In 1921, the Green Bay Packers were nearly erased from professional football history. Just two years after being founded by Curly Lambeau, the team was kicked out of the league for using ineligible college players under fake names. But the even crazier part? There were conflicting stories about who exposed the scandal—was it legendary Bears owner George Halas, or a small-town newspaper in Racine, Wisconsin? In today’s video, we take a look at the bizarre controversy that almost killed the Packers before they ever had a chance to become a dynasty.
Prior to the Bears forming in Decatur, another team had formed 375 miles away in Green Bay, Wisconsin. On August 11, 1919, Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhon created a football after Lambeau received $500 from his employer the Indian Packing Company for the team’s uniforms. Originally, Lambeau wanted to call the team the “Green Bay Indians” after the company helped fund the team’s uniforms. Lambeaus’ girlfriend at the time, making fun of Lambeau’s lack of originality, sarcastically replied, “Why don’t you just name them the Green Bay Packers?” Lambeau liked the idea, and the name stuck. They initially played teams throughout Wisconsin and Michigan during the 1919 season. Over the next two years they would be bought by the Clair Brothers (J. Emmet Clair and John Clair). Both of whom worked for the Acme Packing Corporation and they would change the team name to the Acme Packers. Shortly after that, in 1921 the team joined the newly formed APFA, the American Professional Football Association.
Their membership wouldn’t last long however, as the Packers had their franchise revoked for having played three college players during a game. The scandal occurred when the Packers, late in the 1921 season, decided to play three college players from Notre Dame (using fake names). Although the game itself was a non league game, the Packers were still subject to the league rule’s as a franchise member. A month later, on January 28, 1922, the Packers were thrown out of the league for violating the rules.
This is also where things get a bit weird. During my research I found several articles with conflicting information about just what exactly took place. Most of the conflicting information seems to stem from a series of books about the history of the Packers published in the late 1980s, by author Larry Names. In one book, Names states that the Packers used the ineligible players in a game against the Chicago Bears and it was the Bears owner George Halas who uncovered the cheating scandal and brought it to the attention of the APFA.
However, current Packers team historian Cliff Christl (CRYSTAL) refutes the story as purely made up (an in article on the Packers website, which I’ll link to below). He states that while the Packers did use ineligible players, it was in a game against the Racine Legion (who were professional football team from Racine Wisconsin) and that game that took place on December 4 1921 (and not against the Chicago Bears as Names had claimed). Christl also stated that it was the Racine Journal News that broke the story, and later the Chicago Tribune picked up the story, who then implored the APFA to ban Green Bay with George Halas having not much to do with the situation.
In either case, the APFA moved to terminate Green Bay’s franchise, with Halas voting in favor of the termination. Five months after being banned, Curly Lambeau successfully appealed to the APFA, and the Packers were approved (with a new entry fee of $50). Coincidentally, at the same league meeting the APFA decided to officially change their name to the National Football League. However much Geroge Halas was involved or not, this controversial incident would go down in the Bears-Packers lore as the start of their legendary rivalry.
The scandal that nearly erased the Packers from pro football history has become just another strange chapter in the story of one of the NFL’s most iconic teams. Whether it was George Halas or a Racine newspaper that brought the truth to light, the fallout helped spark one of the fiercest rivalries in sports. And in a twist of fate, the team that was once banned would go on to win more championships than any other. Not bad for a team named after a meatpacking company.
And speaking of the rivalry, in 2022 Men’s journal ranked the top ten best NFL rivalries of all time. And they ranked the Bears-Packers rivalry as the 6th best all time, surprisingly listed behind other rivalries between the Bears and Cardinals and the Colts and Patriots. Do you agree with this list, should the Bears-Packers rivalry be listed higher or lower?
Let me know in the comments below!
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