 10-acre public plaza.

Packers unveil vision for Titletown District

10-acre public plaza to serve as centerpiece of district with Kohler Co., Bellin Health and Hinterland to be key tenants

The Green Bay Packers announced details Thursday for the master plan for the Titletown District, a destination area to be created on approximately 34 acres of land immediately west of Lambeau Field.

Packers.com

Building upon the success of Lambeau Field's major redevelopment in 2003 and subsequent expansion and renovation completed in 2015, the planned Titletown District will maximize its unique location to attract more visitors to the area, spur additional regional economic growth, offer new amenities to residents and complement the greater Green Bay area's draw as an excellent location to live, work and play.

Central to Titletown will be a planned 10-acre public plaza, a park-like setting with year-round, diverse programming that will feature fitness-related activities, cultural opportunities, versatile space for a variety of uses, a winter ice skating rink and team-inspired public art, in addition to festive gameday action.

Packers.com

Packers.com

Three key tenants in Titletown to be integrated around the public plaza will include LODGE KOHLER, a hotel built and managed by Kohler Co., a Bellin Health Sports Medicine Clinic and Hinterland Restaurant and Brewery. These initial tenants will be located on approximately eight acres of land in Titletown. Future development on the remaining 16 acres calls for additional commercial and retail elements, as well as a residential component.

"We're very excited to share our vision for the Titletown District," Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said. "The public plaza, with its size and location near Lambeau Field, will be a draw that is very unique in our area and a wonderful public space for our community.

Packers.com

"Kohler Co., Bellin Health and Hinterland are three great Wisconsin organizations that provide exceptional service in their respective areas. We’re thrilled they will be a part of Titletown. They each will bring more visitors to the area, serve our current residents and add to the draw for our community as a whole."

Targeted completion is set for Fall 2017 for all initial components and planning for the development is already underway. Groundbreaking is anticipated for this fall with infrastructure and utilities serving as the first work on the area, land that stretches west along Lombardi Avenue from Ridge Road to Marlee Lane.

Packers.com

In addition to further planning and design by each of the three tenants for their facilities, the Packers will hold focus groups in the coming weeks with community stakeholders to determine the desired programming and activities for the public plaza.

Well, you can't accuse them of thinking small.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an excellent overview of the project:

Not so sure about the "public art" portion of the plan. Check out the 40-foot replica of Bart Starr's Super Bowl I ring:

This is the culmination of the work started with the Lambeau Field Atrium, opened in 2003. For the first time, the stadium itself became a year-round destination with shopping and dining.

I like the fact that they're replacing retail space with retail space, rather than losing much of the residential character that defines the area and solidifies the team's connection with its community.

Such a far cry from the team's earliest days, playing on a roped-off field in front of a few dozen spectators standing around or sitting on their cars. This will take the Packers into their second century in style.