| 1966 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Vince Lombardi |
| Home Field | City Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Place | 1st NFL Western |
| Playoff Finish | Won NFL Championship Game (at Cowboys) 34–27 Won Super Bowl I (vs. Chiefs) 35–10 |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1965 | 1967 |
The 1966 Green Bay Packers season was their 46th in the NFL and resulted in a 12-2 record, coached by Vince Lombardi and led by quarterback Bart Starr. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1966 NFL Championship Game, the Packers' 10th NFL title. The Packers recorded a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the inaugural AFL-NFL Championship Game.
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 | |||
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.[1]
NFL Draft[]
In the first round of the 1966 NFL Draft the Packers selected running back Jim Grabowski out of the University of Illinois.[2] The Packers would find themselves in a bidding war for Grabowski. With the first pick overall, the Dolphins selected Grabowski in the AFL Draft.[3] Lombardi's plan was to groom Grabowski so that he could take over for Jim Taylor. Despite being offered more money by the Dolphins, Grabowski said it was an honor to be drafted by the Packers.[4] Grabowski would sign with the Packers and land on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[5] The signing of Grabowski upset Taylor. He 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 Atlanta Falcons but would honor his contract before moving to another team.[6]
| Round | Selection | Overall | Player | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 9 | Jim Grabowski | Illinois |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | Gale Gillingham | Minnesota |
| 2 | 14 | 30 | Tom Cichowski | Maryland |
| 3 | 13 | 45 | Fred Heron | San Jose State |
| 3 | 14 | 46 | Tony Jeter | Nebraska |
| 4 | 14 | 62 | John Roderick | Southern Methodist |
| 7 | 13 | 108 | Ray Miller | Idaho |
| 8 | 14 | 124 | Ken McLean | Texas A&M |
| 9 | 13 | 138 | Ron Rector | Northwestern |
| 10 | 14 | 154 | Sam Montgomery | Southern |
| 11 | 13 | 168 | Ralph Wenzel | San Diego State |
| 12 | 14 | 184 | Jim Mankins | Florida State |
| 13 | 13 | 198 | Ed King | USC |
| 14 | 14 | 214 | Ron Hanson | North Dakota State |
| 15 | 13 | 228 | Grady Bolton | Mississippi State |
| 16 | 14 | 244 | Bob Schultz | Wisconsin–Stevens Point |
| 17 | 13 | 258 | Dave Hathcock | Memphis State |
| 18 | 14 | 274 | Jim Jones | Nebraska-Omaha |
| 19 | 13 | 288 | Dave Moton | USC |
| 20 | 14 | 304 | Ed Maras | South Dakota State |
Regular season[]
The Packers finished the regular season with a league best record of 12-2, advancing them to the NFL Championship game.
Schedule[]
| Game | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore Colts | W 24-3 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
| 2 | at Cleveland Browns | W 21-20 | Claveland Stadium | |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24-13 | Lambeau Field | |
| 4 | Detroit Lions | W 23-14 | Lambeau Field | |
| 5 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20-21 | Kezar Stadium | |
| 6 | at Chicago Bears | W 17-0 | Wrigley Field | |
| 7 | Atlanta Falcons | W 56-3 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
| 8 | at Detroit Lions | W 31-7 | Tiger Stadium | |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17-20 | Lambeau Field | |
| 10 | Chicago Bears | W 13-6 | Lambeau Field | |
| 11 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 28-16 | Metropolitan Stadium | |
| 12 | San Francisco 49ers | W 20-7 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
| 13 | at Baltimore Colts | W 14-10 | Memorial Stadium | |
| 14 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 27-23 | LA Coliseum |
Standings[]
| NFL Western | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Green Bay Packers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 335 | 163 | W-5 |
| Baltimore Colts | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 314 | 226 | W-1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 289 | 212 | L-1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 6 | 2 | .500 | 320 | 325 | L-1 |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 2 | .417 | 234 | 272 | W-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 206 | 317 | L-3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 206 | 304 | L-1 |
Postseason[]
NFL championship game[]
- Main article: NFL Championship Game, 1966
Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 27
|
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 a 17-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[]
- Main article: Super Bowl I
Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
|
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 season 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 name the MVP of the game, completing 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
Season statistical leaders[]
- Passing Yards: Bart Starr, 2,257
- Passing Touchdowns: Bart Starr, 14
- Rushing Yards: Jim Taylor, 705
- Rushing Touchdowns: Elijah Pitts, 7
- Receiving Yards: Carroll Dale, 876
- Receiving Touchdowns: Carroll Dale, 7
- Points: Don Chandler, 77
- Kickoff Return Yards: Donny Anderson, 533
- Punt Return Yards: Donny Anderson, 124
- Interceptions: Bob Jeter and Dave Robinson, 5[8]
Awards and records[]
- Bart Starr, NFL Leader, Passing Yards, (2,257 yards)
- Bart Starr, NFL MVP
- Bart Starr, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
References[]
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 453, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- ↑ 1966 Green Bay Packers draft on Database Football obtained 18 December 2006.
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 396
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 383, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 384, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 385, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- ↑ Pro Football Hall of Fame: Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures
- ↑ 1966 Packers on Database Football obtained 18 December 2006.