About Miracle of Green Bay

The Miracle of Green Bay is that the city’s professional football team is more than a footnote in sports history. When the Green Bay Packers started in 1919, professional football was a risky business. The team from the smallest city in the league was often “on life support” financially. Growing a ticket-buying fan base large enough to keep the team in business was a huge challenge. Team promoters gained support among young fans, female fans, and fans from throughout the region. Business leaders gave crucial time and money to the team to help make Green Bay a “big league city.” Financial emergencies led to 1923 and 1935 sales of stock shares, purchased by key businesses and their executives. Five league championships won between 1929 and 1939 helped the cause. By 1949, however, the team was losing games and money. When the Packers Board of Directors decided to sell stock again in 1950, members of a grass-roots sales team sold shares to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues. The number of shareholders jumped in 1950 from 111 to 1,727 – and two-thirds of the $105,825 raised came from “the average fans, the so-called little fellow.” This is when the Green Bay Packers truly became community owned.

Miracle of Green Bay was created by Brown County Library’s Local History Department in recognition of the team’s unique history and its roots in downtown Green Bay.