City Stadium (Green Bay)
City Stadium is an American football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on the north side of the Green Bay East High School property.
It was the home of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1925 through 1956. Renovated and downsized, City Stadium remains the home to the adjacent Green Bay East High School athletic teams. Prior to 1925, the Packers played home games at nearby Hagemeister Park (the site of East High School itself) and Bellevue Park.
History
The horseshoe-shaped stadium was made of wood and originally did not have any toilet facilities. It stood behind East High School and next to the East River. The Packers used the school for locker room facilities, but visiting teams often dressed at their hotel (usually the Hotel Northland) before the game rather than use the lockers at East High. The stadium originally seated 6,000 and its capacity was gradually expanded to 25,000. The Packers compiled a record of 88-41-7 (.673) at City Stadium, including NFL championship seasons in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, and 1944. However, City Stadium never hosted an NFL Championship Game. Of the four championship games the Packers played in during the years of City Stadium, the team hosted only one, the 1939 title game, which was played in Milwaukee instead.
Although City Stadium was the Packers' official home field, in 1933—during the worst of the Great Depression—they began to play part of their home schedule in Milwaukee. After holding one contest at Borchert Field in 1933, the Packers played two or three home games each year in Milwaukee, at State Fair Park in West Allis from 1934 to 1951 and at Marquette Stadium in 1952. The games were moved to County Stadium after it opened in 1953. The practice continued through 1994, after which they were again based solely in Green Bay.
(1948) City Stadium. Green Bay, Wisconsin
While its playing surface was consistently praised, by the 1950s the stadium was seen as too small and inadequate, even after expansion, which was limited by both natural and man-made factors, including both East High to the south and the East River on its north and east edges. The leaders of the NFL, including George Halas, gave the Packer board an ultimatum—build a new stadium or move to Milwaukee full-time.
The residents of Green Bay responded by approving (70.3%) a bond issue in April 1956 to build a new City Stadium, which opened the following year, as "old" City Stadium became a high school field. The new stadium was renamed Lambeau Field in August 1965, after the death of team founder Curly Lambeau.
After the Packers
City Stadium in 2024
In recent years, ornamental fencing and monuments to the history of the field have been erected. Before the 2008 renovations, it was often referred to as East Stadium or Old City Stadium.
The 100th Green Bay East–West football game was played at City Stadium in 2005, with approximately 8,000 people attending the historic event.
As an observance of the 50th anniversary of the opening of Lambeau Field, the Packers held practice at City Stadium on July 31, 2007.
In the summer of 2008, City Stadium was renovated with a new press box, new bleachers on the home side of the field, and two new football goal posts. Much of the structure had dated to the 1960s and become unsafe. The field received artificial turf in 2017. The only remaining part of the original venue is the equipment shed at the northwest corner of the facility.
In addition to football, the field has hosted soccer matches. Until 2004, the Green Bay East and Green Bay Preble soccer programs shared the field for their home games. It is also a part of the City Walk section of the Packers Heritage Trail.
References
- ^ a b "Other Homes of the Packers, 1919-94". Packers.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "Bay votes a big 'yes' on stadium". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. April 4, 1956. p. 17–part 2.
- ^ a b "Green Bay East's City Stadium to get synthetic turf". Press Gazette Media. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
External links
Former stadiums of the National Football League |
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Early era: 1920–1940 |
- League Park (Akron) (Akron Pros)
- Armory Park (Toledo Maroons)
- Baker Bowl (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Bellevue Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Bison Stadium (Buffalo Bison/Rangers)
- Borchert Field (Milwaukee Badgers, Green Bay Packers)
- Bosse Field (Evansville Crimson Giants)
- Braves Field (Boston Braves, Boston Yanks)
- Buffalo Baseball Park (Buffalo All-Americans)
- League Field (Canton) (Canton Bulldogs)
- City Stadium (Green Bay Packers)
- Clarkin Field (Hartford Blues)
- Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland Rams)
- Comiskey Park (Chicago Cardinals)
- Commercial Field (New York Brickley Giants)
- Crosley Field (Cincinnati Reds)
- Cubs Park/Wrigley Field (Chicago Tigers, Hammond Pros, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals)
- Cycledrome (Providence Steam Roller)
- Dinan Field (Detroit Wolverines, Detroit Lions)
- Douglas Park (Rock Island Independents)
- Duluth's Athletic Park (Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos)
- East Hartford Velodrome (Hartford Blues)
- Ebbets Field (New York Brickley Giants, Brooklyn Lions, Brooklyn Dodgers)
- Eclipse Park (Louisville Breckenridges)
- Fenway Park (Boston Braves, Boston Yanks)
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers)
- Frankford Stadium (Frankford Yellow Jackets)
- Griffith Stadium (Washington)
- Hagemeister Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Horlick Field (Racine Legion, Racine Tornadoes)
- Kinsley Park (Providence Steam Roller)
- Knights of Columbus Stadium (Orange Tornadoes)
- Lakeside Park (Canton Bulldogs)
- League Park (Cleveland Tigers, Indians/Bulldogs, Rams)
- Lexington Park (Minneapolis Marines)
- Luna Park (Cleveland Panthers)
- Minersville Park (Pottsville Maroons)
- Muehlebach Field (Kansas City Blues/Cowboys)
- Nash Field (Kenosha Maroons)
- Navin Field/Briggs Stadium (Detroit Heralds/Tigers, Panthers, Lions)
- Neil Park (Columbus Wagner Pirates)
- Newark Schools Stadium (Newark Tornadoes)
- Newark Velodrome (Newark Tornadoes)
- Nickerson Field (Boston Braves)
- Nicollet Park (Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets)
- Normal Park (Chicago Cardinals)
- Parkway Field (Louisville Brecks)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Polo Grounds (New York Giants, New York Brickley Giants)
- Shaw Stadium (Cleveland Rams)
- Shibe Park (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Spartan Municipal Stadium (Portsmouth Spartans)
- Sportsman's Park (St. Louis All-Stars, St. Louis Gunners)
- Staley Field (Decatur Staleys)
- Star Park (possible, Syracuse Pros)
- Swayne Field (Toledo Maroons)
- Thompson Stadium (Staten Islands Stapletons)
- Triangle Park (Dayton Triangles)
- Wisconsin State Fair Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Yankee Stadium I (New York Yankees, New York Giants)
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Post-War and Pre-Merger era: 1941–1969 |
- Alumni Stadium (Boston Patriots)
- Astrodome (Houston Oilers)
- Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Falcons)
- Balboa Stadium (San Diego Chargers)
- Baltimore Memorial Stadium (Baltimore Colts)
- Bears Stadium/Mile High Stadium (Denver Broncos)
- Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium (Detroit Lions)
- Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland Browns)
- Comiskey Park (Chicago Cardinals, Card-Pitt)
- Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles, Phil-Pitt Steagles)
- Cotton Bowl (Dallas Texans, Dallas Cowboys)
- District of Columbia Stadium/RFK Memorial Stadium (Washington Redskins)
- Dyche Stadium (Chicago Bears)
- Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers)
- Fenway Park (Boston Yanks, Boston Patriots)
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Steelers, Phil-Pitt Steagles, Card-Pitt)
- Frank Youell Field (Oakland Raiders)
- Franklin Field (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Griffith Stadium (Washington Redskins)
- Harvard Stadium (Boston Patriots)
- Jeppesen Stadium (Houston Oilers)
- Kansas City Municipal Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Kezar Stadium (San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders)
- League Park (Cleveland Rams)
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers)
- Metropolitan Stadium (Minnesota Vikings)
- Miami Orange Bowl (Miami Dolphins)
- Milwaukee County Stadium (Green Bay Packers)
- Nickerson Field (Boston Patriots)
- Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Raiders)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Pitt Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Polo Grounds (New York Giants, New York Bulldogs, New York Titans/Jets)
- Rice Stadium (Houston Oilers)
- Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
- San Diego Stadium (San Diego Chargers)
- Shea Stadium (New York Jets)
- Tulane Stadium (New Orleans Saints)
- War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo Bills)
- Wisconsin State Fair Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Wrigley Field (Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals)
- Yankee Stadium I (New York Yanks, New York Giants)
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Current era: 1970–present |
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Stadiums used by NFL teams temporarily |
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†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage.
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44°30′27″N 87°59′33″W / 44.5075°N 87.9925°W / 44.5075; -87.9925