1976: Dick Vermeil Hired as Head Coach by Philadelphia Eagles

Since winning the NFL Championship in 1960 under Head Coach Buck Shaw, who promptly retired, the Philadelphia Eagles had gone through a long period of successive coaching failures. Through the 1975 season the Eagles had five coaches, who combined for a won-lost record of 74-127-9 with just two winning years along the way. The last of those, Mike McCormack, went 16-25-1 from 1973 to ’75 and was let go.

Owner Leonard Tose had hired three of those coaches since taking over the team in 1969, and interviewed several candidates for the latest vacancy, including those with pro head coaching experience such as Hank Stram and Allie Sherman, as well as Norm Van Brocklin, the quarterback of the 1960 championship team who had gone on to coach the Vikings and Falcons. On February 8, 1976 he signed 39-year-old Dick Vermeil, who had drawn national attention after coaching UCLA to an upset of top-ranked Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Vermeil had been an assistant coach at the pro level, having served as the first designated special teams coach in NFL history under George Allen with the Los Angeles Rams. He had led UCLA to an overall record of 15-5-3 over two seasons. Initially reluctant to accept the job, he was taking on the task of trying to turn around an organization that had been mired in losing and had mortgaged its future, primarily in deals for QB Roman Gabriel before the 1973 season and LB Bill Bergey in ’74. They did not have a draft choice until the fourth round in ’76 and the fifth round in ’77, and would not choose again in either the first or second round until 1979.

Vermeil was signed to a five-year contract and took the first season to evaluate the talent on hand. Gabriel was still with the team, but clearly on the downside of his career at age 36 and primarily utilized as a backup to the mediocre Mike Boryla. There was quality at tight end, where Charle Young was considered one of the league’s best (and was prone to being outspoken about that fact) and wide receiver, with 6’8” Harold Carmichael providing a big, if sometimes inconsistent, target.

Rookie FB Mike Hogan played well prior to an injury that ended his season after eight games, while veteran HB Tom Sullivan suffered through an injury-plagued campaign. The offensive line needed work, but had some promising players in tackles Jerry Sisemore and Stan Walters.

With a lack of quality defensive linemen and a better group of linebackers led by the All-Pro Bergey, Vermeil chose to use a 3-4 alignment. Strong safety Randy Logan was a rising star in the defensive backfield.

The biggest change Vermeil brought to the club from the beginning was intensity and a solid work ethic. He personified it by working long hours and often spending the night on a cot in his office at Veterans Stadium. It took time for the results to show, but when they did, the change was dramatic.

“I always had a sense that we were moving in the right direction,” Bergey said later. “Even in the early years when the wins were few and far between, we could see the intensity of the play picking up. Dick’s personality rubbed off on us.”

The wins were most definitely few and far between initially. The club duplicated the 1975 record of 4-10 in ’76, and was 5-9 in 1977. Young, who had become involved in a contract dispute, was traded to the Rams after the first year for QB Ron Jaworski (pictured with Vermeil below); “The Polish Rifle” took over the starting job and improved along with the team. Carmichael showed a greater maturity and became an even better receiver and team leader. At the end of the 1977 season, rookie Wilbert Montgomery emerged as a quality running back. Moreover, six of the nine losses were by six points or less, pointing to the increasing competitiveness of the team.

The hard work was rewarded in 1978, as the Eagles went 9-7 and earned a wild card playoff spot while Montgomery set a new team single-season rushing record with 1220 yards. The record improved to 11-5 and another wild card berth in ’79, and in 1980 Philadelphia won the NFC Championship with a 12-4 tally, although they faltered badly in the Super Bowl. Some fans and commentators blamed Vermeil for allowing the team to become too tight going into the Super Bowl, and the loss seemed to be a negative turning point for both the coach and team.

While the club got off to a 6-0 start in 1981, it faltered in the second half and just made it into the postseason as a wild card entry with a 10-6 tally; they lost to the Giants in the first round. It was the first time that the team had failed to improve on the previous year’s showing since Vermeil had arrived.

The Eagles went 3-6 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, and Vermeil resigned, citing burnout. The emotional Vermeil’s intensity had ultimately proved to be his undoing in Philadelphia. He left with an overall record of 57-51.

Vermeil moved to the broadcast booth and did not return to coaching until he signed on with the Rams fifteen years later in 1997 (after flirting with the idea of coming back to the Eagles in 1995). But from 1976 through ’80, he turned a perennially losing team into a contender and was twice selected as NFC Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America for his efforts.

List of the Day: First 1000-Yard Receiver for Each Current AFC Franchise

(In chronological order)


Browns: Mac Speedie, 1947
(67 rec., 1146 yds., 17.1 avg., 6 TD)

Broncos: Lionel Taylor, 1960 (pictured above)
(92 rec., 1235 yds., 13.4 avg., 12 TD)

Colts: Raymond Berry, 1960 (pictured below #82)
(74 rec., 1298 yds., 17.5 avg., 10 TD)



Jets/Titans: Don Maynard & Art Powell, 1960
(Maynard – 72 rec., 1265 yds., 17.6 avg., 6 TD)
(Powell – 69 rec., 1167 yds., 16.9 avg., 14 TD) (pictured above #84)

Titans/Oilers: Bill Groman, 1960
(72 rec., 1473 yds., 20.5 avg., 12 TD)

Chargers: Dave Kocurek, 1961
(55 rec., 1055 yds., 19.2 avg., 4 TD)

Steelers: Buddy Dial, 1961 (pictured below)
(53 rec., 1047 yds., 19.8 avg., 12 TD)



Raiders: Art Powell, 1963 (pictured above)
(73 rec., 1304 yds., 17.9 avg., 16 TD)

Bills: Elbert Dubenion, 1964 (pictured at bottom #44)
(42 rec., 1139 yds., 27.1 avg., 10 TD)

Chiefs: Otis Taylor, 1966 (pictured below)
(58 rec., 1297 yds., 22.4 avg., 8 TD)


Patriots: Harold Jackson & Stanley Morgan, 1979
(Jackson – 45 rec., 1013 yds., 22.5 avg., 7 TD)
(Morgan – 44 rec., 1002 yds., 22.8 avg., 12 TD)

Bengals: Cris Collinsworth, 1981
(67 rec., 1009 yds., 15.1 avg., 8 TD)

Dolphins: Mark Duper, 1983 (pictured below)
(51 rec., 1003 yds., 19.7 avg., 10 TD)


Jaguars: Jimmy Smith & Keenan McCardell, 1996
(Smith – 83 rec., 1244 yds., 15.0 avg., 7 TD)
(McCardell – 85 rec., 1129 yds., 13.3 avg., 3 TD)

Ravens: Michael Jackson & Derrick Alexander, 1996
(Jackson – 76 rec., 1201 yds., 15.8 avg., 14 TD)
(Alexander – 62 rec., 1099 yds., 17.7 avg., 9 TD)

Texans: Andre Johnson, 2004 (pictured below #80)
(79 rec., 1142 yds., 14.5 avg., 6 TD)

2006: Steelers Defeat Seahawks in Super Bowl XL

The Super Bowl following the 2005 season matched a team that had won four Super Bowls (as opposed to one loss) against a club that had never vied for the league championship before.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, under Head Coach Bill Cowher, had typically contended in recent years, even if they had not won a Super Bowl since the ’79 season. Second-year QB Ben Roethlisberger had built upon his outstanding rookie season to lead the NFL in percentage of touchdown passes (6.3) and yards per attempt (8.9). He missed three games during the regular season to a knee injury and the Steelers lost two of them – testimony to his value to the team. While the outstanding career of RB Jerome Bettis was winding down, Willie Parker stepped into the starting role and gained 1202 yards. WR Hines Ward led the receiving corps with 69 catches for 975 yards and 11 TDs. The solid 3-4 defense featured NT Casey Hampton, linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, and SS Troy Polamalu.

Pittsburgh came in second in the AFC North at 11-5, qualifying them for a wild card showdown with division rival Cincinnati, also 11-5 but ahead of the Steelers due to a better division record. Pittsburgh won handily and then defeated the Colts in the Divisional round and Denver for the AFC title.

The NFC champions were the Seattle Seahawks, appearing in their first Super Bowl. Seattle, under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, had won the NFC West with a conference-best 13-3 record. The two key offensive performers were RB Shaun Alexander, who set a then-league record with 28 touchdowns while leading the NFL with 1880 yards on the ground, and QB Matt Hasselbeck, who completed a career-high 65.5 percent of his passes for 3459 yards with 24 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. Key defensive performers included NT Chuck Darby and LB Lofa Tatupu. The Seahawks defeated Washington in the Divisional playoff and Carolina for the conference title.

There were 68,206 in attendance at Detroit’s Ford Field for Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. What they saw in the first half was a low-scoring defensive battle. An apparent 17-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to WR Darrell Jackson late in the first quarter was called back for offensive pass interference; Seattle had to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Josh Brown instead.


Roethlisberger, meanwhile, started slowly, completing just one of five passes in the first quarter for one yard. But late in the second quarter he made big plays to get the Steelers on the scoreboard. First, he ducked the pass rush to throw a shovel pass to Ward that gained 12 yards on a third-and-six play. Then, with third-and-28 on the Seattle 40, he ran out of the pocket and, just short of the line of scrimmage, threw a deep pass that Ward hauled in for a 37-yard gain to the three yard line. On a broken play two snaps later, the big (6’5”, 240-pound) quarterback dove and barely made it into the end zone from a yard out (pictured). While Seattle reached the Pittsburgh 40 with under a minute remaining, Brown’s 54-yard field goal attempt was wide and the Steelers took a 7-3 lead into halftime.


On the second play of the third quarter, Parker broke loose for a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown run and a 14-3 lead (pictured at left). The Seahawks attempted a field goal on their next possession, but Brown again missed a long attempt, this one from 50 yards.

Pittsburgh drove deep into Seattle territory and looked set to break the game open, but Roethlisberger’s third-down pass at the seven yard line was intercepted by CB Kelly Herndon, who returned it 76 yards to the Pittsburgh 20. The Seahawks took full advantage of the break, with Hasselbeck hitting TE Jerramy Stevens for a 16-yard touchdown. Rather than a commanding lead, the Steelers now led by just 14-10 with 6:45 to play in the third quarter.

The contest moved into the fourth quarter, and Seattle again drove into Pittsburgh territory. However, a poorly thrown pass by Hasselbeck was intercepted by Steelers CB Ike Taylor. Three plays later, Parker took a handoff and in turn handed the ball off on a reverse to WR Antwaan Randle El, who hit Ward on a pass that covered 43 yards and scored the touchdown that, for all intents, sealed the game with just under nine minutes remaining (pictured at bottom).

Seattle had to punt on the next possession, and there was only 1:51 left on the clock when the offense next got the ball; the Seahawks got to the Pittsburgh 23 as time expired. The Steelers had their fifth Super Bowl championship by a 21-10 final score.

Hines Ward (pictured at top) was the game’s MVP with 5 pass receptions for 123 yards and a TD, as well as the big play that set up the first Pittsburgh score. Ben Roethlisberger had his difficulties as he completed just 9 of 21 passes for 123 yards with two intercepted, but in the end he had the distinction of becoming the youngest Super Bowl-winning quarterback (23). With the long scoring run, Willie Parker led the rushing attack with 93 yards on 10 carries. Jerome Bettis, in the last game of his career and playing in his hometown, ran for 43 yards on 14 attempts.

The Seahawks outgained the Steelers, 396 yards to 339, and had the advantage in first downs with 20 to 14. Matt Hasselbeck went to the air 49 times, completing 26, for 273 yards with a TD and an interception. Shaun Alexander gained 95 yards on 20 carries. WR Bobby Engram caught the most passes, with 6 for 70 yards, while WR Joe Jurevicius gained the most receiving yards with 93 on his 5 receptions.

For Bill Cowher, it was his first championship after coaching the team into the postseason in 10 of 14 seasons. The fifth Super Bowl victory put the Steelers in a tie with the 49ers and Cowboys for the most; they would win a sixth following the 2008 season. In between, Pittsburgh dropped to 8-8 in 2006, Cowher’s final year; they were back in the postseason in ’07 and won the title in ’08.

Seattle won the West Division in each of the next two seasons, but with weaker records followed by losses in the Divisional round to exit the postseason.

List of the Day: First 1000-Yard Receiver for Each Current NFC Franchise

(In chronological order)


Packers: Don Hutson, 1942
(74 rec., 1211 yds., 16.4 avg., 17 TD)

Rams: Jim Benton, 1945
(45 rec., 1067 yds., 23.7 avg., 8 TD)

Lions: Bob Mann, 1949 (pictured at top)
(66 rec., 1014 yds., 15.4 avg., 4 TD)

Eagles: Pete Pihos, 1953
(63 rec., 1049 yds., 16.7 avg., 10 TD)

Bears: Harlon Hill, 1954
(45 rec., 1124 yds., 25.0 avg., 12 TD)

49ers: R.C. Owens, 1961
(55 rec., 1032 yds., 18.8 avg., 5 TD)



Giants: Del Shofner, 1961 (pictured above #85)
(68 rec., 1125 yds., 16.5 avg., 11 TD)

Cardinals: Sonny Randle, 1962 (pictured above #88)
(63 rec., 1158 yds., 18.4 avg., 7 TD)

Cowboys: Frank Clarke, 1962 (pictured below #82)
(47 rec., 1043 yds., 22.2 avg., 14 TD)

Redskins: Bobby Mitchell, 1962 (pictured below #49)
(72 rec., 1384 yds., 19.2 avg., 11 TD)



Saints: Dan Abramowicz, 1969 (pictured at bottom)
(73 rec., 1015 yds., 13.9 avg., 7 TD)

Vikings: John Gilliam, 1972
(47 rec., 1035 yds., 22.0 avg., 7 TD)

Seahawks: Steve Largent, 1978 (pictured below)
(71 rec., 1168 yds., 16.5 avg., 8 TD)


Falcons: Wallace Francis, 1979
(74 rec., 1013 yds., 13.7 avg., 8 TD)

Buccaneers: Kevin House, 1981
(56 rec., 1176 yds., 21.0 avg., 9 TD)

Panthers: Mark Carrier, 1995
(66 rec., 1002 yds., 15.2 avg., 3 TD)

2001: The XFL Debuts With Games in Las Vegas and Orlando

On February 3, 2001 a new pro football league launched its season with two games. The XFL, founded by World Wrestling Federation promoter Vince McMahon, promised a brash and hard-hitting style of play that would contrast with the more staid, established NFL (it was assumed that the “X” stood for “Xtreme”, but the league insisted it was not an abbreviation). While there would be plenty of entertainment surrounding the games, much in line with the WWF’s format, the football was to be serious with adjustments to the rules that would heighten the action – for instance, while there would still be extra points, and they would be worth a single point as in the NFL, they could not be kicked but either run or passed for; fair catches on punts and kickoffs weren’t allowed; the opening coin toss was replaced by “the scramble” in which a player from each team vied for possession of a ball placed at the 50 yard line; and there would be no penalties for taunting or celebrating.

There were eight teams, all part of a single league entity (as opposed to individually operated franchises as in the NFL) and utilizing a set pay scale. They played a 10-game schedule, with two games per week on Saturday nights and two on Sundays throughout the season, which was played in the late winter/early spring months and thus not putting the XFL in direct competition with the NFL.

The first game on the opening Saturday night was at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas between the Las Vegas Outlaws and the visiting New York/New Jersey Hitmen. There were 30,389 fans in attendance and a national viewing audience for the game on NBC that exceeded expectations. Unfortunately for the new league, the game was a rather drab affair as the Outlaws defeated the Hitmen, 19-0. None of the three quarterbacks for the New York/New Jersey club (Charles Puleri, Wally Richardson, and Corte McGuffey) were effective as they combined to complete 18 of 40 passes for 205 yards with two interceptions.


Meanwhile, Las Vegas QB Ryan Clement (pictured at right) threw touchdown passes of 14 yards to TE Rickey Brady and 27 yards to WR Nakia Jenkins among his 13 completions (of 28 attempts) for 188 yards as the Outlaws scored all of their points in the first half. RB Rod Smart led the running attack with 46 yards on 13 carries and also caught two passes for 48 yards. In addition, he used the nickname “He Hate Me” in place of his last name on the back of his jersey, which made him an instant celebrity in the league (it was reported that he had actually wanted to use “They Hate Me”, but it was too long to fit).

The network cut away to the second game of the evening, at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl in front of 35,603 fans where the Orlando Rage hosted the Chicago Enforcers. This was a far closer and more high-scoring game, won by Orlando, 33-29. There were big plays as the Rage’s QB Jeff Brohm connected with WR Kevin Swayne on a 51-yard pass play for the first score of the contest and Chicago’s Tim Lester twice hit RB John Avery on TD passes that covered 68 and 64 yards respectively.


Avery (pictured at left), who had played for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, ran for 157 yards on 25 attempts and had 93 more yards on three pass receptions. But it was Brohm’s four touchdown passes that carried the day for Orlando – even though they missed all five extra point attempts (Chicago converted two of four).

The high television ratings of the first week failed to last into the second – the dropoff was significant, and they never rebounded. Football fans were disappointed in the caliber of play as well as the professional wrestling-style trappings that in turn fed a distrust of the legitimacy of the games. In attempting to appeal to both professional wrestling and football fans, the XFL failed to satisfy either, and it would ultimately doom the venture after one season.

Orlando put together the best record during the regular season at 8-2, but lost in the first playoff round. Chicago finished at 5-5 and second to the Rage in the Eastern Division, also losing in the first postseason round. Las Vegas and New York/New Jersey both missed the playoffs with identical 4-6 records, putting the Outlaws at the bottom of the Western Division and the Hitmen in third place in the Eastern.

John Avery built on his strong opening game performance to lead the league in rushing with 800 yards; Rod Smart was second with 555.

List of the Day: 1000-Yard Rushers, Other Leagues

AAFC
(All-America Football Conference, 1946-49)

Spec Sanders (pictured below)
New York Yankees, 1947
(231 att., 1432 yds., 6.2 avg., 18 TD)



WFL
(World Football League, 1974-75)


Anthony Davis
Southern California Sun, 1975
(239 att., 1200 yds., 5.0 avg., 16 TD)

Rufus Ferguson (pictured above)
Portland Storm, 1974
(260 att., 1086 yds., 4.2 avg., 6 TD)

J.J. Jennings
Memphis Southmen, 1974
(322 att., 1524 yds., 4.7 avg., 11 TD)

Kermit Johnson
Southern California Sun, 1974
(249 att., 1008 yds., 4.0 avg., 6 TD)

John Land (pictured below)
Philadelphia Bell, 1974
(243 att., 1136 yds., 4.7 avg., 8 TD)


Jim Nance
Houston Texans/Shreveport Steamer, 1974
(300 att., 1240 yds., 4.1 avg., 8 TD)

Tommy Reamon (pictured below)
Florida Blazers, 1974
(386 att., 1576 yds., 4.1 avg., 11 TD)



USFL
(United States Football League, 1983-85)


Gary Anderson (pictured above)
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1984-85
(1984-268 att., 1008 yds., 3.8 avg., 19 TD)
(1985-276 att., 1207 yds., 4.4 avg., 16 TD)

Albert Bentley
Oakland Invaders, 1985
(191 att., 1020 yds., 5.3 avg., 4 TD)

Curtis Bledsoe
Washington Federals, 1984
(246 att., 1080 yds., 4.4 avg., 7 TD)

Greg Boone
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1984
(193 att., 1009 yds., 5.2 avg., 8 TD)

Reggie Brown
Arizona Outlaws, 1985
(229 att., 1031 yds., 4.5 avg., 12 TD)

Kelvin Bryant (pictured below)
Philadelphia Stars, 1983-84
(1983-318 att., 1442 yds., 4.5 avg., 16 TD)
(1984-297 att., 1406 yds., 4.7 avg., 13 TD)
Baltimore Stars, 1985
(1985-238 att., 1207 yds., 5.1 avg., 12 TD)


Maurice Carthon
New Jersey Generals, 1984
(238 att., 1042 yds., 4.4 avg., 11 TD)

Joe Cribbs (pictured at bottom)
Birmingham Stallions, 1984-85
(1984-297 att., 1467 yds., 4.9 avg., 8 TD)
(1985-267 att., 1047 yds., 3.9 avg., 7 TD)

Todd Fowler
Houston Gamblers, 1984
(170 att., 1003 yds., 5.9 avg., 11 TD)

Bill Johnson
Denver Gold, 1985
(212 att., 1261 yds., 5.9 avg., 15 TD)

Buford Jordan (pictured below)
New Orleans Breakers, 1984
(214 att., 1276 yds., 6.0 avg., 8 TD)


Ken Lacy
Michigan Panthers, 1983
(232 att., 1180 yds., 5.1 avg., 6 TD)

Kevin Long
Chicago Blitz, 1983
(262 att., 1022 yds., 3.9 avg., 12 TD)
Arizona Wranglers, 1984
(225 att., 1010 yds., 4.5 avg., 15 TD)

Mike Rozier (pictured below #30)
Jacksonville Bulls, 1985
(320 att., 1361 yds., 4.3 avg., 12 TD)



Tim Spencer (pictured above #46)
Chicago Blitz, 1983
(300 att., 1157 yds., 3.9 avg., 6 TD)
Arizona Wranglers, 1984
(227 att., 1212 yds., 5.3 avg., 17 TD)

Herschel Walker (pictured at top)
New Jersey Generals, 1983-84-85
(1983-412 att., 1812 yds., 4.4 avg., 17 TD)
(1984-293 att., 1339 yds., 4.6 avg., 16 TD)
(1985-438 att., 2411 yds., 5.5 avg., 21 TD)

Arthur Whittington
Oakland Invaders, 1983
(282 att., 1157 yds., 3.7 avg., 6 TD)

1950: Curly Lambeau Leaves the Packers

February 1, 1950 marked the end of a significant chapter in Green Bay Packers history as Earl “Curly” Lambeau resigned after being the team’s only head coach, going back even before the franchise joined the NFL in 1921. It was the end of a sometimes tumultuous and often successful reign that was undermined by the need for Lambeau to cede more and more control of the team he had founded due to financial considerations.

The story of Curly Lambeau and the Packers began in 1919, when he was in college at Notre Dame playing under legendary Head Coach Knute Rockne and backing up the equally legendary (and ill-fated) fullback George Gip. Because of his ability as a passer, Rockne moved him to quarterback, but a tonsillectomy forced him to leave school. He never went back, taking a job in a meat packing plant in his hometown of Green Bay instead. Glad to be making an income but still wanting to play football, he obtained the backing of his employer, the Indian Packing Company, to field a company team that played others in the area. They were good, often winning by huge scores.

In 1921, the company, which had been bought by the Acme Packing Company, paid for entry into the fledgling National Football League (then called the American Professional Football Association). The team held its own on the field but was in a precarious financial situation, resulting in a corporation being created in 1923 that sold stock to keep the franchise afloat.

Meanwhile, with Lambeau as player-coach, the Packers became the first pass-oriented NFL team. The rules were not favorable to developing a passing offense in the 1920s – passing could only be done from five yards behind the line of scrimmage; an incompletion out of bounds, or two incomplete passes in the same series, meant giving up possession; and the ball was more round and far less sleek than its modern counterpart. Yet Lambeau had the Packers throwing from any point on the field, on any down, and by 1929 they were fielding a championship team.

Lambeau stepped aside as a player in ’29, as the club went 12-0-1 and won the first of three consecutive league titles. Acquiring players who often were considered malcontents with other teams, he won with eventual Hall of Famers Cal Hubbard at tackle, guard Mike Michalske, and the speedy and carefree halfback Johnny McNally (aka Johnny Blood).

In the 1930s, with the arrival of divisional play, rule changes that opened up the passing game, and a slimmer football, the Packers regularly contended in the NFL’s Western Division and won three more championships in 1936, ’39, and ’44. The passing tailbacks who succeeded Lambeau, Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell, were outstanding and the arrival of trailblazing end Don Hutson in 1935 gave them pro football’s best deep threat to throw to.

Off the field, the franchise still faced recurring financial difficulties. The situation became more acute after 1945 – Hutson retired, and the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC) went into operation, driving up the cost of talent. The team’s performance began to suffer, and the Packers sank to 3-9 in 1948, the first losing season since 1933 – it was the precursor of things to come. The colorful and excitable Lambeau was increasingly in conflict with the directors who ran the club, especially after buying the Rockwood Lodge outside of town in ’47, a training facility where the players were also housed. Moving the players out of town rankled, and there were complaints that Lambeau’s outside insurance and real estate activities were interfering with his coaching duties.

The financial situation was once again so desperate in 1949 that an intrasquad game was organized for Thanksgiving Day that pulled in enough cash to keep the club afloat. The Packers went 2-10 and the conflict between Lambeau and the team’s directors reached the breaking point. A week before his resignation, the Rockwood Lodge burned down, a symbol of the coming break between founding coach and franchise.

The team’s directors wasted no time in replacing Lambeau with Gene Ronzani, the first of three ineffective head coaches in what became something of a lost decade in the ‘50s for the club. The unwieldy leadership-by-committee structure proved ineffective, and when Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach in 1959, he was also made general manager and given necessary control of the club with outstanding results (see Jan. 28).

Lambeau also wasted no time in moving on, taking over as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals for the 1950 season. The team went 5-7 in his first season and was 2-8 when he was let go in ’51 after more losses on the field and bickering with the front office. After two seasons in Washington, his coaching career ended following a 6-5-1 showing in 1953. Adept at running single-wing offenses, Lambeau had difficulty adapting to the T-formation, and it showed in the won-lost records.

The bitterness that marked his departure from Green Bay and the mediocre showings with the Cardinals and Redskins can’t overshadow what Lambeau accomplished in 29 seasons with the Packers. His record was an outstanding 209-104-21 for a winning percentage of .668, and the team won six championships in that span – since that includes years when the postseason didn’t yet exist, his playoff record was just 3-2. Of those 29 seasons, only three of them ended with a losing record – two of those being Lambeau’s last two years with the team. Adding in his overall tally as an NFL head coach, he was second only to Chicago’s George Halas at the time with 226 wins against 132 losses and 22 ties. Moreover, his approach to the passing game helped set the stage for today’s aerial-oriented offenses. And he found ways to keep the Packers operating as other small-city Midwestern teams dropped away.

While Lambeau expressed an interest in returning to coach the Packers in 1959, the directors didn’t take the idea seriously and hired Lombardi instead. But Lambeau’s contributions were not forgotton; upon his death in 1965, Green Bay’s City Stadium was renamed Lambeau Field. Just prior to that, in 1963, he was a charter inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.