The 1929 Green Bay Packers season was their 11th season overall and their ninth season in the National Football League. The team finished with an undefeated 12–0–1 record under player/coach Curly Lambeau, earning them a first-place finish and the Packers' first National Football League Championship.[1] A victory celebration of 20,000 fans greeted them upon their return to Green Bay from their final game in Chicago.[2] In an exhibition game after the season, on December 15, the Packers lost to the Memphis Tigers, who then claimed a pro football championship.[3]
| 1929 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Curly Lambeau |
| Home field | City Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–0–1 |
| League place | 1st NFL |
Before the start of the season, the Packers signed three future Hall of Famers: Johnny "Blood" McNally, Cal Hubbard, and Mike Michalske, who along with Lambeau led the Packers to the top of the league. Green Bay's current throwback uniform is based on the ones worn in 1929 in respect of the season that the Packers won their first championship.[4] There is a debate among sports historians on whether or not the 1929 season was a perfect season for the franchise.[5]
Some historians consider the 1929 season a perfect season since the Packers didn't lose a single game, joining the 1948 Cleveland Browns and the 1972 Miami Dolphins as one of the few undefeated NFL teams.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Others argue that it was that one November 28 game with the Frankford Yellow Jackets, in which both teams failed to score any points, ultimately preventing the Packers from an obtaining perfect season.[14][15] Regardless of that historic debate, it can't be denied that it was a very successful year for the team.[16]
Schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 22 | Dayton Triangles | W 9–0 | 1–0 | City Stadium |
| 2 | September 29 | Chicago Bears | W 23–0 | 2–0 | City Stadium |
| 3 | October 6 | Chicago Cardinals | W 9–2 | 3–0 | City Stadium |
| 4 | October 13 | Frankford Yellow Jackets | W 14–2 | 4–0 | City Stadium |
| 5 | October 20 | Minneapolis Red Jackets | W 24–0 | 5–0 | City Stadium |
| 6 | October 27 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 7–6 | 6–0 | Comiskey Park |
| 7 | November 3 | at Minneapolis Red Jackets | W 16–6 | 7–0 | Nicollet Park |
| 8 | November 10 | at Chicago Bears | W 14–0 | 8–0 | Wrigley Field |
| 9 | November 17 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 12–0 | 9–0 | Comiskey Park |
| 10 | November 24 | at New York Giants | W 20–6 | 10–0 | Polo Grounds |
| 11 | November 28 | at Frankford Yellow Jackets | T 0–0 | 10–0–1 | Frankford Stadium |
| December 1 | at Providence Steam Roller | W 25–0 | 11–0–1 | Cycledrome | |
| 12 | December 8 | at Chicago Bears | W 25–0 | 12–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
Standings
edit| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Green Bay Packers | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 198 | 22 | W2 | ||
| New York Giants | 13 | 1 | 1 | .929 | 312 | 86 | W4 | ||
| Frankford Yellow Jackets | 10 | 4 | 5 | .714 | 129 | 128 | W1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 6 | 6 | 1 | .500 | 154 | 83 | W1 | ||
| Boston Bulldogs | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 98 | 73 | L1 | ||
| Staten Island Stapletons | 3 | 4 | 3 | .429 | 89 | 65 | L2 | ||
| Providence Steam Roller | 4 | 6 | 2 | .400 | 107 | 117 | L1 | ||
| Orange Tornadoes | 3 | 5 | 4 | .375 | 35 | 80 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 9 | 2 | .308 | 119 | 227 | L1 | ||
| Buffalo Bisons | 1 | 7 | 1 | .125 | 48 | 142 | W1 | ||
| Minneapolis Red Jackets | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 48 | 185 | L7 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 7 | 136 | L6 | ||
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
edit- ^ McGlynn, Stoney (December 9, 1929). "Bays defeat Bears, capture title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 13. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ McGlynn, Stoney (December 10, 1929). "Bay roars out welcome to Packers". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 16. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ "Reference at www.packershistory.net". Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ M’Glynn, Stoney. "Dec. 8, 1929: The Green Bay Packers' First League Title". Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Lawton, Chris (May 17, 2019). "Perfect Rarities: A perfect season in pro football". Ninety-Nine Yards: American Football. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Rice, Jim (March 2019). "The Packers Century Project: All The Games, All The Stories: 1919-2019" (PDF). Packers Century. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Maxymuk, John (2003). Packers by the Numbers: Jersey Numbers and the Players Who Wore Them. Prairie Oak Press. OCLC 1285761091. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Kaake, Andrew (March 26, 2012). "The Green Bay Packers' 10 Best Seasons". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Packers.com, the official website of the Green Bay Packers". www.packers.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Jones, Brian (June 28, 2019). "The 10 best Green Bay Packers teams of all time". 247Sports. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Benson, Michael (November 25, 2021). "Packers History: The Other Thanksgiving Rival". Game On Wisconsin. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ Lawton, Chris (May 17, 2019). "Perfect Rarities: A perfect season in pro football". Ninety-Nine Yards: American Football. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ Jacquart, Michael (2022). Green Bay's Greatest: Profiles of the Packers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4766-8609-7. OCLC 1289265018.
- ^ Povletich, William; et al. (Harlan, Bob) (2012). Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs, and Tradition. Wisconsin Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87020-603-0. OCLC 1043356155. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Griffith, R. D. (2012). To the NFL: You Sure Started Somethin' A Historical Guide of All 32 NFL Teams and the Cities They've Played In. Dorrance Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-4349-1681-5. OCLC 816041617.
- ^ Spofford, Mike (December 2, 2010). "Notebook: 1929 Was Historic Season Indeed". www.packers.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
Further reading
edit- Cliff Christl, The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packers, 1919–2019. 4 volumes. Stevens Point, WI: KCI Sports Publishing, 2021.
- Larry D. Names, The History of the Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years, Part One. Wautoma, WI: Angel Press of Wisconsin, 1987.