Curly Lambeau
As a player
- Green Bay Packers (1919-1929)
As Head Coach
- Green Bay Packers (1919-1949)
- Chicago Cardinals (1950, 1951)
- Washington Redskins (1952, 1953)
- 3x All- Pro ( 1922-1924 ) 2 crew
- NFL 1920s All- Decade Team
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (1963 )
- Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
- Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame (1967 )
- 6x NFL Championship ( 1929-1931, 1936, 1939, 1944)
Earl Louis " Curly" Lambeau ( born April 9, 1898 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, † June 1, 1965 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) was an US- American football player and coach. He played and coached in the National Football League ( NFL). Lambeau is co-founder of the Green Bay Packers.
College
Lambeau attended in his hometown high school, where he played American football. After finishing school he studied at the University of Notre Dame and played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. As coach of the team in 1918 Knute Rockne had been committed, which began Lambeau fullback. Lambeau thereby scored the first touchdown for a Rockne coached team. In 1918 he was honored by his college for his sporting achievements, but then had to due to illness to interrupt his studies.
Establishment of the Green Bay Packers
Lambeau returned to Green Bay and took for a monthly salary of U.S. $ 250 ( adjusted for inflation today about $ 3,500 ) a job as a clerk at the Indian Packing Corporation at. 1919 Lambeau spoke to his employer and asked for 500 U.S. dollars for a football team to acquire equipment. The company invested the money and the Green Bay Packers were founded as a semi- professional football team from Lambeau and a business partner.
Players Coaches
Lambeau was player-coach of the team and took no more on his studies. He played in various positions, which was so common in those days. The Packers wore their first game on September 3, 1919 against a team from Menominee and won by 53:0. A further nine victories against regional teams followed. A game against a team from Beloit was lost, the referee had not recognized three touchdowns from Lambeau due to alleged violations of the rules.
Shortly after founding the Packers got the Indian Packing Corporation in financial distress and was taken over by the Acme Packing Company. With the removal of the sponsor and the fate of the Packers initially seemed doomed. Lambeau, however, managed to continue to support to persuade Acme Packing Company the team.
In 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed, a league that was later renamed the National Football League ( NFL). Due to the success of the Packers a group of investors Lambeau support the acquisition of a franchise in the newly formed professional league. This franchise, but fell as investors were unable to pay ultimately. Lambeau, it still managed to raise the money to purchase the franchise with other donors and for $ 300 ( $ 50 of which came from his own office) the Packers have been added to the league in 1921, but the operation of gambling could take until 1922.
Although the passing game still found little application in the early days of professional Footballs, Lambeau was one of the first players ( coach ), who attempted to establish throwing the ball as Angriffsspielzug. Lambeau worked as player-coach of the Packers until 1929. The early years of the Packers ran it with little success. A title win at first did not succeed. During the course of the twenties of the 20th century succeeded Lambeau numerous later choice players like LaVern Dilweg, Mike Michalske, Clarke Hinkle and John McNally to undertake. The Packers developed into a top team of the NFL.
From 1927 to Lambeau attracted more and more back to the coach position in 1929, he played only one more game for the Packers. He succeeded in his final year as a player-coach of the first title with the team from Green Bay. The Packers have won 12 of their 13 games, a playoff at the time was not yet taken. Lambeau finished after this year, his playing career and was henceforth operate only as a coach for the Packers. From 1930 he sat on his players' position later a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Arnie Herber.
Coach
In the 1930s Lambeau expanded its team with other star players such as Charles Goldberg, Russ Letlow or Don Hutson. 1930 and 1931 were able to win more league titles the Packers. 1936, the fourth title. In the inaugural NFL Championship Game, the Boston Redskins were beaten with 21:6. In 1939, the New York Giants had to 27:0 beaten in the final, and in 1944 won Lambeau its sixth and final title. The Packers were able to prevail against the Giants with 14:7 again. 1938 and 1941 the Packers lost in each case the final.
After Lambeau left the Packers in 1949, he coached from 1950 to 1954 for two years without success, the Chicago Cardinals and the Washington Redskins. After these four years, Lambeau put to rest. As a coach, Lambeau could win 229 games, he lost with his teams 134 times, 22 of the games ended in a draw.
Honors
Lambeau was elected three times to the All- Pro. He is a member of the NFL 1920s All- Decade Team, in the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Three months after his death, named the Packers at Lambeau Field in their stadium.
Off the pitch
Lambeau was married three times. He died when mowing the lawn at the house of a friend of a heart attack. Until his death he lived in Green Bay and is buried there in the Allouez Catholic Cemetery.