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Why Are the Packers Called the Packers? Name, G Logo and Numbers

The Packers are called the Packers because a meatpacking company sponsored the team when it was founded in Green Bay in 1919. Curly Lambeau worked for the Indian Packing Co., which paid for the first team's gear, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette started calling the club the "Packers" in its very first stories about it. The name stuck within days and has never changed.

Here is the full story of the name, plus the G logo, the uniform eras and the six numbers nobody in Green Bay will wear again.

How did the Packers get their name?

The Packers were organized over two meetings in the editorial rooms of the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Aug. 11 and 14, 1919, according to the team's official timeline. The co-founders were Earl "Curly" Lambeau, a 21-year-old former Notre Dame player who worked at the Indian Packing Co., and George Whitney Calhoun, an editor at the Press-Gazette (Packers history).

Lambeau asked his employer for help, and Indian Packing became the team's first sponsor. Packers team historian Cliff Christl writes that in 1919 the company supplied sweaters, "maybe a half-dozen footballs" and some shoulder pads, and that in 1920 the players wore emblems of the company's meat brand on their jerseys.

The newspaper did the naming. In its first story about the organizational meeting, published Aug. 13, 1919, the Press-Gazette called the team both the "Packers" and the "Indians," after the sponsor. By Aug. 15 it used only "Packers," and "thereafter the nickname stuck," Christl writes. He credits either Calhoun or sportswriter Val Schneider with coining it.

Were the Packers ever called the Acme Packers?

Yes, briefly. Chicago-based Acme Packing announced it was buying Indian Packing in December 1920 and completed the purchase in January 1921. On Aug. 27, 1921, the American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL, granted a Green Bay franchise in the name of the Acme Packing Co. (Packers timeline). The team played that first league season with "ACME PACKERS" on its jerseys, per Christl's 2026 uniform history.

Acme did not create the name. The "Packers" label was already two years old, which is why the team credits Indian Packing and the Press-Gazette, not Acme, as the source.

Who owns the Green Bay Packers?

The fans do, in a literal sense. The Packers have been a publicly owned, nonprofit corporation since 1923, and today about 5,204,625 shares are held by 538,967 stockholders, none of whom receives a dividend, according to the Packers shareholders page.

What does the G on the Packers helmet stand for?

The G stands for Green Bay. Christl calls the "greatness" explanation a myth: it was told on air before Super Bowl XLV and then spread online (packers.com).

The logo was created for Vince Lombardi in 1961. John Gordon, a St. Norbert College art student working under equipment manager Gerald "Dad" Braisher, sketched a G in the shape of a football (FOX 11). The Packers first wore it in their intra-squad game on Aug. 5, 1961, at old City Stadium, and the football-shaped G was on the helmet for all five of Lombardi's NFL titles. The team switched to the oval G it still uses in 1970.

Packers uniform history: from navy blue to green and gold

The early Packers were not green at all. The club's registered colors were navy blue through 1937, "myrtle green and gold" from 1938 to 1940, and "navy blue, green and gold" from 1943, before the team registered plain "green and gold" in 1964 (packers.com). The jerseys actually worn moved around even more:

Years Main jersey look
1919 to 1920 Plain navy blue with the sponsor's Council brand emblem
1921 Navy blue with "ACME PACKERS" in white
1923 to 1928 Navy blue with gold sleeve stripes ("Big Bay Blues")
1929 to 1930 Gold jerseys with a blue circle and numerals
1935 to 1936 Kelly green body with gold sleeves and numerals
1937 to 1939 Myrtle green with gold trim over the shoulder pads
1940 to 1949 Navy blue with gold trim, plus gold jerseys with blue numbers
1961 Football-shaped G added to the helmet
1970 to today Oval G on the helmet

Source: Cliff Christl, May 2026 uniform history and The G Stands for Green Bay.

Modern throwbacks lean on those eras. The "50s Classic" alternate introduced in 2021 used all green jerseys with gold numbers and stripes inspired by 1950 to 1953 (packers.com). For 2026 the Packers are debuting their NFL Rivalries alternate against the Bears in Week 5 and wearing the 1923 Classic throwback, with "leather" painted helmets, against the Bills in December (packers.com). For how the league limits alternate helmets and throwback weeks, see our guide to NFL alternate, throwback and Color Rush uniforms.

Packers retired numbers

The Packers have retired six numbers, a small total for a franchise with its history. All six belong to Pro Football Hall of Famers (packers.com).

Number Player Position Retired
14 Don Hutson Receiver 1951
3 Tony Canadeo Halfback 1952
15 Bart Starr Quarterback 1973
66 Ray Nitschke Linebacker 1983
92 Reggie White Defensive end 2005
4 Brett Favre Quarterback 2015

Sources: packers.com (2003) for Hutson, Canadeo, Starr and Nitschke; packers.com (2005) for White's Sept. 18, 2005 ceremony against Cleveland; ESPN for Favre's Thanksgiving night 2015 unveiling against Chicago.

One number has a messier story. Lombardi announced in 1967 that Paul Hornung's No. 5 was retired, but it was later issued to other players and left off the team's official list in 1990, Christl explains in his piece on the club's retired numbers. For every other team's list, see every NFL team's retired numbers.

The Packers' No. 1 and the founder

One number connects today's roster to 1919. When Micah Parsons arrived by trade in 2025 he took No. 1, becoming the first Packer to wear it since Curly Lambeau, per ESPN's Adam Schefter via Yahoo Sports. The Packers roster still lists him at No. 1. Lambeau's name is on the stadium too: City Stadium opened in 1957 and was renamed Lambeau Field on Sept. 11, 1965, months after his death (Packers timeline).

How many championships have the Packers won?

The Packers have won 13 NFL championships, more than any other team, according to packers.com. Those titles came in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1996 and 2010, and include four Super Bowls: I, II, XXXI and XLV.

Shop Packers jerseys

If the history has you thinking about a jersey, our NFL page has the Packers alongside every other team. Popular picks include the Jordan Love jersey, the Micah Parsons jersey and a custom Packers jersey with your own name and number.

Frequently asked questions

What were the Green Bay Packers originally called?

The Green Bay Press-Gazette called the new team both the "Packers" and the "Indians" in its Aug. 13, 1919 story, after sponsor Indian Packing Co. Two days later it used only "Packers." When the team joined the league in 1921, the franchise was granted in the name of the Acme Packing Co.

What does the G on the Packers helmet mean?

The G stands for Green Bay, not "greatness," according to Packers team historian Cliff Christl. The logo was sketched in 1961 by St. Norbert College art student John Gordon for Vince Lombardi. The original G was football shaped, and the team switched to the current oval G in 1970.

How many retired numbers do the Packers have?

The Packers have retired six numbers: Don Hutson's 14, Tony Canadeo's 3, Bart Starr's 15, Ray Nitschke's 66, Reggie White's 92 and Brett Favre's 4. Favre's was the most recent, unveiled at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night in 2015. All six players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Who owns the Green Bay Packers?

The Packers are a publicly owned, nonprofit corporation, and have been since 1923. About 5,204,625 shares are held by 538,967 stockholders, and none of them receives a dividend. There is no single owner, and shares do not work like a normal stock investment.

When did the Packers start wearing green and gold?

The early Packers wore mostly navy blue. The club's registered colors changed several times, from navy blue to myrtle green and gold to navy, green and gold, before the team registered green and gold alone in 1964. The team wore kelly green jerseys in 1935 and 1936.

How many championships have the Packers won?

The Packers have won 13 NFL championships, more than any other franchise. The titles came in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1996 and 2010, and include four Super Bowls: I, II, XXXI and XLV.

Sources

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