In 1919 Curly Lambeau (Lambeau, Curly) and George Calhoun organized a group of men into a football team that soon managed a winning record against other amateur teams from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. Lambeau, a shipping clerk for the Indian Packing Company, convinced his employer to donate money for the uniforms and, in the process, lent the nickname “Packers” to the team. In 1921 the Packers entered the recently formed American Professional Football Association, which a year later would become the NFL; however, the team struggled with financial problems to the point of having to forfeit an entire season. In 1923 the team became a publicly owned nonprofit corporation supported by the people of Wisconsin. From 1933 to 1994 the Packers elected to play some of their home games each year in Milwaukee to benefit from the larger market. Beginning in 1995, all home games were played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, notwithstanding that city's small size (it did not exceed 100,000 residents until 2000) compared with virtually all other cities that have NFL franchises.

Despite their rough financial start, the Packers won three consecutive championships from 1929 to 1931, and they won additional championships in 1936, 1939, and 1944. Their most successful period was in the 1960s, under the legendary coach Vince Lombardi (Lombardi, Vince). They won championships in 1961 and 1962 and followed with three straight championships starting in the 1965–66 season. On Jan. 15, 1967, in the inaugural Super Bowl, the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10. They successfully defended their Super Bowl title the following year against the Oakland Raiders, 33–14. Their third Super Bowl appearance, in 1997, was also successful: they defeated the New England Patriots 35–21. However, they did not repeat their win the following year against the Denver Broncos.