GREEN BAY
P A C K E R S
history
PAckers
Hallowed Ground
One of the most revered stadiums in the country, Lambeau Field is hosting its 59th season of football this year.
A year-round destination venue enjoyed by Packers fans in a variety of ways on a daily basis, it underwent a dramatic facelift from 2000-03 that added a host of new amenities and attractions, carrying the glorious tradition and history of the Packers forward in the “like-new” Lambeau Field. Building upon that success, the venerable stadium recently completed a five-year expansion and renovation (2011-2015) that saw the debut of the South End in 2013, a new section which closed the south end-zone structure and features approximately 7,000 new seats, including premium seating as well as sponsor and partner areas.
Featuring the only true “retro” look in the entire league, Lambeau Field through the redevelopment and recent expansion has maintained its heart – the original seating bowl. The same hallowed ground where many of the NFL’s greatest moments have transpired continues to exist, a setting in which current players will create incredible memories in future years. Even with the changes over the past decade, Lambeau maintains its nostalgic and intimate feel with totally unobstructed sightlines. Permeated by history, tradition and mystique, the view from inside can be awe-inspiring.
What was once just a football stadium that fans could use only 10 days during the season is today a Packers cultural center that can be enjoyed throughout the year. Within the five-story Lambeau Field Atrium, located on the stadium’s east side, is the Packers Pro Shop; corporate meeting and event facilities for up to 25 to 1,200 people; and open in 2015, a brand-new Packers Hall of Fame in a new location, and a new restaurant, 1919 Kitchen & Tap, that replaces Curly’s Pub.
Historic Lambeau Field is the longest continuously occupied stadium in the league – 10 years more than the next-closest venue, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego at 49 years. In pro sports as a whole, only the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park (104 seasons) and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field (102 seasons) have longer active home-field tenures.
Humble Beginnings
The stadium that enjoys iconic status today had very humble beginnings.
Originally built at a cost of $960,000, an amount shared equally by the Packers Corporation and the city of Green Bay, the facility was financed by way of a bond issue that received 2-to-1 voter approval in a municipal referendum conducted April 3, 1956.
Located in southwest Green Bay, surrounded on three sides by the village of Ashwaubenon, Lambeau Field originally was built on farmland, purchased for $73,305. The stadium’s original architect, Somerville Inc., favored the current site because it was sloped, making it perfect to build a bowl.
Dedicated as City Stadium Sept. 29, 1957 – a day that 32,132 fans saw Green Bay topple the hated Chicago Bears, 21-17 – attendees included Vice President Richard Nixon and NFL Commissioner Bert Bell. In 1965, the facility was renamed Lambeau Field following the death of E.L. “Curly” Lambeau, the Packers’ founder and first coach.
FLYOVER
F I E L D
L A M B E A U
SINCE 1956
Home Field Advantage
Lambeau Field is among the NFL’s toughest places to play. Green Bay holds a 141-42-1 (.769) regular-season record at Lambeau since 1992, plus a 10-5 mark in the playoffs, for an overall record of 151-47-1 (.761). Even more imposing, the Packers under Head Coach Mike McCarthy have gone 53-12-1 (.810) in their past 58 regular-season games at Lambeau.
In the midst of nearly four full seasons at home without a defeat – prior to a 1998 Monday night loss to Minnesota, their last setback at Lambeau had come in the 1995 season opener – the Packers established the NFL’s second-longest home winning streak (25). Only the Miami Dolphins (1971-74) have won more consecutive regular-season home games (27).
Bucket-List Destination
The NFL’s longest-tenured venue, Lambeau easily ranks as one of the most recognized and envied locales in all of sports, a fact recognized in 1999 when Sports Illustrated named it the eighth-best facility in the world to watch sports – and the lone NFL stadium to make the magazine’s “Top 20” list. Additionally, SI.com in 2007 and 2008 rated Lambeau Field as the No. 1 stadium experience in the NFL, as did ESPN The Magazine in 2009 and 2011-14.
Large-scale stadium events have included the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic in February 2006, a Wisconsin Badgers-Ohio State Buckeyes matchup that drew 40,890 fans, the fourth-largest hockey crowd at the time. Two Kenny Chesney concerts (2011, and 2015 with Jason Aldean) attracted more than 45,000 and 50,000 music lovers, respectively, to the stadium. The events were a financial boon to the local economy, with $3 million (hockey) and $5 million (each concert) impacts, respectively. A Wisconsin-LSU football game is scheduled for September 2016, as well.
On the community front, the Atrium has regularly hosted free events. “Spooktacular Fun,” a Halloween event that features interactive and entertaining activities including music, magic, miming, clowns and jugglers, takes place in October. Festival of Lights, a holiday-themed event in December, features a visit from Santa Claus, cookie decorating, choirs and a 40-foot tree with 10,000 lights. March sees the Atrium welcome “Project Play 60” – a day focused on getting kids out of the house to enjoy non-strenuous physical activity. More than 20,000 residents enjoy the Atrium during these days.
Lambeau Hosts Hockey, Concerts, Community Events
Country music star Kenny Chesney performs at Lambeau Field on July 18, 2015.
Tickets & Waiting List
Sold out since 1960 and on a season-ticket basis since 1961 (310 consecutive regular-season games, not including replacement games, at the start of the 2015 season), Lambeau was not the Packers’ only regular-season home until 1995. The team maintained two separate ticket packages after moving all games to Green Bay, eliminating four annual dates at Milwaukee County Stadium.
“Gold” ticket holders (made up primarily of former Milwaukee season patrons) have a three-game package consisting of the annual Midwest Shrine preseason contest plus the second and fifth regular-season home games each year. “Green” season customers (made up of original Green Bay ticket holders) have a seven-game package consisting of the annual Bishop’s Charities preseason game and the remaining six regular-season contests.
The block of additional seats in 2003 helped the Packers remove roughly 3,600 names from their season-ticket waiting list – which at the start of the 2015 season had more than 117,000 names on it – between both ticket packages. The 7,000-plus new seats in 2013 helped the Packers remove another 5,000 names from the list. Additionally, Brown County residents without season tickets have a chance to purchase 4,000 new bowl tickets on a game-by-game basis; in 2015, 10,000 residents were randomly selected from a list and were able to purchase four tickets. Disabled-accessible seats also increased dramatically through both projects, rising from 56 to 756 in 2003, and to 876 currently.