1961 Green Bay Packers season

1961 Green Bay Packers season
1961 Green Bay Packers season
Head coach	Vince Lombardi
General manager	Vince Lombardi
Home field	City Stadium; Milwaukee County Stadium
Results
Record	11–3
Division place	1st NFL Western
Playoff finish	Won NFL Championship (vs. Giants) 37–0
	← 1960; Packers seasons; 1962 →;

The 1961 Green Bay Packers season was their 43rd season overall and their 41st season in the National Football League. The team finished with an 11–3 record under coach Vince Lombardi, earning them a first-place finish in the Western Conference. The Packers ended the season by defeating the New York Giants 37–0 in the NFL Championship Game, the first title game ever played in Green Bay. This was the Packers 7th NFL league championship.

The 1961 season was the first in which the Packers wore their trademark capital "G" logo on their helmets.^[1]

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School
1	12	Herb Adderley	Cornerback	Michigan State
2	26	Ron Kostelnik	Defensive Tackle	Cincinnati
3	40	Phil Nugent	Back	Tulane
4	54	Paul Dudley	Back	Arkansas
4	56	Joe LeSage	Guard	Tulane
5	68	Jack Novak	Guard	Miami (FL)
6	82	Lee Folkins	Tight End	Washington
7	96	Lewis Johnson	Back	Florida A&M
9	124		Tackle	Humboldt State
10	138	Buck McLeod	Tackle	Baylor
11	152	Val Keckin	Back	Southern Miss
12	166	John Denvir	Tackle	Colorado
13	180	Elijah Pitts	Halfback	Philander Smith
14	194	Nelson Toburen	Linebacker	Wichita State
15	208	Ray Lardani	Tackle	Miami (FL)
16	222	Clarence Mason	End	Bowling Green
17	236	Jim Brewington	Tackle	North Carolina Central
18	250	Arthur Sims	Back	Texas A&M
19	264	Leland Bondhus	Tackle	South Dakota State
20	278	Ray Ratkowski	Back	Notre Dame

Green indicates a future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
Yellow indicates a future Pro Bowl selection

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**1961 Green Bay Packers staff**

	Front office President – Dominic Olejniczak Director of Player Personnel – Dick Voris Head coaches Head Coach – Vince Lombardi Offensive coaches Offensive Backs – Red Cochran Ends – Dick Voris Offensive Line – Bill Austin			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Phil Bengtson Defensive Backs – Norb Hecker

^[2]

Roster[]

**1961 Green Bay Packers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 10 John Roach 15 Bart Starr Running backs 33 Lew Carpenter 5 Paul Hornung 25 Tom Moore 22 Elijah Pitts 31 Jim Taylor Wide receivers 86 Boyd Dowler 85 Max McGee Tight ends 81 Lee Folkins 84 Gary Knafelc 88 Ron Kramer		Offensive linemen 75 Forrest Gregg T / G 53 Ken Iman G 64 Jerry Kramer G 78 Norm Masters T 51 Jim Ringo C 76 Bob Skoronski T 63 Fuzzy Thurston G Defensive linemen 72 Ben Davidson DE 87 Willie Davis DE 74 Henry Jordan DT 83 Bill Quinlan		Linebackers 65 Tom Bettis 58 Dan Currie 71 Bill Forester 66 Ray Nitschke MLB Defensive backs 26 Herb Adderley CB 45 Emlen Tunnell 46 Hank Gremminger 47 Jesse Whittenton 24 Willie Wood SS Special teams 3 Ben Agajanian K 86 Boyd Dowler P 46 Hank Gremminger KO 5 Paul Hornung K 85 Max McGee P 24 Willie Wood PR		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Source:^[3]

Depth chart[]

Defense

[1]

CB
Herb Adderley
⋅

CB
Jesse Whittenton
⋅

Offense

[2]

FL
Boyd Dowler
⋅

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Bob Skoronski	Fuzzy Thurston	Jim Ringo	Jerry Kramer	Forrest Gregg
⋅	⋅	⋅	(Forrest Gregg)	Norm Masters

TE
Ron Kramer
⋅

SE
Max McGee
⋅

QB
Bart Starr
⋅

RB
Paul Hornung
⋅

FB
Jim Taylor
⋅

Special Teams
PK Paul Hornung
P Boyd Dowler
KR Herb Adderley
PR Willie Wood

Preseason[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 11	at Dallas Cowboys	W 30–7	1–0	Cotton Bowl	Recap Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
2	August 18	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 31–10	2–0	Sportsman's Park	Recap Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
3	August 26	Chicago Bears	W 24–14	3–0	Milwaukee County Stadium	Recap Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
4	September 4	New York Giants	W 20–17	4–0	City Stadium	Recap Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
5	September 9	vs. Washington Redskins	W 31–24	5–0	A. J. McClung Memorial Stadium	Recap Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine

Regular season[]

Despite being named NFL MVP, Paul Hornung was briefly lost to the military. In response to the construction of the Berlin Wall, the Department of Defense activated thousands of reservists. Two dozen football players were activated, including Paul Hornung, Boyd Dowler, and Ray Nitschke.^[4]^[5] On November 14, Hornung was to report to Fort Riley in north central Kansas.^[6] Wisconsin residents were so upset that Republican senator Alexander Wiley and Democratic congressman Clement Zablocki requested deferments for the players.^[7] On October 18, the final word was that the players had to serve. Hornung missed the November 19 game in Green Bay against the Rams, but was flown from Fort Riley to Detroit for the November 23 Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions at Tiger Stadium.^[8] Hornung kicked a field goal and two extra points in the 17–9 victory.^[9]^[10]

Injured in late October, right guard Jerry Kramer was sidelined for the remainder of the season. Forrest Gregg moved in from right tackle to guard, and Norm Masters started at right tackle.

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 17	Detroit Lions	L 13–17	0–1	Milwaukee County Stadium	Recap
2	September 24	San Francisco 49ers	W 30–10	1–1	City Stadium	Recap
3	October 1	Chicago Bears	W 24–0	2–1	City Stadium	Recap
4	October 8	Baltimore Colts	W 45–7	3–1	City Stadium	Recap
5	October 15	at Cleveland Browns	W 49–17	4–1	Cleveland Stadium	Recap
6	October 22	at Minnesota Vikings	W 33–7	5–1	Metropolitan Stadium	Recap
7	October 29	Minnesota Vikings	W 28–10	6–1	Milwaukee County Stadium	Recap
8	November 5	at Baltimore Colts	L 21–45	6–2	Memorial Stadium	Recap
9	November 12	at Chicago Bears	W 31–28	7–2	Wrigley Field	Recap
10	November 19	Los Angeles Rams	W 35–17	8–2	City Stadium	Recap
11	November 23	at Detroit Lions	W 17–9	9–2	Tiger Stadium	Recap
12	December 3	New York Giants	W 20–17	10–2	Milwaukee County Stadium	Recap
13	December 10	at San Francisco 49ers	L 21–22	10–3	Kezar Stadium	Recap
14	December 17	at Los Angeles Rams	W 24–17	11–3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Recap

Season summary[]

Week 1: vs. Detroit[]

Week 1: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	7	7	0	3	17
Packers	7	3	0	3	13

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date: September 17
Game time: 12:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 63%, wind 9 mph
Game attendance: 44,307
Referee: Bud Brubaker
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Lions

Packers

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Week 2: vs. San Francisco[]

Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	7	3	0	0	10
Packers	7	13	3	7	30

at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: September 24
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), relative humidity 90%, wind 17 mph
Game attendance: 38,669
Referee: George Rennix
TV: CBS
Box Score

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49ers

Packers

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Week 3: vs. Chicago[]

Week 3: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Packers	7	3	7	7	24

at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: October 1
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), relative humidity 76%, wind 19 mph
Game attendance: 38,669
Referee: John Pace
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Bears

Packers

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Week 4: vs. Baltimore[]

Week 4: Baltimore Colts at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	7	0	0	7
Packers	7	10	14	14	45

at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: October 8
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 11 mph
Game attendance: 38,669
Referee: Bill Downes
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Colts

Packers

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Week 5: at Cleveland[]

Week 5: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	14	7	7	21	49
Browns	0	3	7	7	17

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Date: October 15
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), relative humidity 62%, wind 16 mph
Game attendance: 75,042
Referee: Ron Gibbs
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

Browns

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Week 6: at Minnesota[]

Week 6: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	10	3	3	17	33
Vikings	0	7	0	0	7

at Metropolitan Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: October 22
Game time: 1:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 13 mph
Game attendance: 42,117
Referee: John Pace
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

Vikings

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Week 7: vs. Minnesota[]

Week 7: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	7	3	0	10
Packers	14	7	0	7	28

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date: October 29
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), relative humidity 87%, wind 16 mph
Game attendance: 44,116
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Vikings

Packers

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Week 8: at Baltimore[]

Week 8: Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Colts

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	7	7	0	7	21
Colts	7	14	10	14	45

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Date: November 5
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), relative humidity 78%, wind 11 mph
Game attendance: 57,641
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

Colts

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Week 9: at Chicago[]

Week 9: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	7	21	3	0	31
Bears	7	0	7	14	28

at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: November 12
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), relative humidity 78%, wind 13 mph
Game attendance: 49,711
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

Bears

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Week 10: vs. Los Angeles[]

Week 10: Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	7	3	0	7	17
Packers	0	28	0	7	35

at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: November 12
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), relative humidity 81%, wind 5 mph, wind chill 20 °F (−7 °C)
Game attendance: 38,669
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Rams

Packers

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Week 11: at Detroit[]

Week 11: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	7	0	10	17
Lions	3	3	3	0	9

at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan

Date: November 23
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), relative humidity 97%, wind 8 mph
Game attendance: 55,662
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

Lions

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Week 12: vs. New York[]

Week 12: New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	7	10	0	0	17
Packers	13	0	0	7	20

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date: December 3
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), relative humidity 87%, wind 16 mph
Game attendance: 47,012
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Giants

Packers

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Week 13: at San Francisco[]

Week 13: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	7	7	7	21
49ers	0	14	2	6	22

at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California

Date: December 10
Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), relative humidity 72%, wind 12 mph
Game attendance: 55,722
Referee: Emil Heintz
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

49ers

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Week 14: at Los Angeles[]

Week 14: Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	7	7	0	10	24
Rams	0	3	7	7	17

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Date: December 17
Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), relative humidity 78%, wind 8 mph
Game attendance: 49,169
TV: CBS
Box Score

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Packers

Rams

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Playoffs[]

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
NFL Championship	December 31	New York Giants	W 37–0	1–0	City Stadium	Recap

Game summary[]

1961 NFL Championship Game vs. New York[]

1961 NFL Championship Game: New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	0	0	0	0
Packers	0	24	10	3	37

at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: December 31
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 17 °F (−8 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 10 mph, wind chill 6 °F (−14 °C)
Game attendance: 39,029
TV: NBC
Box Score

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Giants

Packers

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Standings[]

NFL Western Conference
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Green Bay Packers	11	3	0	.786	9–3	391	223	W1
Detroit Lions	8	5	1	.615	7–4–1	270	258	L1
Chicago Bears	8	6	0	.571	7–5	326	302	W2
Baltimore Colts	8	6	0	.571	6–6	302	307	W1
San Francisco 49ers	7	6	1	.538	6–5–1	346	272	L1
Los Angeles Rams	4	10	0	.286	3–9	263	333	L1
Minnesota Vikings	3	11	0	.214	3–9	285	407	L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster[]

Stats[]

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Kicking

Punting

Kick Return

Punt Return

Interception

Team

Total Yards and Turnovers	Passing	Rushing

Awards and records[]

Paul Hornung, NFL MVP
Paul Hornung, Bert Bell Award^[11]

Milestones[]

References[]

^ Gridiron Uniform Database: Green Bay Packers
^ "All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
^ "TV rosters". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 31, 1961. p. 2, sports.
^ "Paul Hornung to enter Army". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 4, 1961. p. 2.
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 284, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 286, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 285, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 287, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 288, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
^ "Green Bay tops Lions 17-9 to take commanding lead". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 24, 1961. p. 16.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2010-06-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Sportsencyclopedia.com

[1] Gridiron Uniform Database: Green Bay Packers

[2] "All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2011.

[tvros-3] "TV rosters". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 31, 1961. p. 2, sports.

[phtea-4] "Paul Hornung to enter Army". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 4, 1961. p. 2.

[5] When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 284, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3

[6] When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 286, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3

[7] When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 285, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3

[8] When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 287, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3

[9] When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 288, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3

[gbtltt-10] "Green Bay tops Lions 17-9 to take commanding lead". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 24, 1961. p. 16.

[11] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2010-06-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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show v t Green Bay Packers seasons
1910s	1919
1920s	1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s	1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s	1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance

show v t Green Bay Packers
Founded in 1919 Based and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Franchise	Founders: Curly Lambeau & George Whitney Calhoun Franchise overview Green Bay Packers, Inc. Charitable Foundation Team history
Records	Coaches Draft history First-round draft picks Hall of Fame Fan Hall of Fame Players A–D E–K L–R S–Z Pro Bowlers Pro Football Hall of Famers Records Retired numbers (3 4 14 15 66 92) Seasons Stadiums Starting quarterbacks
Stadiums	Hagemeister Park Bellevue Park City Stadium Borchert Field Wisconsin State Fair Park Marquette Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium Lambeau Field
Training facilities	Clarke Hinkle Field Don Hutson Center Ray Nitschke Field Rockwood Lodge (former) St. Norbert College (training camp)
Culture	"Bang the Drum All Day" Bart Starr Award Cheerleaders Cheesehead Driven Fight song Home games in Milwaukee The Hungry Five Indian Packing Company Instant Replay Lambeau Leap Lombardi (film) Lombardi (play) Lumberjack Band Packers Heritage Trail Packers Pro Shop Packers sweep Pigskin Champions Pitch Perfect 2 Receiver (statue) Ron Wolf Second Effort That '70s Show The 60 Yard Line Titletown District Vernon Biever Vince Lombardi When Pride Still Mattered
Lore	4th and 26 Dez Caught It Dolly Gray impostor Fail Mary Instant Replay Game Miracle in Motown The Catch II The Ice Bowl The Snow Bowl
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings New York Giants Seattle Seahawks
Division championships (20)	1936 1938 1939 1944 1967 1972 1995 1996 1997 2002 2003 2004 2007 2011 2012 2013 2014 2016 2019 2020
Conference championships (9)	1960 1961 1962 1965 1966 1967 1996 1997 2010
League championships (13^†)	1929 1930 1931 1936 1939 1944 1961 1962 1965 1966 (I) 1967 (II) 1996 (XXXI) 2010 (XLV)
Media	Broadcasters Radio: Packers Radio Network WIXX WKTI-HD2 WTAQ WTMJ Television: WGBA-TV WTMJ-TV Spectrum News 1 WI Personnel: Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) Larry McCarren (color/analysis)
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1921–present) Conference: National Football Conference (1970–present) Division: North Division (2002–present)
^† does not include 1966 or 1967 NFL championships