Vince Lombardi’s Glory Years teams, with the Green Bay Packers winning five NFL championships in a span of seven years, dominated Sports Illustrated’s list of the 50 most influential teams in NFL history.
SI put together a panel of 31 media members, analysts, former front office personnel and more to assemble the list. In a time in which history too often is swept aside for the latest and so-called greatest, the panel did its job in commemorating the impact of Lombardi’s championship juggernaut.
Four Packers teams made the list, with three of Lombardi’s championship teams cracking the top 20.
Leading the way was the 1961 team that kicked off what might be the greatest dynasty in NFL history. That team checked in at No. 10 on the SI list.
After the Packers went 1-10-1 in 1958, Lombardi was hired in 1959. His first team went 7-5. In 1960, the Packers went 8-4 and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the championship game. The Packers didn’t lose that game so much as they ran out of time, with the legendary Jim Taylor tackled at the 9 as the final seconds ticked away.
That would be the one and only playoff loss for Lombardi.
The 1961 team went 11-3. In that era, there were no playoffs. It was one game for the NFL Championship, and it featured the Packers, who were No. 1 in points scored and No. 2 in points allowed, against the Giants, who were No. 2 in points scored and No. 1 in points allowed.
The Packers dominated 37-0. After a scoreless first quarter, the Packers blitzed the Giants 24-0 in the second. On leave from the Army, NFL MVP Paul Hornung scored a 6-yard touchdown and kicked three field goals. Bart Starr threw three touchdown passes as Green Bay outgained the Giants 345-130. The Packers forced five turnovers, including four interceptions of legendary Y.A. Tittle.
This team was the undisputed king of the Packers dynasty. It was “one of the greatest collections of talent ever put together,” SI’s Matt Verderame wrote. It featured 13 Hall of Famers: Starr, running backs Hornung and Taylor, offensive linemen Forrest Gregg, Jim Ringo and Jerry Kramer, defensive linemen Willie Davis and Henry Jordan, linebacker Ray Nitschke, defensive backs in Willie Wood, Herb Adderley and Emlen Tunnell and, of course, Lombardi.
“Coach Lombardi is the quick answer. He’s the guy,” Kramer said as part of the story. “He’s the man that changed the attitude. He would chew your ass unmercifully in front of the guys. … He gave me a vision, gave me a dream, gave me a mission. I started busting my backside and everything I did was full speed. …
“That was something that was permanent. My attitude had changed dramatically from getting by, doing your job, not worrying about the speed to bust your ass and go like you can go, as hard as you can go, do everything to the limit of your ability. He had a dramatic impact on the football team. And you started to win. You didn’t want to let the team down. It became a close-knit brotherhood of ballplayers who depended on one another.”
Lombardi’s 1966 and 1967 teams, which won the first two Super Bowls, also cracked the Top 20.
“For folks old enough to remember life before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, Lombardi was the quintessential coach, his Packers the quintessential team,” NFL writer Mike Tanier said.
Green Bay’s other entry on the list of legendary teams was the 1931 team that capped Green Bay’s historic three-peat under another legendary coach, Curly Lambeau. That team was No. 34.
Talk about dominant. The Packers went 34-5-2 during their championship seasons: 12-0-1 in 1929, 10-3-1 in 1930 and 12-2 in 1931. Johnny “Blood” McNally, who led the NFL with 13 touchdowns, was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Eight players were All-Pros, including Hall of Famers McNally, Mike Michalske and Cal Hubbard.
Offensively, the Packers’ 291 points were almost as many as the next two teams combined. Defensively, they allowed seven or fewer points in 11 of 14 games.
More must-reads: