On This Date in Sports December 31, 1961: Lombardi's First Title
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Green Bay Packers dynasty begins with a 37-0 blanking of the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game at City Stadium in Green Bay. The Packers take command of the game with 24 unanswered points in the second quarter, as Bart Starr has three touchdown passes. It is the first championship for the Packers since 1944 and starts a stretch for coach Vince Lombardi where Green Bay becomes Titletown winning five NFL Championships in seven years, including the first two Super Bowls.
The Packers spent most of the 1950s at the bottom of the Western Conference. Their once great franchise was in ruin as the league forced the Packers to build a new stadium in Green Bay, keeping them as the lone team in a small town. Two seasons after opening their new City Stadium in 1957, the Packers hired coach Vince Lombardi, a longtime assistant with the New York Giants. The Packers' fortunes turned as they had their first winning season in 12 years in 1959. A year later, they played in the NFL Championship, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 17-13. In 1961, the Packers won the Western Conference again with a record of 11-3 as Paul Hornung was named NFL MVP.
Despite Frank Gifford sitting out the season due to the lingering effects of a concussion suffered at the hands of Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants reclaimed the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-3-1. The Giants had lost the NFL Championship Game in 1958 and 1959 under Jim Lee Howell. They were now led by Allie Sherman, who had a successful first season as head coach thanks to the addition of Y.A. Tittle, who was acquired in the preseason after a decade with the San Francisco 49ers.
This would be the first Championship Game to be played in Green Bay, as the Packers' previous title games were held in Milwaukee. City Stadium would soon be renamed Lambeau Field, but the frozen tundra was in place as it had snowed a few days earlier, and the field was icy at 20°F.
Neither team scored in the first quarter, but as the second quarter began, the Packers were on the move. On the first play of the second quarter, Paul Hornung capped a 12-play drive with a six-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing drive, Ray Nitschke picked off Y.A. Tittle to set up a second Packers' score as Boyd Dowler caught a 13-yard pass from Bart Starr. Green Bay would pick off Tittle again as Hank Gremminger set Starr for a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ron Krammer to extend the lead to 21-0. Allie Sherman replaced Y.A. Tittle with Charlie Connerly, but the Giants' drive ended when Bob Gaiters missed a wide-open Kyle Rote on fourth down in the end zone. Paul Hornung would add a 17-yard field goal to end the first half.
The Packers took advantage of a fumbled punt to make it 27-0 with a 22-yard field goal by Hornung to begin the second half. Ron Kramer would catch a 13-yard touchdown pass from Starr as the Packers turned the NFL Championship Game into a laugher. Paul Hornung capped the scoring with a 19-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, as Green Bay won 37-0.