Curly Lambeau
| |
| Lambeau during his college career at Notre Dame in 1918. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 9, 1898 |
| Place of birth | Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Date of death | June 1, 1965 (aged 67) |
| Place of death | Sturgeon Bay, WI, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback/Head Coach |
| College | Notre Dame |
| High school | Green Bay East High School |
| Career highlights | |
| Honors | NFL 1920s All-Decade Team Green Bay Packers HOF Pro Football HOF Wisconsin Athletic HOF |
| Records | Green Bay Packers Career Wins (209) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Career record | 229-134-22 |
| Championships won | 1929 NFL Championship 1930 NFL Championship 1931 NFL Championship 1936 NFL Championship 1939 NFL Championship 1944 NFL Championship |
| Stats | |
| Coaching stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Coaching stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a player | |
| 1919-1929 | Green Bay Packers |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1919-1949 1950-1951 1952-1953 |
Green Bay Packers Chicago Cardinals Washington Redskins |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963 | |
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team. He shares the distinction with rival George Halas of the Chicago Bears of coaching his team to the most NFL championships, with six.
Biography[edit | edit source]
East High School and Notre Dame[edit | edit source]
Lambeau was a standout multi-sport athlete at Green Bay East High School, and captain of its football team as a senior in 1917. Lambeau then played for legendary coach Knute Rockne at Notre Dame in 1918, making the Irish's varsity squad as a freshman, but a severe case of tonsillitis forced him to return home before his sophomore year.[1]
Founding the Packers[edit | edit source]
Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun formed the Green Bay Packers on August 11, 1919, while Lambeau was working as a shipping clerk at the Indian Packing Company. The Packers initially played teams from Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula; however, the success of the team in 1919-20 quickly led to its joining of the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922.
Playing career[edit | edit source]
Lambeau played for the Packers from 1919 to 1929. Although Lambeau played halfback, he was both the primary runner and passer, as was common practice during that period; most teams used the single wing offense at the time. Lambeau threw the Packers' first official pass, first official touchdown pass, and kicked the Packers' first official field goal.[1]
Career as a coach[edit | edit source]
Green Bay Packers[edit | edit source]
Lambeau coached the Packers as an NFL team from 1921 to 1949. As head coach, he led the Packers to six NFL championships (1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944). As Packers' head coach, Lambeau compiled a regular-season record of 209–104–21 (.667 winning percentage) with a playoff record of 3–2 [212–106–21 (.667) overall]. These official records do not include the Packers' 19–2–1 record under Lambeau prior to joining the NFL.[1] Ties did not count in the standings in those days.
In 1946, Lambeau purchased Rockwood Lodge, creating the first self-contained training facility in professional football. The purchase was controversial among the Packers' board of directors, and Lambeau's deteriorating relationship with the board was one of the factors that would lead to his departure in early 1950.[1] In addition, Lambeau's record as a coach had dropped sharply after Hall of Fame receiver Don Hutson retired in 1945. In 1954, Lambeau was fired from his position as coach of the Washington Redskins after arguing with that professional football team's owner in the lobby of Sacramento's Senator Hotel.[2]
Career record[edit | edit source]
Lambeau completed his 33-year NFL coaching career with an official overall record of 229–134–22 (.595 winning percentage).
Personal life[edit | edit source]
Lambeau was married three times, first to Marguerite Van Kessel from 1919 ending in divorce with one son in 1934. His second wife Susan Johnson was a former Miss California. They were married from 1935 to 1940. He married Grace Garland in 1945 and was divorced in 1955.
Lambeau died of a heart attack in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, while visiting a friend.[3]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
The Packers' stadium, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, is named after Curly Lambeau. The venue opened in 1957, informally called "New" City Stadium for its first eight years. It was renamed "Lambeau Field" in September 1965, after Lambeau's death.
Erected after the stadium's 2003 renovation, a 14-foot statue of Lambeau greets visitors.
Lambeau Street, in Green Bay's Packerland Industrial Park, is also named in his honor.
Among other things, Lambeau is credited with pioneering daily practices, the forward pass in the NFL, implementing pass patterns and flying to road games.[1]
Lambeau was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1961.
Lambeau was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1963.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Hall of Famers: Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau — Class of 1963". Retrieved 2013-04-04.
- ↑ Don Bosley (March 5, 2000). "Sacramento's Big 10: This Summer's U.S. Olympic Track And Field Trials Figures To Make Major News, But The City's History Is Filled With Momentous Sports Happenings. Here Is A List Of The Ones Our Panel Thought Mattered Most...". Sacramento Bee. p. C1.
|section=ignored (help) - ↑ "Curly Lambeau is Stricken and Dies of a Heart Attack". Lawrence (Kansas) Daily Journal World. June 2, 1965. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
- "Green Bay Packers Coaches - Curly Lambeau". Packers.com. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- "Green Bay Packers History - Birth of a Team and a Legend". Packers.com. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- "Member - Pro Football Hall of Fame - Curly Lambeau". Profootballhof.com. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Curly Lambeau at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Curly Lambeau at Find a Grave
Template:Green Bay Packers starting quarterback navbox Template:Green Bay Packers coach navbox Template:Green Bay Packers general manager navbox Template:Arizona Cardinals coach navbox Template:Washington Redskins coach navbox
