1966 Green Bay Packers season

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1966 Green Bay Packers season
Head coach Vince Lombardi
General manager Vince Lombardi
Home field Lambeau Field
Milwaukee County Stadium
Results
Record 12–2
Division place 1st NFL Western
Playoff finish Won NFL Championship
(Cowboys, 37–24)
Won Super Bowl I
(Chiefs, 35–10)

The 1966 Green Bay Packers season was their 47th in the National Football League. The defending NFL champions had a league-best regular season record of 12–2, led by eighth-year head coach Vince Lombardi and quarterback Bart Starr, in his eleventh NFL season.

The Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL championship game, the Packers' second consecutive NFL title, fourth under Lombardi, and tenth for the franchise. Two weeks later, the Packers recorded a 35–10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the inaugural AFL-NFL Championship Game, retroactively known as Super Bowl I.

Quarterback Starr was named the league's most valuable player (MVP) in 1966. Said Cold Hard Football Facts about Starr's 1966 season, "Starr, always underappreciated, was at his classic assassin-like best in 1966, his lone MVP season. He led the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating, while his 4.7-to-1 [touchdown-to-interception] ratio remains one of the very best in history. Starr, as always, cranked out great performances when he absolutely had to: the 1966 Packers, for example, were the worst rushing team in football, with a meager average of 3.5 [yards-per-attempt] on the ground, despite the reputation Lombardi's Packers still carry with them today as a dominant running team."[1] Cold Hard Football Facts also notes that 1966 Packers had the best passer rating differential (offensive passer rating minus opponents passer rating), +56.0, in the Super Bowl Era. [2]

In 2007, the 1966 Packers were ranked as the 6th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions.

Roster

Green Bay Packers 1966 roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists

Currently vacant

Rookies in italics
41 Active, 0 Inactive

Offseason

The Washington Redskins made overtures to Vince Lombardi about becoming their new head coach. Lombardi refused their offer and the Redskins had to settle for Otto Graham as their new head coach.[3] Lombardi replaced Graham in Washington in 1969.

NFL Draft

In the 1966 NFL draft, held in late November 1965, the Packers selected running back Jim Grabowski of Illinois with the ninth overall pick.[4] Common for pro football in the mid-1960s, the Packers found themselves in a bidding war for Grabowski. The expansion Miami Dolphins of the American Football League selected Grabowski with the first overall selection of the AFL Draft, held the same day.[5] Lombardi's plan was to groom Grabowski to take over for Jim Taylor at fullback. Despite being offered more money by the Dolphins, Grabowski said it was an honor to be drafted by the Packers.[6] Grabowski signed with the Packers and landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August, with veteran backfield tandem Paul Hornung and Taylor on the main cover and rookies Grabowski and Donny Anderson on the foldout.[7][8] The signing of Grabowski upset Taylor, who felt that he was underpaid and made it publicly known that he would leave Green Bay once his contract expired. Taylor had been given an offer by the expansion Atlanta Falcons, but agreed to honor his contract before moving to another team and played out his option in 1966.[9][10][11][12]

Fellow rookie running back Anderson of Texas Tech was the seventh overall selection of the 1965 draft as an underclassman, and he stayed in school for his senior season in 1965. Due to their large contracts, signed during the height of the pre-merger bidding war with the AFL, as well as their high visibility as the apparent replacements for Hornung and Taylor, Anderson and Grabowski were nicknamed the "Gold Dust Twins."[13]

The 1966 draft (November 1965) was the last one held separately for the two leagues. Following the merger agreement of June 1966, a common draft was conducted in March 1967.

Round Selection Overall Player Position College
1 9 9 Jim Grabowski RB Illinois
1 13 13 Gale Gillingham OL Minnesota
2 14 30 Tom Cichowski OL Maryland
3 13 45 Fred Heron DL San Jose State
3 14 46 Tony Jeter TE Nebraska
4 14 62 John Roderick WR SMU
7 13 108 Ray Miller DL Idaho
8 14 124 Ken McLean WR Texas A&M
9 13 138 Ron Rector RB Northwestern
10 14 154 Sam Montgomery DL Southern
11 13 168 Ralph Wenzel OL San Diego State
12 14 184 Jim Mankins RB Florida State
13 13 198 Ed King LB USC
14 14 214 Ron Hanson WR North Dakota State
15 13 228 Grady Bolton OL Mississippi State
16 14 244 Bob Schultz DL Wisconsin–Stevens Point
17 13 258 Dave Hathcock DB Memphis State
18 14 274 Jim Jones DL Nebraska-Omaha
19 13 288 Dave Moton WR USC
20 14 304 Ed Maras WR South Dakota State

Preseason

Date Opponent Site Result Score'

Regular season

The Packers finished the regular season with a league best record of 12–2, advancing them to the NFL championship game as Western Conference champions. Until 1975, NFL playoff sites were rotated, so the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys (10–3–1) hosted the title game in 1966.

Schedule

Game Opponent Result Game site Attendance
1 Baltimore Colts W 24–3 Milwaukee County Stadium
48,650
2 at Cleveland Browns W 21–20 Cleveland Stadium
83,943
3 Los Angeles Rams W 24–13 Lambeau Field
50,861
4 Detroit Lions W 23–14 Lambeau Field
50,861
5 at San Francisco 49ers L 20–21 Kezar Stadium
39,290
6 at Chicago Bears W 17–0 Wrigley Field
48,573
7 Atlanta Falcons W 56–3 Milwaukee County Stadium
48,623
8 at Detroit Lions W 31–7 Tiger Stadium
56,954
9 Minnesota Vikings L 17–20 Lambeau Field
50,861
10 Chicago Bears W 13–6 Lambeau Field
50,861
11 at Minnesota Vikings W 28–16 Metropolitan Stadium
47,426
12 San Francisco 49ers W 20–7 Milwaukee County Stadium
48,725
13 at Baltimore Colts W 14–10 Memorial Stadium
60,238
14 at Los Angeles Rams W 27–23 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
72,416

Standings

NFL Western Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Green Bay Packers 12 2 0 .857 10–2 335 163 W5
Baltimore Colts 9 5 0 .643 7–5 314 226 W1
Los Angeles Rams 8 6 0 .571 6–6 289 212 L1
San Francisco 49ers 6 6 2 .500 5–5–2 320 325 L1
Chicago Bears 5 7 2 .417 4–6–2 234 272 W1
Detroit Lions 4 9 1 .308 3–8–1 206 317 L3
Minnesota Vikings 4 9 1 .308 4–7–1 206 304 L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Baltimore Colts

1 2 3 4 Total
Colts 0 3 0 0 3
• Packers 0 14 10 0 24

[14]

Week 2: at Cleveland Browns

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 0 7 7 7 21
Browns 7 10 0 3 20

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, OH

Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 6 7 0 13
Packers 7 10 0 7 24

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions

1 2 3 4 Total
Lions 0 7 0 7 14
Packers 10 7 3 3 23

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 3 0 10 7 20
49ers 0 7 7 7 21

at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, CA

Week 6: at Chicago Bears

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 0 0 10 7 17
Bears 0 0 0 0 0

at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons

1 2 3 4 Total
Falcons 0 0 3 0 3
Packers 7 21 7 21 56

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, WI

Week 8: at Detroit Lions

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 0 17 7 7 31
Lions 0 7 0 0 7

at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 0 10 0 10 20
Packers 7 3 7 0 17

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Week 10: vs. Chicago Bears

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 0 0 6 6
Packers 0 7 0 6 13

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 7 14 0 7 28
Vikings 3 0 6 7 16

at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, MN

Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers

1 2 3 4 Total
49ers 0 0 0 7 7
Packers 7 0 0 13 20

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, WI

Week 13: at Baltimore Colts

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 7 0 0 7 14
Colts 0 10 0 0 10

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD

Week 14: at Los Angeles Rams

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 7 10 0 10 27
Rams 3 6 0 14 23

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Postseason

NFL Championship Game

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Main article: NFL Championship Game, 1966
1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 14 7 7 6 34
Cowboys 14 3 3 7 27

at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas

  • Date: Sunday, January 1
  • Game attendance: 74,152
  • Box Score

Green Bay took an early 14–0 lead on two first-quarter scores; a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bart Starr to Elijah Pitts and an 18-yard fumble return by Jim Grabowski on the ensuing kickoff. The Cowboys tied the score with two touchdowns towards the end of the quarter.

Starr's third touchdown pass of the game gave the Packers a 34–20 lead with 5:20 left in the game, but the Cowboys responded with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Don Meredith to Frank Clarke. Dallas advanced to the Green Bay 22-yard line on their next drive, when a pass interference penalty gave the Cowboys a first down at the Packer 2-yard line. But Green Bay's Tom Brown intercepted a Meredith pass in the end zone with 28 seconds left to play to preserve the victory for the Packers.

With the win, the Packers earned their 10th NFL championship. It was their second in a row and fourth in six seasons.

Super Bowl I

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Main article: Super Bowl I
1 2 3 4 Total
Chiefs 0 10 0 0 10
Packers 7 7 14 7 35

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: Sunday, January 15
  • Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), sunny[15]
  • Game attendance: 61,946
  • Box Score

The first ever AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl I, was played on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Packers faced the Kansas City Chiefs from the AFL, who finished their regular season at 11–2–1.

The Packers jumped out to an early 7–0 lead with Bart Starr's 37-yard touchdown pass to reserve receiver Max McGee, who had been put into the game just a few plays earlier to fill in for injured starter Boyd Dowler. Early in the second quarter, Kansas City marched 66 yards in 6 plays to tie the game on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Len Dawson to Curtis McClinton. But the Packers responded on their next drive, advancing 73 yards down the field and scoring on fullback Jim Taylor's 14-yard touchdown run with the team's famed "Power Sweep" play. The Chiefs then cut the lead with a minute left in the half, 14–10, on Mike Mercer's 31-yard field goal.

Early in the second half Dawson was intercepted by defensive back Willie Wood. He returned the interception 50 yards to the Kansas City 5-yard line. On the next play Elijah Pitts rushed 5-yards for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 21–10 lead. Max McGee scored his second touchdown of the game with a 13-yard reception from Bart Starr. The Packers held the Chiefs' offense to 12 yards in the third quarter. Elijah Pitts scored another touchdown for the Packers in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run. The Packers would win the game 35–10. Quarterback Bart Starr was named the MVP of the game, completing 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

Season statistical leaders

Awards and records

References

  1. ↑ Cold Hard Football Facts: The Dandy Dozen: 12 best passing seasons in history
  2. ↑ Cold Hard Football Facts: 40 and Fabulous: in praise of passer rating
  3. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 453, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  4. ↑ 1966 Green Bay Packers draft on Database Football obtained 18 December 2006.
  5. ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 396
  6. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 383, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  7. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 384, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 385, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-15.
  15. ↑ Pro Football Hall of Fame: Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures
  16. ↑ 1966 Packers on Database Football obtained 18 December 2006.

External links

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