Lambeau Field
Encyclopedia
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football
stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin
, the home of the NFL
's Green Bay Packers
. Opened in 1957
as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium
as the Packers' home field. For that reason, it was also informally known as New City Stadium until 1965
, when it was renamed in memory of Packers founder, player, and long-time head coach, Curly Lambeau
, who had died earlier in the year.
The stadium's street address has been 1265 Lombardi Avenue since 1968, when Highland Avenue was renamed in honor of Vince Lombardi
. It sits on a block bounded by Lombardi Avenue (north); Oneida Street (east); Stadium Drive and Valley View Road (south); and Ridge Road (west). The playing field at the stadium sits at an elevation of 640 feet (195 m) above sea level.
With a capacity 73,128, Lambeau is the second largest stadium in the state of Wisconsin behind Camp Randall Stadium
on the campus of the University of Wisconsin
in Madison
, 80,321.
. However, it was considered inadequate for the times, and the other NFL owners had threatened to force the franchise to move to Milwaukee unless it got a new stadium. In 1956, Green Bay voters responded by approving (70.3%) a bond issue to finance the new stadium. The original cost in 1957 was $960,000 (paid off in 1978) and its seating capacity
was 32,500.
The new stadium would be the first modern stadium built specifically for an NFL franchise. At that time, all the other NFL teams were playing either in facilities shared with Major League Baseball
teams, or in other pre-existing shared facilities.
The site, now bordered on three sides by the village of Ashwaubenon
, was selected because it had a natural slope, ideal for creating the bowl shape. The nearby outdoor practice fields (Clarke Hinkle Field
and Ray Nitschke Field
) and Don Hutson Center
are in Ashwaubenon, as was the Packers Hall of Fame
until 2003.
The new City Stadium was officially opened on September 29, 1957, as the Packers
beat the Bears
21–17. In a ceremony before the game, the stadium was dedicated by Vice President
Richard Nixon
.
Although they now had a modern facility in Green Bay, the Packers continued their tradition (since 1933) of playing two or three regular-season games a year at County Stadium
in Milwaukee, 120 miles to the south. Beginning in 1995
, regular-season games were no longer scheduled in Milwaukee, and Lambeau Field became their only home field. Former Milwaukee ticket holders receive tickets to a preseason game and games 2 and 5 of the regular season home schedule, in what is referred to as the "Gold
package". Green Bay season ticket holders receive tickets to the remaining home games as part of their "Green
package".
in 1959. In 1961
, four years after it opened, the stadium's capacity was increased to 38,669.
Since then, the Packers have been regularly increasing the seating capacity. The bowl was increased to 42,327 in 1963
, to about 50,860 in 1966
and to 56,263 in 1970
, when the stadium was fully enclosed for the first time as the various stands were joined into one continuous oval around the field.
Construction of 72 private boxes in 1985
increased the seating capacity to 56,926, and a 1990
addition of 36 additional boxes and 1,920 theatre-style club seats brought the number to 59,543. In 1995
, a $4.7-million project put 90 more private boxes in the previously open north end zone, again giving the stadium the feel of a complete bowl and increasing capacity to 60,890.
By the end of the 1990s, the Packers believed that they needed to update the facility to remain financially competitive in the NFL. Rather than build a new stadium, Chairman/CEO Bob Harlan
and President/COO John Jones unveiled a $295 million plan to renovate Lambeau Field in January 2000. It was to be paid for partly by the team via the 1997-98 stock sale, which netted more than $20 million. Most of the proceeds were to be paid through a 0.5% sales tax in Brown County and personal seat license
fees on season ticket
holders. After their plan won approval by the Wisconsin State Legislature, it was ratified by Brown County voters on September 12, 2000 by a 53%-47% margin. Construction began early in 2001.
The massive redevelopment plan was designed to update the facilities, add more premium and suite seating, yet preserve the seating bowl, keeping the storied natural grass playing field of the "frozen tundra". The project was completed in time for the 2003 season
, bringing the current capacity to 73,128. Construction management was conducted by Turner Construction
Sports, and proved to be of remarkably little disruption to the 2001
and 2002
seasons.
In 2007
, the Packers completed their 51st season at Lambeau, breaking the all-time NFL record set by the Chicago Bears
at Wrigley Field
(1921–70). (While Soldier Field
in Chicago has been the site of a football stadium longer, it was not the home of the Bears until 1971
.) Only the Boston Red Sox
at Fenway Park
and the Chicago Cubs
at Wrigley can boast of longer active home-field tenures in American professional sports.
Although the capacity has more than doubled since Lambeau Field was opened, demand for tickets remains high: season tickets have been sold out since 1960
, and more than 81,000 names remain on the waiting list (with a reported average wait time of 900 years). The sell-out streak has had the effect (intended or not) of ensuring that all Packers home games being televised every year in Green Bay and Milwaukee, a streak that started in 1973 (prior to that time, local telecasts of home games were disallowed regardless of how many tickets were sold).
During the 2007 season
, Lambeau Field was voted the number one NFL stadium in game-day atmosphere and fan experience by a Sports Illustrated
online poll.
In 2009, The Sports Turf Managers Association named Lambeau Field the 2009 Field of the Year.
Through the 2010 season, the Packers have compiled a 189-107-4 (.639) regular season mark at Lambeau Field.
scoreboards in place of their current scoreboards; plans for a new sound system were announced as well. Later the plans were expanded to include adding as many as 7,500 seats both inside and outside as well as viewing platforms and lounge areas. On May 5, 2011 the Packers sent out an online survey to 30,000 season-ticket holders, club-seat holders and individuals on the season-ticket waiting list to get feedback from the fans on several concepts being considered for the south end-zone development. On August 25, 2011 plans were officially announced to add 6,500 new seats to the south end zone. The seats will be made up of heated bleacher areas that will melt snow as it falls (a concept tested on a small scale during winter 2010). This concept will solve the logistical problem of shoveling snow from an "upper deck" seating area. (Currently, the snow that falls is shoveled by compensated volunteers from the community. The snow is placed on temporary chutes placed in the aisles and runs down the chutes into carts on the field. The carts are then taken out of the stadium.)
The new sound system is expected to be completed in time for the 2011-2012 NFL season. On August 25th, 2011 Packers president Mark Murphy announced that the expansion of Lambeau would not be paid by taxpayers but by the team itself. After construction, Lambeau would be the 4th biggest stadium in the NFL. Additional construction included two new tower gates for the north and south end zone. The new seats will be outdoors with the exception of one indoor row. There will also be a rooftop viewing terrace in the north end zone for club seat holders during day games. Lambeau Field will also be installing Mitsubishi
Diamond Vision Video Boards (also paid for entirely by the Packers), to be ready for the 2012 season.
season. Officially "City Stadium", the name "New City Stadium" was used informally to distinguish the stadium from its predecessor, which had become the home of the Green Bay East High School
football team.
Following the death of Packers founder Curly Lambeau
, New City Stadium was renamed "Lambeau Field" by the Green Bay city council in 1965
.
Besides founding the team in 1919, Lambeau played for the Packers in their early years and was the team's coach for 31 seasons through 1949
. He shares the distinction with rival George Halas
of the Chicago Bears
of coaching his team to the most NFL championships, with 6. Lambeau was inducted as a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio in 1963.
After the vote passed, the Packers entered talks with the City of Green Bay, which owns the stadium, to further explore the options. The City and team agreed to sell the rights if a price of $100 million could be realized, although no buyer has been found.
The Packers, although agreeing to be bound by the will of the voters, have consistently stressed that they would prefer Lambeau Field keep its traditional name, honoring the club's founder.
The Packers have sold naming rights to the five entrance gates. From the north going clockwise, they are: Miller Brewing
(atrium gate), the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
(east gate facing Oneida Street), Mills Fleet Farm
stores (southwest gate), Associated Bank (west gate and private box entrance), and Verizon (northwest gate). Miller Brewing is also a sponsor of the atrium, and has a section in one end zone called the "Miller Lite End Zone", giving away tickets in that area with various beer promotions.
The stadium's nickname
was spawned by the Ice Bowl between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys
, played on December 31, 1967. The game was played in temperatures of –15°F (–26°C) with sharp winds. Journalist Tex Maule
, associated Lambeau Field with the term tundra in his article summarizing the game in Sports Illustrated
.
Lambeau Field is alleged to have gotten its nickname, The Frozen Tundra, from The Greatest Challenge, the Packers' authorized version of the highlight film written by Steve Sabol. In the Cowboys' authorized version of the highlight film, A Chilling Championship, also written by Sabol, Bill Woodson
used the term the Frozen Tundra, when narrating the film to describe Lambeau Field. Prior to the 1967 season, an underground electric heating
system had been installed but it was not able to counter the effects of the cold front that hit Green Bay at the onset of the Ice Bowl. The field had been covered overnight with the heater on but when the cover was removed in the sub-zero cold the moisture atop the grass flash-froze.
The underground heating and drainage system was redone in 1997
. After the 2006 season
, the surface, heating, and drainage system was replaced. The new grass surface has synthetic fibers woven into the sod. Even the new video boards, installed in 2004
, have been influenced by the field's nickname, being called "Tundra Vision". These video displays, installed by Daktronics
out of Brookings, South Dakota
, measure more than 25 feet (7.6 m) high by 46 feet (14 m) wide.
would see his team win any of his championships. At the 1961 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants
, which the Packers won 37-0, fans hung up signs around the stadium that read Welcome to Titletown, USA. Then-Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle believed that the honor was for him, just that his name was misspelled. By the mid-60s, Titletown, USA was registered as a trademark of the Green Bay Packers, Inc. Lambeau Field has been home to seven NFL world championship seasons, five under Lombardi, one under Mike Holmgren
and one under Mike McCarthy, surpassing the six world championship seasons witnessed by its predecessor, City Stadium
, under Curly Lambeau.
Lambeau Field has represented a significant postseason home-field advantage for the Packers. Playoff games at Lambeau Field typically feature the cold Wisconsin winters. The most famous example is the aforementioned Ice Bowl
. More recently, in the 1997 NFL playoffs both the San Francisco 49ers
in the divisional playoffs and the Carolina Panthers
in the NFC Championship Game struggled to adapt to the muddy and the cold conditions respectively. The temperatures during the 2007 NFC Championship Game
(in which the Packers lost in OT, 23-20, to the New York Giants
) reached as low as -4 °F, with a wind chill of -24 °F. From its opening in 1957
until January 2003, when they fell 27–7 to the Atlanta Falcons
, the Packers had never lost a postseason game at Lambeau Field. However, the Packers hosted just one postseason game (in the ad-hoc round-of-16 in the strike-shortened 1982 season
) during a lean stretch of 27 years between the Ice Bowl
of 1967
and a wild-card game in December 1994
. Although the Packers have lost three of their last five playoff games at Lambeau Field, the overall home post-season record is an impressive 13–3. The stadium has hosted five championship contests: three NFL title games in 1961
, 1965
and 1967 (the "Ice Bowl"); two NFC championships after the 1996 and 2007 seasons.
Many Packer players jump into the end zone stands in a celebration affectionately known as the "Lambeau Leap". The Lambeau Leap was invented by safety LeRoy Butler
, who scored after a Reggie White
fumble recovery and lateral against the L.A. Raiders
in December 1993. It was later popularized by wide receiver Robert Brooks
.
Occasionally, a visiting player will attempt a Lambeau Leap, only to be denied by Packers fans. This happened to then-Minnesota Vikings
cornerback
Fred Smoot
when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown; Packers fans proceeded to throw their beverages on Smoot. During the 2007 NFC Championship game, New York Giants
running back
Brandon Jacobs
faked a Lambeau Leap after scoring a touchdown, angering many Green Bay faithful in the stands. Before a game against the Packers on September 20, 2009, Cincinnati Bengals
wideout Chad Ochocinco announced he would do a Lambeau Leap if he scored a touchdown, and then followed through by leaping into the arms of pre-arranged fans wearing Bengals jerseys. Willis McGahee
successfully did a Lambeau Leap into Ravens fans in a game between the Packers and Ravens.
Originally, music at Lambeau Field was provided by the Packers' Lumberjack Band
. The live band has been replaced by recorded music.
Whenever the Packers score a touchdown, the Todd Rundgren
hit "Bang the Drum All Day
" is played. This tradition began in 1985 and has since been copied by a few other teams around the NFL.
"Go! You Packers! Go!
", the team's fight song
, is played at Lambeau Field immediately following the Packers' player introductions and after each extra point scored by the Packers.
The "Go Pack Go" jingle is usually played when the team is on defense or during the start of a drive on offense. A song built around this jingle is "Go Pack Go!" by The 6 Packers.
The House of Pain
hit "Jump Around
" is often played during one time-out at Lambeau, resulting in widespread jumping around by the crowd. This tradition began due to the popularity of the same song/crowd-participation tradition at University of Wisconsin
football games.
The polka
standard "Beer Barrel Polka
" (also known as "Roll Out The Barrel") is also played at Lambeau Field, usually in the fourth quarter of games. "I Gotta Feeling
" by the Black Eyed Peas
is played when the Packers win a game.
.
game between the Packers
and Detroit Lions
was affected when two high schools played in the rain the preceding Friday, damaging the field. After that, Lombardi asked the schools to avoid using Lambeau, however both Southwest High and West High played there until a high school stadium was built in the late 1970s. In 1970, Green Bay's Premontre High School (the alma mater of Lombardi's son, Vince Jr., which has since been merged into Notre Dame Academy
) hosted (and won) the state private school football championship. In 1982 and 1983, St. Norbert College
hosted Fordham University
(Lombardi's alma mater
) in benefit games to fight cancer.
Shortly after the 2006 Wisconsin–Ohio State hockey game (see below), newspaper reports said the Wisconsin football team might be interested in moving a non-conference road game to Lambeau Field.
" collegiate hockey game held in 2001 at Michigan State's
Spartan Stadium
, hockey
teams from Wisconsin
and Ohio State
met in the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
, an outdoor game played on a temporary rink inside the stadium on February 11, 2006. The Badgers defeated the Buckeyes 4–2 before a capacity crowd of 40,890. There were some problems as the ice began to crack during play, but overall it was a success, ending with the Badgers doing the Lambeau Leap following their victory.
, in 1985 to a crowd of 13,000. Kenny Chesney
and Zac Brown Band
performed in Green Bay on June 11, 2011, on their Goin' Coastal Tour. The main reasons for the lack of concerts at Lambeau Field revolve around concerns of the team relating to potential damage of the playing surface and also the more desirable venues in Wisconsin
, notably Miller Park and the Bradley Center in Milwaukee and Camp Randall Stadium
in Madison
. The market's size also makes playing indoor venues like the nearby Resch Center
and Brown County Arena
more feasible for concert promoters to play locally.
display, sponsored by locally based retailer Shopko Stores, Inc.
was named "Lambeau Fields" in an homage to the famous stadium. He was played by comedian David Koechner
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, the home of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. Opened in 1957
1957 NFL season
The 1957 NFL season was the 38th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Detroit Lions crushed the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game, 59–14.-Major rule changes:...
as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium
City Stadium (Green Bay)
City Stadium is a football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It served as home of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1925 to 1956. It remains the home of the Green Bay East High School football team...
as the Packers' home field. For that reason, it was also informally known as New City Stadium until 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
, when it was renamed in memory of Packers founder, player, and long-time head coach, Curly Lambeau
Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
, who had died earlier in the year.
The stadium's street address has been 1265 Lombardi Avenue since 1968, when Highland Avenue was renamed in honor of Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
. It sits on a block bounded by Lombardi Avenue (north); Oneida Street (east); Stadium Drive and Valley View Road (south); and Ridge Road (west). The playing field at the stadium sits at an elevation of 640 feet (195 m) above sea level.
With a capacity 73,128, Lambeau is the second largest stadium in the state of Wisconsin behind Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...
on the campus of the University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, 80,321.
Packers seek a modern facility
Since 1925, the Packers had played at 25,000-seat the old City StadiumCity Stadium (Green Bay)
City Stadium is a football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It served as home of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1925 to 1956. It remains the home of the Green Bay East High School football team...
. However, it was considered inadequate for the times, and the other NFL owners had threatened to force the franchise to move to Milwaukee unless it got a new stadium. In 1956, Green Bay voters responded by approving (70.3%) a bond issue to finance the new stadium. The original cost in 1957 was $960,000 (paid off in 1978) and its seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was 32,500.
The new stadium would be the first modern stadium built specifically for an NFL franchise. At that time, all the other NFL teams were playing either in facilities shared with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams, or in other pre-existing shared facilities.
The site, now bordered on three sides by the village of Ashwaubenon
Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Ashwaubenon is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 17,634, however many village signs still reflect the 1990 census figure of 17,777. Ashwaubenon is a suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan...
, was selected because it had a natural slope, ideal for creating the bowl shape. The nearby outdoor practice fields (Clarke Hinkle Field
Clarke Hinkle Field
Clarke Hinkle Field is one of the two outdoor American football practice facilities of the Green Bay Packers . These fields, together with the Don Hutson Center, comprise the team's training complex....
and Ray Nitschke Field
Ray Nitschke Field
Ray Nitschke Field is one of the two outdoor practice facilities of the Green Bay Packers . These fields, together with the Don Hutson Center, comprise the team's training complex....
) and Don Hutson Center
Don Hutson Center
The Don Hutson Center is the indoor practice facility of the Green Bay Packers. Located across the street from Lambeau Field, it was built in 1994 at a cost of $4.7 million.The center is named after Don Hutson, who played for the Packers from 1935 to 1945...
are in Ashwaubenon, as was the Packers Hall of Fame
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame was the first hall of fame built to honor a single professional American football team. After receiving approval from coach Vince Lombardi, William L. Brault, a Green Bay restaurateur and Packers fan, founded the Hall of Fame in 1966...
until 2003.
The new City Stadium was officially opened on September 29, 1957, as the Packers
1957 Green Bay Packers season
The 1957 Green Bay Packers season was their 37th season in the National Football League. The club posted a 3-9 record under coach Lisle Blackbourn, earning a last-place finish in the Western Conference. This season was the Packers last under Lisle Blackbourn...
beat the Bears
1957 Chicago Bears season
The 1957 Chicago Bears season was their 38th regular season completed in the National Football League. The club subpar 5-7 record under head coach Paddy Driscoll one year after making the championship game. The 47-7 loss in the 1956 title game coupled with a 5-7 season forced Halas to fire Driscoll...
21–17. In a ceremony before the game, the stadium was dedicated by Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Although they now had a modern facility in Green Bay, the Packers continued their tradition (since 1933) of playing two or three regular-season games a year at County Stadium
Milwaukee County Stadium
Milwaukee County Stadium was a ballpark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1953 to 2000. It was primarily used as a baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers, but was also used for football games, ice skating, religious services, concerts and other large events...
in Milwaukee, 120 miles to the south. Beginning in 1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
, regular-season games were no longer scheduled in Milwaukee, and Lambeau Field became their only home field. Former Milwaukee ticket holders receive tickets to a preseason game and games 2 and 5 of the regular season home schedule, in what is referred to as the "Gold
Gold (color)
Gold, also called golden, is one of a variety of orange-yellow color blends used to give the impression of the color of the element gold....
package". Green Bay season ticket holders receive tickets to the remaining home games as part of their "Green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
package".
Expansion, 1961–95
Demand for tickets at the new stadium easily outstripped supply, not coincidentally after the arrival of coach Vince LombardiVince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
in 1959. In 1961
1961 NFL season
The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League. The schedule was also expanded from 12 games per...
, four years after it opened, the stadium's capacity was increased to 38,669.
Since then, the Packers have been regularly increasing the seating capacity. The bowl was increased to 42,327 in 1963
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
, to about 50,860 in 1966
1966 NFL season
The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the season after which was played Super Bowl I, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, thus an odd number of teams...
and to 56,263 in 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, when the stadium was fully enclosed for the first time as the various stands were joined into one continuous oval around the field.
Construction of 72 private boxes in 1985
1985 NFL season
The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
increased the seating capacity to 56,926, and a 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
addition of 36 additional boxes and 1,920 theatre-style club seats brought the number to 59,543. In 1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
, a $4.7-million project put 90 more private boxes in the previously open north end zone, again giving the stadium the feel of a complete bowl and increasing capacity to 60,890.
2003 renovation
Bob Harlan
Robert E. "Bob" Harlan is the former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Green Bay Packers, an American professional football team. He is a graduate of Marquette University, where he was the Sports Information Director for many years...
and President/COO John Jones unveiled a $295 million plan to renovate Lambeau Field in January 2000. It was to be paid for partly by the team via the 1997-98 stock sale, which netted more than $20 million. Most of the proceeds were to be paid through a 0.5% sales tax in Brown County and personal seat license
Personal Seat License
A personal seat license, or PSL, gives the holder the right to buy season tickets for a certain seat in a stadium. This holder can sell the seat license to someone else if they no longer wish to purchase season tickets. However, if the seat license holder chooses not to sell the seat licenses and...
fees on season ticket
Season ticket
A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
holders. After their plan won approval by the Wisconsin State Legislature, it was ratified by Brown County voters on September 12, 2000 by a 53%-47% margin. Construction began early in 2001.
2003 Green Bay Packers season
The 2003 Green Bay Packers season finished with an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, after the Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round in overtime off an interception return for a touchdown by Al Harris...
, bringing the current capacity to 73,128. Construction management was conducted by Turner Construction
Turner Construction
Turner Construction Company is one of the largest construction management companies in the United States with a construction volume of $8 billion in 2010. It is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF Germany.-The early years:...
Sports, and proved to be of remarkably little disruption to the 2001
2001 Green Bay Packers season
The 2001 Green Bay Packers season ended with a loss to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC divisional playoff game, where Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw a career high 6 interceptions.-2001 NFL draft:...
and 2002
2002 Green Bay Packers season
During the 2002 Green Bay Packers season, the team completed a 12-4 regular season with before losing in the Wild Card playoff round to Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field...
seasons.
In 2007
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, the Packers completed their 51st season at Lambeau, breaking the all-time NFL record set by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
(1921–70). (While Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
in Chicago has been the site of a football stadium longer, it was not the home of the Bears until 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
.) Only the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
at Wrigley can boast of longer active home-field tenures in American professional sports.
Although the capacity has more than doubled since Lambeau Field was opened, demand for tickets remains high: season tickets have been sold out since 1960
1960 NFL season
The 1960 NFL season was the 41st regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, Pete Rozelle was elected NFL commissioner as a compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot. Meanwhile, the league expanded to 13 teams with the addition of the Dallas Cowboys. Also, the Cardinals...
, and more than 81,000 names remain on the waiting list (with a reported average wait time of 900 years). The sell-out streak has had the effect (intended or not) of ensuring that all Packers home games being televised every year in Green Bay and Milwaukee, a streak that started in 1973 (prior to that time, local telecasts of home games were disallowed regardless of how many tickets were sold).
During the 2007 season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, Lambeau Field was voted the number one NFL stadium in game-day atmosphere and fan experience by a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
online poll.
In 2009, The Sports Turf Managers Association named Lambeau Field the 2009 Field of the Year.
Through the 2010 season, the Packers have compiled a 189-107-4 (.639) regular season mark at Lambeau Field.
South End-Zone Expansion
In 2010, plans were announced by the Green Bay Packers to install new high definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
scoreboards in place of their current scoreboards; plans for a new sound system were announced as well. Later the plans were expanded to include adding as many as 7,500 seats both inside and outside as well as viewing platforms and lounge areas. On May 5, 2011 the Packers sent out an online survey to 30,000 season-ticket holders, club-seat holders and individuals on the season-ticket waiting list to get feedback from the fans on several concepts being considered for the south end-zone development. On August 25, 2011 plans were officially announced to add 6,500 new seats to the south end zone. The seats will be made up of heated bleacher areas that will melt snow as it falls (a concept tested on a small scale during winter 2010). This concept will solve the logistical problem of shoveling snow from an "upper deck" seating area. (Currently, the snow that falls is shoveled by compensated volunteers from the community. The snow is placed on temporary chutes placed in the aisles and runs down the chutes into carts on the field. The carts are then taken out of the stadium.)
The new sound system is expected to be completed in time for the 2011-2012 NFL season. On August 25th, 2011 Packers president Mark Murphy announced that the expansion of Lambeau would not be paid by taxpayers but by the team itself. After construction, Lambeau would be the 4th biggest stadium in the NFL. Additional construction included two new tower gates for the north and south end zone. The new seats will be outdoors with the exception of one indoor row. There will also be a rooftop viewing terrace in the north end zone for club seat holders during day games. Lambeau Field will also be installing Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
Diamond Vision Video Boards (also paid for entirely by the Packers), to be ready for the 2012 season.
New City Stadium
The original name of Lambeau Field lasted through the 19641964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
season. Officially "City Stadium", the name "New City Stadium" was used informally to distinguish the stadium from its predecessor, which had become the home of the Green Bay East High School
Green Bay East High School
Green Bay East High School is a public high school in the Green Bay Area Public School District serving Green Bay, Wisconsin and its surrounding communities . The school's street address is 1415 East Walnut Street.-History:East High School has been located in three buildings over its 150-year history...
football team.
Lambeau Field
Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
, New City Stadium was renamed "Lambeau Field" by the Green Bay city council in 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
.
Besides founding the team in 1919, Lambeau played for the Packers in their early years and was the team's coach for 31 seasons through 1949
1949 NFL season
The 1949 NFL season was the 30th regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins asked the league to fold his team due to financial woes, and give him a new one in New York City...
. He shares the distinction with rival George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
of the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of coaching his team to the most NFL championships, with 6. Lambeau was inducted as a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in Canton, Ohio in 1963.
Corporate naming rights
On November 7, 2000, two months after Brown County voters approved a sales tax to fund Lambeau Field's renovation, a second referendum was presented to the same Brown County voters. This referendum asked whether naming rights to the renovated stadium should be sold in order to retire earlier the 0.5% sales tax created to cover construction costs. The referendum passed 53% to 47%, the exact percentage by which voters approved the sales tax.After the vote passed, the Packers entered talks with the City of Green Bay, which owns the stadium, to further explore the options. The City and team agreed to sell the rights if a price of $100 million could be realized, although no buyer has been found.
The Packers, although agreeing to be bound by the will of the voters, have consistently stressed that they would prefer Lambeau Field keep its traditional name, honoring the club's founder.
The Packers have sold naming rights to the five entrance gates. From the north going clockwise, they are: Miller Brewing
Miller Brewing
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...
(atrium gate), the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
(east gate facing Oneida Street), Mills Fleet Farm
Mills Fleet Farm
Mills Fleet Farm is a retail chain of 31 large stores in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. The stores sell hunting and fishing equipment, appliances, housewares, automotive goods, apparel, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, sporting goods, tools, and farm...
stores (southwest gate), Associated Bank (west gate and private box entrance), and Verizon (northwest gate). Miller Brewing is also a sponsor of the atrium, and has a section in one end zone called the "Miller Lite End Zone", giving away tickets in that area with various beer promotions.
"The Frozen Tundra"
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
was spawned by the Ice Bowl between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys
1967 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1967 Dallas Cowboys season was their eighth in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10–3–1, winning only nine games. They qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:...
, played on December 31, 1967. The game was played in temperatures of –15°F (–26°C) with sharp winds. Journalist Tex Maule
Tex Maule
Hamilton Prieleaux Bee Maule, commonly known as Tex Maule was the lead American football writer for Sports Illustrated in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.-Career:...
, associated Lambeau Field with the term tundra in his article summarizing the game in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.
Lambeau Field is alleged to have gotten its nickname, The Frozen Tundra, from The Greatest Challenge, the Packers' authorized version of the highlight film written by Steve Sabol. In the Cowboys' authorized version of the highlight film, A Chilling Championship, also written by Sabol, Bill Woodson
Bill Woodson
William "Bill" T. Woodson is a retired American voice artist. He has a small onscreen appearance in the 1950s sci-fi film "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" as a newscaster. He can be heard in the opening narrative of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple, explaining how it is that Felix and...
used the term the Frozen Tundra, when narrating the film to describe Lambeau Field. Prior to the 1967 season, an underground electric heating
Under-soil heating
Under-soil heating is a method used in various sports stadia which heats the underside of the pitch to avoid any bad weather, such as snow and ice, from building up and ultimately helps the club avoid having to postpone any matches.The first ground in England to have under-soil heating installed...
system had been installed but it was not able to counter the effects of the cold front that hit Green Bay at the onset of the Ice Bowl. The field had been covered overnight with the heater on but when the cover was removed in the sub-zero cold the moisture atop the grass flash-froze.
The underground heating and drainage system was redone in 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
. After the 2006 season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
, the surface, heating, and drainage system was replaced. The new grass surface has synthetic fibers woven into the sod. Even the new video boards, installed in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, have been influenced by the field's nickname, being called "Tundra Vision". These video displays, installed by Daktronics
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
out of Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher...
, measure more than 25 feet (7.6 m) high by 46 feet (14 m) wide.
Titletown, USA
More famously a nickname for the city than its football field, "Titletown, USA" became popularized in 1961, even before Vince LombardiVince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
would see his team win any of his championships. At the 1961 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which the Packers won 37-0, fans hung up signs around the stadium that read Welcome to Titletown, USA. Then-Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle believed that the honor was for him, just that his name was misspelled. By the mid-60s, Titletown, USA was registered as a trademark of the Green Bay Packers, Inc. Lambeau Field has been home to seven NFL world championship seasons, five under Lombardi, one under Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
and one under Mike McCarthy, surpassing the six world championship seasons witnessed by its predecessor, City Stadium
City Stadium (Green Bay)
City Stadium is a football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It served as home of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1925 to 1956. It remains the home of the Green Bay East High School football team...
, under Curly Lambeau.
Postseason
NFL Championship Game, 1967
The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...
. More recently, in the 1997 NFL playoffs both the San Francisco 49ers
1996 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1996 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 51st since its inception. In commemoration, the 49ers wore a special 50th anniversary patch. They also wore a new uniform reminiscent of the 1994 throwback uniforms with white pants and shadowed numbers, but with a darker shade of red and an...
in the divisional playoffs and the Carolina Panthers
1996 Carolina Panthers season
-Regular season:-Postseason:-Week 2: at New Orleans Saints:Acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Steve Beuerlein did not throw a single pass, instead rushing three times for a net loss of ten yards; Kerry Collins handled the quarterbacking duties, throwing for 171 yards and one pick...
in the NFC Championship Game struggled to adapt to the muddy and the cold conditions respectively. The temperatures during the 2007 NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
(in which the Packers lost in OT, 23-20, to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
) reached as low as -4 °F, with a wind chill of -24 °F. From its opening in 1957
1957 NFL season
The 1957 NFL season was the 38th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Detroit Lions crushed the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game, 59–14.-Major rule changes:...
until January 2003, when they fell 27–7 to the Atlanta Falcons
2002 Atlanta Falcons season
The 2002 Atlanta Falcons season was their 37th in the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 7-9 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in four years. The team was also involved in a rare tie, matching the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-34 at the end of overtime...
, the Packers had never lost a postseason game at Lambeau Field. However, the Packers hosted just one postseason game (in the ad-hoc round-of-16 in the strike-shortened 1982 season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
) during a lean stretch of 27 years between the Ice Bowl
NFL Championship Game, 1967
The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...
of 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
and a wild-card game in December 1994
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
. Although the Packers have lost three of their last five playoff games at Lambeau Field, the overall home post-season record is an impressive 13–3. The stadium has hosted five championship contests: three NFL title games in 1961
NFL Championship Game, 1961
The 1961 National Football League championship game was the 29th title game. The game was played at "New" City Stadium, later known as Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, Wisconsin on December 31, 1961...
, 1965
NFL Championship Game, 1965
The 1965 National Football League Championship game was the 33rd championship game for the NFL. The game was played on January 2, 1966 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin. The game matched the Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Browns who were the defending NFL champions...
and 1967 (the "Ice Bowl"); two NFC championships after the 1996 and 2007 seasons.
The "Lambeau Leap"
LeRoy Butler
LeRoy Butler, III is a former American football strong safety who played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers . He spent his childhood in Jacksonville, Florida, challenged by physical problems that forced him to wear leg braces and use a wheelchair at times while undergoing therapy...
, who scored after a Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
fumble recovery and lateral against the L.A. Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in December 1993. It was later popularized by wide receiver Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks
Robert Darren Brooks is a former American football wide receiver who attended University of South Carolina and played for the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos.-Early life:...
.
Occasionally, a visiting player will attempt a Lambeau Leap, only to be denied by Packers fans. This happened to then-Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Fred Smoot
Fred Smoot
Fredrick "Fred" Duayne Smoot is an American football defensive back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown; Packers fans proceeded to throw their beverages on Smoot. During the 2007 NFC Championship game, New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Jacobs
-New York Giants:Going into the 2006 season Jacobs stated that he studied film of famed power running back Eddie George in an effort to refine his running style. George, like Jacobs, was a large, power running back. In the 2006 season, Jacobs carried the ball 96 times for 423 yards and nine...
faked a Lambeau Leap after scoring a touchdown, angering many Green Bay faithful in the stands. Before a game against the Packers on September 20, 2009, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
wideout Chad Ochocinco announced he would do a Lambeau Leap if he scored a touchdown, and then followed through by leaping into the arms of pre-arranged fans wearing Bengals jerseys. Willis McGahee
Willis McGahee
Willis Andrew McGahee III is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
successfully did a Lambeau Leap into Ravens fans in a game between the Packers and Ravens.
Stadium music
Lumberjack Band
The Lumberjack Band was a marching band who played at Green Bay Packers games. They originally wore plaid flannel jackets, hence the name.The Lumberjack Band was formed in 1921, originally made up of a group of volunteers...
. The live band has been replaced by recorded music.
Whenever the Packers score a touchdown, the Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
hit "Bang the Drum All Day
Bang the Drum All Day
"Bang the Drum All Day" is a 1983 song by Todd Rundgren. The lyrics describe in first person, the singer's drive to "bang the drum all day" to the exclusion of everything else. All the instruments on this track are performed by Rundgren...
" is played. This tradition began in 1985 and has since been copied by a few other teams around the NFL.
"Go! You Packers! Go!
Go! You Packers! Go!
"Go! You Packers! Go!" is the fight song of the Green Bay Packers, and the first for a professional American football team. It was written by Eric Karll, a commercial jingle writer in Milwaukee, and first played at a Packers football game by the Lumberjack Band in 1931.The rights to "Go! You...
", the team's fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
, is played at Lambeau Field immediately following the Packers' player introductions and after each extra point scored by the Packers.
The "Go Pack Go" jingle is usually played when the team is on defense or during the start of a drive on offense. A song built around this jingle is "Go Pack Go!" by The 6 Packers.
The House of Pain
House of Pain
House of Pain is an American hip hop group who released three albums in the 1990s before lead rapper Everlast left to pursue his solo career again. The group's name is a reference to the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr...
hit "Jump Around
Jump Around
"Jump Around" is the title of a song by the band House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. This song became a hit in 1992, reaching Number 3 in the USA. A 1993 re-release of the song in the UK, where the original had been a minor hit, peaked at Number 8. On VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of...
" is often played during one time-out at Lambeau, resulting in widespread jumping around by the crowd. This tradition began due to the popularity of the same song/crowd-participation tradition at University of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
football games.
The polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
standard "Beer Barrel Polka
Beer Barrel Polka
Beer Barrel Polka, also known as Roll Out the Barrel, is a song which became popular worldwide during World War II. The music was composed by the Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda in 1927. Eduard Ingriš wrote the first arrangement of the piece, after Vejvoda came upon the melody and sought Ingriš's...
" (also known as "Roll Out The Barrel") is also played at Lambeau Field, usually in the fourth quarter of games. "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
" by the Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
is played when the Packers win a game.
Packers shareholders meeting
With the 1997–98 sale of stock in the Packers corporation, swelling the number of owners to over 112,000, a large venue was needed for the annual shareholders meeting. The event returned to Lambeau Field in 2006 after several thousand people were turned away from the 2005 meeting at the nearby Resch CenterResch Center
The Resch Center is a 10,200 seat multi-purpose arena, in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.Built in 2002, it is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team, the Green Bay Gamblers ice hockey team, Green Bay Chill and the Green Bay Blizzard arena football teams.The arena...
.
High school and college football
When built, Lambeau Field was also slated to be used by Green Bay's public high schools, as old City Stadium had been. However, a key 19621962 NFL season
The 1962 NFL season was the 43rd regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, CBS signed a contract with the league to televise all regular-season games for a $4.65 million annual fee....
game between the Packers
1962 Green Bay Packers season
The 1962 Green Bay Packers season was their 42nd season in the National Football League. The club posted a 13-1 record under coach Vince Lombardi, earning them a first-place finish in the Western Conference. The Packers ended the season by defeating the New York Giants 16-7 in the NFL Championship...
and Detroit Lions
1962 Detroit Lions season
The 1962 Detroit Lions season was the 33rd season in franchise history.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-Playoff Bowl:The game was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. -Awards and records:...
was affected when two high schools played in the rain the preceding Friday, damaging the field. After that, Lombardi asked the schools to avoid using Lambeau, however both Southwest High and West High played there until a high school stadium was built in the late 1970s. In 1970, Green Bay's Premontre High School (the alma mater of Lombardi's son, Vince Jr., which has since been merged into Notre Dame Academy
Notre Dame Academy (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Notre Dame de la Baie Academy is a co-educational Roman Catholic high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The name is French for "Our Lady of the Bay"...
) hosted (and won) the state private school football championship. In 1982 and 1983, St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the college became coeducational and today enrolls about 2,175...
hosted Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
(Lombardi's alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
) in benefit games to fight cancer.
Shortly after the 2006 Wisconsin–Ohio State hockey game (see below), newspaper reports said the Wisconsin football team might be interested in moving a non-conference road game to Lambeau Field.
Hockey
Following the success of the "Cold WarCold War (ice hockey)
The Cold War was a college ice hockey game played between U.S. college rivals Michigan State University and the University of Michigan on Saturday, October 6, 2001...
" collegiate hockey game held in 2001 at Michigan State's
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium (East Lansing)
Spartan Stadium opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans...
, hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams from Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
and Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
met in the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
The Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic was a College ice hockey game played on a makeshift Ice rink covering the field at Lambeau Field. The game was the second outdoor game involving US college teams, the first being "The Cold War"....
, an outdoor game played on a temporary rink inside the stadium on February 11, 2006. The Badgers defeated the Buckeyes 4–2 before a capacity crowd of 40,890. There were some problems as the ice began to crack during play, but overall it was a success, ending with the Badgers doing the Lambeau Leap following their victory.
Snowmobile racing
A 2005 snowmobile racing event took place over the turf, but even with proper snow cover, it ruined the playing field. In 2004, the event was held in the parking lot due to a lack of snow.Concerts
Since the renovation, only one concert has been performed at Lambeau. The last concert to be held at the stadium, prior to the renovation, was SurvivorSurvivor (band)
Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its AOR sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its double platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
, in 1985 to a crowd of 13,000. Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
and Zac Brown Band
Zac Brown Band
Zac Brown Band is an American country music, southern rock, and folk band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown , Jimmy De Martini , John Driskell Hopkins , Coy Bowles , Chris Fryar and Clay Cook...
performed in Green Bay on June 11, 2011, on their Goin' Coastal Tour. The main reasons for the lack of concerts at Lambeau Field revolve around concerns of the team relating to potential damage of the playing surface and also the more desirable venues in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, notably Miller Park and the Bradley Center in Milwaukee and Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...
in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. The market's size also makes playing indoor venues like the nearby Resch Center
Resch Center
The Resch Center is a 10,200 seat multi-purpose arena, in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.Built in 2002, it is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team, the Green Bay Gamblers ice hockey team, Green Bay Chill and the Green Bay Blizzard arena football teams.The arena...
and Brown County Arena
Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena
The Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena is a 5,248-seat multi-purpose arena, in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, situated on the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Oneida Street, across from Lambeau Field...
more feasible for concert promoters to play locally.
Fireworks
For many years, Lambeau hosted a popular annual Fourth of July fireworksFireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
display, sponsored by locally based retailer Shopko Stores, Inc.
Popular culture
The main character of the 2007 sports parody movie The ComebacksThe Comebacks
The Comebacks is a 2007 American satirical comedy film directed by Tom Brady. This film is a parody of the clichés and plots of the sports film genre. In the UK, Greece, Finland and Australia this film is called Sports Movie and called Team of Crazy in Brazil...
was named "Lambeau Fields" in an homage to the famous stadium. He was played by comedian David Koechner
David Koechner
David Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
.
Seating capacity
- 1957 32,500
- 1961 38,669
- 1963 42,327
- 1965 50,852
- 1970 56,263
- 1985 56,926
- 1990 59,543
- 1995 60,890
- 2001 65,290
- 2003 73,128
- 2012 79,728
Sources
- When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi, by David Maraniss, 1999, (ISBN 0-684-84418-4)
- South Carolina Hall Of Fame: Robert Brooks
- Davis, Jeff (2008), Rozelle: Czar of the NFL. New York:McGraw-Hill. 0-07-159352-7
- Gruver, Edward (1998). The Ice Bowl:The Cold Truth About Football's Most Unforgettable Game. Ithaca, New York:McBooks Press, Inc. ISBNInternational Standard Book NumberThe International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering code created by Gordon Foster, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H...
1-59013-080-4 - O'Brien, Michael (1987), Vince: A Personal Biography of Vince Lombardi. New York:William Morrow and Company, Inc. ISBNInternational Standard Book NumberThe International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering code created by Gordon Foster, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H...
0-688-07406-6
External links
- LambeauField.com - official website
- Green Bay Press Gazette - Lambeau memories at 50 - 2007
- Lambeau Field timeline from PackersNews.com
- PackersNews.com - Lambeau Field
- Packers yearly results
- Packers game results
- Lambeau Cam from Packers.com
- Don't bet on UW football at Lambeau, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Feb. 15, 2006
- Google Maps aerial photograph - aerial photograph and topographic map
- ESPN.com, "Lambeau or Bust: NFL Experience Incomplete Without a Trip to Green Bay"