In celebration of the renovated and rededicated Lambeau Field, this season Packers.com is offering a new desktop wallpaper series that pays tribute to the Packers' storied past.
The Legends of the Green and Gold series depicts some of the renowned individuals from team history, all of whom helped to make the Packers one of the greatest franchises in all of professional sports.
Having already released free wallpapers of Paul Hornung, Bart Starr and Jim Taylor, among others, this week the series continues with tributes to Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau and Vince Lombardi.
In future weeks, Packers.com will offer additional tributes to some of the great players and moments in team history.
The following is a closer look at this week's legends:
Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau --
Without Curly Lambeau, there are no Green Bay Packers.
The former Packers player, head coach and vice president founded the team in 1919.
Through the 1949 season, he served as the team's only coach, also playing halfback from 1919 through 1929, a period during which he pioneered the forward pass in professional football.
Lambeau led the Packers to six world championships and is one of only five coaches to record more than 200 coaching victories in the NFL (others are Don Shula, George Halas, Tom Landry and Chuck Noll).
With the Packers, Lambeau compiled a coaching record of 212-106-21 (.656). He also coached the Chicago Cardinals (1950-51) and Washington Redskins (1952-52).
Named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and the Packers Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1970, Lambeau -- the only player in Packers history to wear No. 1 -- died June 1, 1965, at the age of 67.
The Packers named Lambeau Field in honor of the Green Bay native, September 11, 1965.
Vince Lombardi --
Vince Lombardi directed the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships in seven years (1961-62 and 1965-66-67), a feat without parallel in pro football history.
His 1966 and 1967 teams also made history by winning the first two Super Bowls.
Under his leadership, the Packers won nine of 10 playoff games -- the last nine in consecutive fashion -- and compiled a 98-30-4 record, a glittering .758 winning percentage.
Lombardi and the Packers never had a losing season.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Lomabardi played guard at Fordham University, where he was one of the legendary "Seven Blocks of Granite."
Born July 11, 1913, Lombardi died September 3, 1970, at the age of 57.
Arguably the greatest tribute in NFL history, commissioner Pete Rozelle re-named the trophy given annually to the Super Bowl champion in Lombardi's honor shortly after his death in 1970, before Super Bowl V.
