In 1958, a gallon of gas was 30 cents, orchestra seats for the Broadway hit “West Side Story” set you back $8.05, and an upper stand box seat for Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee stadium that year fetched a price of $10.50.
That year, the Green Bay Packers limped to 1-10-1 record, the worst in the 12-team NFL. This outcome was far from unexpected; after their NFL Championship season of 1944, the Packers began a 14-year stretch that saw their record fare them no better than 3rd in the Western Division. To say the least, one of the league’s oldest and proudest franchises hit rock bottom in 1958.
Interestingly, the 1958 team was not devoid of talent. In fact, the Packers’ front office pulled off arguably the greatest draft class before the season began. Green Bay drafted future Hall of Famers running back Jim Taylor (2nd round), linebacker Ray Nitschke (3rd round), and offensive lineman Jerry Kramer (4th round).
Those newcomers added to the already-talented (albeit young) roster, which included Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Ringo, and Forrest Gregg–all destined for immortality in Canton.
Yes, the old saying, “In order to old and wise, you first have to be young and dumb” applied to the 1958 version of the Green Bay Packers. To make matters worse, they entrusted their young corps that year to Ray McLean, a former Chicago Bears running back, who was hired to right the Packer ship.
McLean lasted one year, which was long enough for the Packers’ brass to realize they needed a coach who could turn this mess around. On January 28, 1959, the Green Bay Packers did just that.
The Green Bay Packers Welcome in ‘The Lombardi Era’
All NFL fans know that Vince Lombardi’s tenure with the Green Bay Packers was historic and legendary. But as stated, he inherited a rag-tag outfit that won just one game the previous season. HOW did he turn things around so quickly?
The most prevalent answer to that question is that he demanded something from the Packers that was not customary at the time in the NFL. He insisted on not only being named head coach but general manager as well.
When asked about the dual job of general manager and coach, Lombardi said, “That’s the only way I’d take the job. I doubt if I would have come just as coach. This is a better challenge, a better opportunity. I’ll have to have a very fine staff and I’m sure I will.”
Lombardi’s successful stint as New York Giants’ offensive coordinator swayed the interviewers, but his confidence in his abilities to lead did not hurt his chances, either.
“My word will be final,” Lombardi said. “I’ve never been connected with a losing team and I hope to instill a winning spirit in the Packers in a lot less than five years.”
The Packers found their man in January, but Lombardi would have to prove himself with his finished product on the field in September.
Dramatic Game vs. the Chicago Bears #1: September 27, 1959
The NFL schedule maker knew what he was doing. How could the theater be any more dramatic than having Lombardi and the Packers open up the coach’s inaugural season against the hated Chicago Bears and their own legendary head coach George Halas?
To peel the onion a bit more, Halas, in fact, recommended Lombardi for Green Bay’s head coaching position.
Halas was a fierce competitor and wanted badly to beat Chicago’s most heated-rival Green Bay at every opportunity.
“Believe me, Coach Halas loved to beat the Packers,” said Mike Ditka, former Bears tight end and head coach. “I had no clue about the rivalry, but I quickly found out. Every year, we had to play them twice, and those were the most important games of the year to him.”
However, Halas also wanted the league to prosper, and he knew that if Green Bay was a viable competitor, the NFL would thrive, as well.
When Ray McLean was fired at the end of the 1958 season, Packers’ President Dominic Olejniczak asked Halas for advice during the ensuing head coaching search. Halas endorsed Lombardi, a New York Giants assistant, stating “Lombardi is your man.”
Little did Halas know that he had a hand in making Green Bay “Titletown, USA.”
The long-awaited opening game turned out to be a yawn fest for three-and-a-half quarters. Despite a decided advantage in total yards, the Packers trailed the Bears, 6-0, in the fourth quarter.
Green Bay got the break they needed when Jim Ringo recovered Richie Petitbon’s punt return fumble on the Chicago 29, leading to Jim Taylor’s five-yard sweep for the score with 7:15 remaining in the game.
Then, with 47 seconds left, Dave Hanner dumped Ed Brown in the end zone for a safety, and the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears, 9-6, in Vince Lombardi’s first game as head coach.
Why Was This Game So Important?
After 15 years of mediocrity at best, utter futility at worst, the Green Bay Packers finally had something to crow about. The Packers were so starved for success that they carried their new head coach off the field after the victory against the Bears.
This game also marked the beginning of the historic turnaround enjoyed by fans of the Packers all across Wisconsin and set the tone for Green Bay becoming the team of the 1960s in the NFL.
A thousand-mile journey begins with one step, and on September 27, 1959, Vince Lombardi and the Packers began their magical trek to immortality.
