GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ place on the list of oldest nicknames in major professional sports in North America comes with a historic Washington Football Team-style asterisk.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette’s first article about the city’s new professional football team was published on August 13, 1919. Since its primary sponsor was the Indian Packing Co., the nickname “Packers” was natural. In 1921, the Acme Packing Co., which had purchased the Indian Packing Co., became the primary sponsor.

As noted in the minutes of the American Professional Football Association meeting in August 1921, “Motion made, seconded and carried that the Acme Packers of Green Bay, Wisconsin, be admitted to membership.” »

That season, the front of the team’s jerseys read “Acme Packers” in capital letters.

Now, the asterisk: In their final game of the 1921 APFA season, Green Bay was arrested for using three Notre Dame players who were playing under aliases. The punishment was severe: The Packers ‘were forced’ out of the league.

Although guilty of the charges against him, the team became the scapegoat for paying college players.

As written by Bob Braunwart and Bob Carroll of the Association of Professional Football Researchers:

“JE Clair of the Acme Packing Company, the head of the Green Bay Packers, spoke (at the league meeting). Yes, the Packers actually fielded college players in 1921. Yes, they were (again!) from Notre Dame. Absolutely, they had slept under assumed names. No, there were no extenuating circumstances. Yes, the Packers were sincerely sorry. And yes, they asked for permission to withdraw from the National Football League.

“This authorization was passed faster than you could say ‘Packer Backer’. Mr. Clair received his $50 – the price of an NFL franchise at the time – and the Packers were officially punished.

About six months later, in June 1922, the APFA was renamed the NFL and the Pack was back.

Well, that’s not entirely true.

With Curly Lambeau paying a $50 franchise fee, the team was readmitted to the league, with Lambeau as president and George Calhoun of The Press-Gazette as secretary. Because Acme Packing Co. was in all sorts of financial trouble, the team wanted to distance itself from its former sponsor.

SO, as told in Packers team history Cliff Christlthe team returned as the “Green Bay Football Club”. The team’s stationery read “Green Bay Football Club” with “(Formerly Packers)” in smaller font.

The dope leaf – the team’s long-running game preview – was called “The Official Program and Publication, Green Bay Professional Football Club.” In the first editions of 1922, the team was called “The Big Blues”, the “Bays” and a combo of “big blue Bays”. However, as of late 1922, Christl found no mention of these names based on blue and bay.

In his articles for The Press-Gazette, Calhoun refrained from calling the team the Packers. He went with the Green Bay Football Club,” the “Bays” and other references.

However, The Press-Gazette as a whole generally sticks with the Packers when using a nickname. And fans, along with newspapers in other NFL cities, continued to call the team the Packers.

In 1923, the team reorganized as The Green Bay Football Corporation and the Packers returned as the nickname of choice.

The Packers will return from their bye to play the Chicago Bears on November 17. The Bears started as the Decatur Staleys in 1919, moved to Chicago in 1921 and became the Bears in 1922.

Oldest team nicknames

(among the leading professional sports teams in North America)

Cincinnati Reds (baseball): 1978.

Pittsburgh Pirates (baseball): 1891.

St. Louis Cardinals (baseball): 1900.

Detroit Tigers (baseball): 1901.

Chicago Cubs (baseball): 1902.

Chicago White Sox (baseball): 1904.

Boston Red Sox (baseball): 1907.

New York Yankees (baseball): 1913.

Montreal Canadiens (hockey): 1917.

Green Bay Packers (football): 1919.

Chicago Bears (football): 1922.

New York Giants: 1925.

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