Earl curly lambeau biography
Curly Lambeau
American football player, coach, and executive (–)
American football player
Lambeau at Notre Dame in | |
| Position: | Halfback |
|---|---|
| Born: | ()April 9, Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died: | June 1, () (aged&#;67) Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| High school: | |
| College: | Notre Dame |
| Regular season: | ––22 () |
| Postseason: | 3–2 () |
| Career: | ––22 () |
| Record&#;at Pro Football Reference | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (LAM-boh; April 9, – June 1, ) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL).
Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin, native George Whitney Calhoun, founded the Green Bay Packers in He served as team captain in the team's first year before becoming player-coach in As a player, Lambeau lined up as a halfback, which in the early years of the NFL was the premier position. He was the team's primary runner and passer, accounting for 35 touchdowns (eight as a rusher, three as a receiver, and 24 as a passer) in 77 games.
He won his only NFL championship as a player in
From to , Lambeau was the head coach and general manager of the Packers, with near-total control over the team's day-to-day operations. He led his team to over wins and six NFL championships, including three straight from to He is tied with rival George Halas of the Chicago Bears and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots of having the most NFL championships by a coach.
Lambeau also coached eight players who went on to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With players such as quarterback Arnie Herber and split end Don Hutson, his teams revolutionized the use of the passing game in football. After a falling-out with the Packers' board of directors, Lambeau left the Packers to coach the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins, each for two seasons, before retiring in
For his accomplishments, Lambeau has been widely recognized and honored.
He was named to the NFL s All-Decade Team as one of the top halfbacks in the league's first decade of existence. He was an inaugural inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in in recognition for his role as founder, player, and coach of the Packers. Two months after his death in , the Packers home stadium, which is still in use today, was renamed Lambeau Field in his honor.
Early life and college
Curly Lambeau was born April 9, , in Green Bay, Wisconsin,[1] to Marcelin Lambeau and Mary LaTour, both of Belgian descent.[2] Lambeau attended Green Bay East High School, where he was identified as a standout athlete.[3] He played for the football team all four years of high school and was named captain in as a senior.[3][4]Green Bay Press-Gazette sportswriter George Whitney Calhoun noted in September that Lambeau was trying out for the University of Wisconsin freshmen football team as "one of the best gridiron prospects that has ever been turned out of a high school".[5] However, Lambeau never ended up enrolling at Wisconsin.
After graduating from high school, he worked for his father in the construction business and participated in different local football teams.[6] In , Lambeau attended the University of Notre Dame and played for legendary college coach Knute Rockne, making the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team's varsity squad.
However a severe case of tonsillitis forced him to miss the spring semester.[7] He never returned to Notre Dame. After a long recovery from tonsillitis, Lambeau went to work as a shipping clerk at the Indian Packing Company for $ a month.
Professional career
Founding the Green Bay Packers
Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun founded the Green Bay Packers on August 11, , after the packing company put up $ for uniforms.
That fall, the founders secured Willard "Big Bill" Ryan, former coach of Green Bay West High School, to coach the team. The team's name reportedly was offered to Curly by his girlfriend Agnes Aylward after a pickup game; Curly had wanted to call the team "The Green Bay Indians" to respect Indian Packing's purchase of uniforms for the team; so Agnes simply blurted, "Well, for heaven's sake, Curly, why don't you just call them the Green Bay Packers!" The team's naming rights were sold to the Acme Packing Company, and the team remained Packers.[9]
The Packers initially played teams from Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
However, the success of the team in and quickly led to its joining of the American Professional Football Association (now called the National Football League) in [9] During that season the team was owned by the Acme Packing Company and John and Emmet Clair of Chicago.
Playing career
Lambeau was a player-captain at first.[10] He played for the Packers for ten seasons, including the first eight seasons after the team joined the National Football League NFL in Playing halfback in the then-popular single wing offensive formation, he was both the primary runner and passer.
Lambeau threw 24 touchdown passes, rushed for eight touchdowns, and caught three touchdowns in 77 games. Lambeau was the first Packer to throw a pass, throw a touchdown pass, and make a field goal in Green Bay Packer franchise history.[7] He was also occasionally the team's kicker, kicking six field goals and 20 extra points.[11] He won his only NFL championship as a player-coach in , retiring as a player after the season.
Coaching career
Lambeau coached three NFL teams over his year career: the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Cardinals, and the Washington Redskins.
Don shula biography Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, better known as Curly Lambeau, was one of the greatest American football players and coaches of all time. Along with George Whitney Calhoun, he co-founded one of the most successful football clubs of the country, the 'Green Bay Packers.'.He completed his coaching career with an official overall record of &#;&#;22 ().
Green Bay Packers
Ryan left the Packers after only one season, and Lambeau became player-coach. However, during the team's first season, Lambeau, as team captain, handled many of the duties associated with a head coach in modern times.
In the early days of pro football, the head coach was not allowed to talk to the players during the game. Thus, Lambeau was the team's on-field leader during games, including play calling.[12] He was also responsible for signing players and running practices. For these reasons, the Packers recognize Lambeau as the team's first head coach.[13]
In , he led the team into the one-year-old American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL in [10] After retiring as a player in , he remained as head coach and general manager until For the better part of that time, he had near-complete control over the team's day-to-day operations and represented the Packers at owners' meetings.
Before joining the NFL, the Packers achieved an overall 19&#;2&#;1 record in and [7] Under Lambeau in the NFL, the Packers won six championships (, , , , , ). He compiled an NFL regular-season record of &#;&#;21 () with a playoff record of 3&#;2, &#;&#;21 () overall. Lambeau is still far and away the winningest coach in Packers history.
His losses are also the most by a Packers head coach.
The Packers' most successful period came in the s, thanks to the additions of quarterback Arnie Herber and receiver Don Hutson. Herber and Hutson pioneered the passing game, which allowed the Packers to dominate their competitors throughout the s.[9][1]
In , Lambeau purchased Rockwood Lodge, a former Norbertine retreat, creating the first self-contained training facility in professional football.
The purchase was controversial among the Packers' board of directors, many of whom balked at the $32, purchase price and $8, Lambeau spent on renovations, and some members of the financial committee almost resigned in protest.
Lambeau's players also grew to hate the facility, partly because they were severely battered by the brick-hard limestone under the fields.
On some days, Lambeau had to move practices to fields near City Stadium due to the severe beating his players took at the Lodge.[14]
At the same time, the Packers began noticeably slipping on the field after Hutson's retirement in Still, the Packers remained competitive until , when they suffered their first losing season since , and only the second losing season in franchise history.[15] The bottom fell out in , when the Packers won only two games, at the time, their worst season ever.[16] This was at least in part due to Lambeau's refusal to abandon the Notre Dame Box that he had learned during his brief time in South Bend; the Packers continued to run this variation of the single wing long after most teams began running the T formation.[14]
The Packers were also suffering financially, mainly due to the Rockwood Lodge purchase.
Early in the season, Lambeau largely turned over control of the team to his assistants to devote his attention to the team's financial situation, but even reducing the payroll and his own salary were not enough to stanch the bleeding: by the end of the season, the Packers were on what seemed to be an irreversible slide toward bankruptcy.
Desperate for cash, Lambeau found investors willing to invest funds into the team on the condition that it abolished its then-unique public ownership structure. This proposal was considered rank heresy in Green Bay, and led to rumors that the NFL was using the pending merger with the All-America Football Conference as leverage to force Lambeau to relocate the Packers to the West Coast or shut down the team.
In response to these events, team officials offered him a revised contract that stripped him of nearly all control over non-football matters. Lambeau rejected this offer almost out of hand, effectively ending his year tenure at the helm of the team he founded;[14] however, he did not formally resign until February 1, ,[17][18] seven days after his beloved Rockwood Lodge burned down in a fire that was presumed to be intentional, but had been caused by faulty electrical wiring.
The insurance money relieved the Packers' financial woes at one stroke, and ensured they would stay in Green Bay.[14]
Chicago Cardinals
After resigning from the Packers, Lambeau filled the open head coach position of the Chicago Cardinals. In addition to the position of head coach, Lambeau also was named vice president and was given complete control of personnel choices–effectively giving him the same control over football matters that he'd had in Green Bay.[19] He traded Paul Christman, part of the "Million Dollar Backfield" that had won the title to the Green Bay Packers in favor of trying to push Jim Hardy for a greater passing attack.
He proceeded to throw eight interceptions in his first game versus Philadelphia, a record. In season, the Cardinals ended the season 5&#;7, failing to improve upon its record in the previous season and missing out on the postseason. The season went even worse for Lambeau and the Cardinals; the team ended the season 3&#;9 and again failed to reach the postseason.
He resigned after the tenth game while stating that “No man can do a satisfactory job if he constantly is harassed by front office second-guessing", while the Cardinals management publicly accused Lambeau of losing the trust of his coaches and players.[20]
Washington Redskins
Lambeau coached the Washington Redskins in and In August , Lambeau got into a heated argument with Redskins owner George Preston Marshall in the lobby of Sacramento's Senator Hotel, after which Marshall abruptly fired Lambeau.[21][22][23]
Personal life
Lambeau was married three times: first to Marguerite Van Kessel from to , ending in divorce with one son.
Earl curly lambeau biography Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (/ ˈ l æ m b oʊ / LAM-boh; April 9, – June 1, ) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin, native George Whitney Calhoun, founded the Green Bay Packers inHis second wife, Susan Johnson, was a former Miss California, and they were married from to He married Grace Garland in and was divorced in While a player-coach for the Packers, Lambeau also coached his alma mater Green Bay East High School's football team from to , compiling a 14–4–3 record.[3]
Lambeau died on June 1, , at age 67, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, from a sudden heart attack.[24] While waiting for his girlfriend, Mary Jane Van Duyse, to get ready for a date, he stepped out of his new red Cadillac convertible and helped her father cut the grass and then collapsed.
Mary Jane was the Green Bay Packers champion majorette, and was a Packer Golden Girl.[25][26]
Legacy
Curly Lambeau was pivotal in establishing professional football in Green Bay. With help from co-founder George Whitney Calhoun and The Hungry Five, Lambeau helped keep the NFL in Green Bay and prevented the Packers from going bankrupt on multiple occasions.[27] Lambeau's impact on the Packers led to the team naming their current home stadium after him, Lambeau Field.
The venue opened in as the second City Stadium and was informally called "New" City Stadium for its first eight years.[28] Just two months after his death, the stadium was renamed Lambeau Field prior to the Green Bay Packers season to honor his contributions as founder, player, and coach.[29][30]
Lambeau Field has become such an iconic facility that the Green Bay Packers and surrounding community have continued to remodel the stadium, instead of building a new one.
This has made Lambeau Field the oldest continually operating NFL stadium.[31] The name Lambeau is so strongly tied to the stadium, that the Packers have not sold naming rights to the stadium, instead choosing to sell naming rights to the various entrance gates.[32] During the renovation, the Packers erected a foot (&#;m) statue of Lambeau in front of the new Atrium entrance.[33] Lambeau Street, in Green Bay's Packerland Industrial Park, is also named in his honor.[34]
As a player and coach, Lambeau is credited with pioneering daily practices, the forward pass in the NFL, implementing pass patterns, and having teams fly to road games.[7] He was a second-team All-Pro for three seasons (&#;) and was named to the NFL s All-Decade Team.[citation needed] As one of the last player-coaches, he also led the Packers to over wins, won six NFL Championships, and coached eight future Pro Football Hall of Fame players on the Packers.[citation needed] He became the first coach to lead an NFL team to three consecutive NFL Championships (&#;31), a feat that has only been matched once by Packers coach Vince Lombardi (&#;67).[citation needed] For his contributions to football and athletics, Lambeau has been honored by multiple organizations.
In he was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. He was part of the inaugural class of Pro Football Hall of Fame in , and the inaugural class of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in [4]
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win&#;% | Finish | Won | Lost | Win&#;% | Result | ||
| GB | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6th in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7th in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3rd in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 7 | 4 | 0 | 6th in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 8 | 5 | 0 | 9th in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5th in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2nd in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4th in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1st in NFL | – | – | – | NFL Champions | ||
| GB | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1st in NFL | – | – | – | NFL Champions | ||
| GB | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1st in NFL | – | – | – | NFL Champions | ||
| GB | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2nd in NFL | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3rd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 7 | 6 | 0 | 3rd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2nd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1st in Western Division | 1 | 0 | Defeated the Boston Redskins in NFL Championship. | |||
| GB | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2nd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1st in Western Division | 0 | 1 | Lost to the New York Giants in NFL Championship. | |||
| GB | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1st in Western Division | 1 | 0 | Defeated the New York Giants in NFL Championship. | |||
| GB | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2nd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 10 | 1 | 0 | T-1st in Western Division | 0 | 1 | – | Lost to the Chicago Bears in Western Conference playoff game. | ||
| GB | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2nd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2nd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1st in Western Division | 1 | 0 | Defeated the New York Giants in NFL Championship. | |||
| GB | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3rd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3rd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3rd in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4th in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB | 2 | 10 | 0 | 5th in Western Division | – | – | – | – | ||
| GB Total | 21 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| CHI | 5 | 7 | 0 | 5th in American Conference | – | – | – | – | ||
| CHI | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5th in American Conference | – | – | – | – | ||
| CHI Total | 7 | 15 | 0 | – | – | – | ||||
| WAS | 4 | 8 | 0 | 5th in American Conference | – | – | – | – | ||
| WAS | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3rd in American Conference | – | – | – | – | ||
| WAS Total | 10 | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | ||||
| Total | 22 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
His record against non-NFL teams between and was 26–2–2.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ ab"Curly Lambeau". Encyclopædia Britannica.
Curly lambeau: Earl "Curly” Lambeau founded the Green Bay Packers in and was the team's first playing star and its coach for 31 years. More than any other person, he is responsible for the existence today of the Packers' unique small-town franchise.
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- ^"Mrs. Mary L. Lambeau". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 18, p.&#; Archived from the original on November 15, Retrieved November 15, &#; via
- ^ abcMink, Michael (September 3, ).
"Curly Lambeau Passed The Test On The Way To NFL's Top". Investor's Business Daily. Archived from the original on August 30, Retrieved November 15,
- ^ abChristl, Cliff. "Earl "Curly" Lambeau". Green Bay Packers, ed from the original on November 15, Retrieved November 15,
- ^Calhoun, George Whitney (September 29, ).
"Cal's Comment". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p.&#;8. Archived from the original on November 15, Retrieved November 15, &#; via
- ^Christl, Cliff (May 4, ). "The story that was wrong on every count: Curly Lambeau's flirtation with the University of Wisconsin". Green Bay Packers, ed from the original on May 8, Retrieved November 15,
- ^ abcd"Hall of Famers: Earl L.
(Curly) Lambeau — Class of ". Green Bay Packers, Inc. Archived from the original on May 24, Retrieved November 15,
- ^ abcThe Legend of Lambeau Field DVD
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Vince lombardi biography
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (/ ˈ l æ m b oʊ / LAM-boh; April 9, – June 1, ) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin, native George Whitney Calhoun, founded the Green Bay Packers in. Archived from the original on January 18, Retrieved January 17,
- ^"Curly Lambeau Stats". . Archived from the original on August 4, Retrieved March 30,
- ^Christl, Cliff (August 9, ). "Packers Fan from Ukraine asks about team's first coach". Green Bay Packers, ed from the original on August 9, Retrieved January 10,
- ^"Lambeau's status as Packers' first coach debated".
The Sheboygan Press (clipping). Associated Press. January 10, p.&#;B4.
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- Earl (Curly) Lambeau - Pro Football Hall of Fame
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