1959 Green Bay Packers season | |
---|---|
Head Coach | Vince Lombardi |
Home Field | City Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7-5 |
Place | 3rd NFL Western |
Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
Timeline | |
Previous Season | Next Season |
1958 | 1960 |
The 1959 Green Bay Packers season was their 39th season in the National Football League and 41st overall. The club posted a 7-5 record under first-year coach Vince Lombardi, earning a third-place finish in the National Conference.
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
- Main article: 1959 NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Randy Duncan | Quarterback | Iowa |
2 | 13 | Alex Hawkins | Back | South Carolina |
3 | 25 | Boyd Dowler | Wide Receiver | Colorado |
5 | 55 | Andy Cvercko | Guard | Northwestern |
6 | 61 | Willie Taylor | Center | Florida A&M |
7 | 73 | Bobby Jackson | Back | Alabama |
7 | 83 | Gary Raid | Tackle | Willamette |
8 | 85 | Buddy Mayfield | End | South Carolina |
8 | 95 | Bob Laraba | Back | UTEP |
9 | 97 | George Dixon | Back | Bridgeport |
10 | 109 | Sam Tuccio | Tackle | Southern Miss |
11 | 121 | Bob Webb | Back | St. Ambrose |
12 | 133 | Larry Hall | Guard | Missouri Valley |
13 | 145 | Jim Hurd | Back | Albion |
14 | 157 | Ken Kerr | Guard | Arizona State |
15 | 169 | Dick Teteak | Guard | Wisconsin |
16 | 181 | Dan Edgington | End | Florida |
17 | 193 | Tom Secules | Back | William & Mary |
18 | 205 | Dick Nearents | Tackle | Eastern Washington |
19 | 217 | Bill Butler | Safety | Chattanooga |
20 | 229 | Charley Sample | Back | Arkansas |
21 | 241 | Dave Smith | Back | Ripon |
22 | 253 | Charlie Anderson | End | Drake |
23 | 265 | Ben Lawver | Tackle | Lewis & Clark |
24 | 277 | Joe Hergert | Center | Florida |
25 | 289 | Leroy Hardee | Back | Florida A&M |
26 | 301 | Ken Higginbotham | End | Trinity (TX) |
27 | 313 | Timothy Brown | Running Back | Ball State |
28 | 325 | Jerry Epps | Guard | West Texas State |
29 | 337 | Jack Flara | Back | Pittsburgh |
30 | 349 | Dick Emerich | Tackle | West Chester |
- Yellow indicates a future Pro Bowl selection
The Lombardi Era Begins[]
On February 4, 1959, Vince Lombardi seized his opportunity and began building his football dynasty in Green Bay. He started by trading away the Packers best receiver of the decade Billy Howton, to the Cleveland Browns. To bring some much-needed leadership to the defensive backfield, Lombardi obtained future Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell from the New York Giants. Ha also acquired Fuzzy Thurston from the Baltimore Colts and defensive tackle Henry Jordan form Cleveland by the start of training camp. In all, 16 veterans from the previous season were sent packing as Lombardi installed a new attitude in the Packers' locker room.
Training Camp[]
Lombardi borrowed from the Giants model — the players had to feel like champions. The team traveled first class under the philosophy that "you can't be a winner unless you feel like one." The change in culture was pronounced. Lombardi had to find a quarterback, and he was resistant to making Bart Starr the quarterback. Starr was in his fourth year in the league and hadn't won a game he played four quarters in. "Did Bart tell you how bad he was?" a player was to later quip to biographer John Eisenberg. Former Razorback Lamar McHan beat out Starr.
A Master Plan[]
Through his now legendary coaching style, Lombardi whipped the underachieving Packers into instant winners. he set his plan immediately into action at his very first team meeting. "I have never been on a losing team gentlemen and I do not intend to start now!"
A Dramatic Improvement[]
The results of Lombardi's approach were dramatic. in the season opener against the Chicago Bears, the Packers held on to win 9-6 and celebrated the victory by carrying their new head coach off the field. In his first year on the sidelines, the Packers posted their first winning record since 1947. The team's quick turnaround netted Lombardi unanimous honors as coach of the year.
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
Lombardi’s first game as Packers coach was on September 27.[1] In front of 32,150 fans, the Packers won the game. In the final seven minutes, the Packers put up nine points to win the game by a score of 9-6. Jim Taylor scored a touchdown to put the Packers on the scoreboard. Max McGee would have a sixty-one yard punt which would land on the Bears 2 yard line. The punt set up the final score of the game. Hawg Hanner scored a safety on Bears quarterback Ed Brown.[2] After the game, Jim Ringo grabbed the game ball and gave it to Lombardi.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 27 | Chicago Bears | W 9-6 | City Stadium | |
2 | October 4 | Detroit Lions | W 28-10 | City Stadium | |
3 | October 11 | San Francisco 49ers | W 21-20 | City Stadium | |
4 | October 18 | Los Angeles Rams | L 45-6 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
5 | October 25 | at Baltimore Colts | L 38-21 | Memorial Stadium | |
6 | November 1 | at New York Giants | L 20-3 | Yankee Stadium | |
7 | November 8 | at Chicago Bears | L 28-17 | Wrigley Field | |
8 | November 15 | Baltimore Colts | L 28-24 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
9 | November 22 | Washington Redskins | W 21-0 | City Stadium | |
10 | November 26 | at Detroit Lions | W 24-17 | Briggs Stadium | |
11 | December 6 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 38-20 | LA Coliseum | |
12 | December 13 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 36-14 | Kezar Stadium |
Standings[]
NFL Western | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
Baltimore Colts | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 374 | 251 | W-5 |
Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 252 | 196 | W-7 |
San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 255 | 237 | L-2 |
Green Bay Packers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 248 | 246 | W-4 |
Detroit Lions | 3 | 8 | 1 | .273 | 203 | 275 | L-1 |
Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 242 | 315 | L-8 |
Roster[]
Green Bay Packers roster | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Rookies and first-year players in italics |
Awards, records, and honors[]
- Vince Lombardi, Coach of the Year [3]
Milestones[]
References[]
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 225, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 226, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 228, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3