Earl ( Curly ) Lambeau Earl Louis " Curly " Lambeau ( April 9 , 1898 – June 1 , 1965 ) was founder , player , and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team . He shares the distinction with rival George Halas of the Chicago Bears of coaching his team to the most NFL championships , with six . Biography . East High School and Notre Dame . Lambeau was a standout multi - sport athlete at Green Bay East High School , and captain of its football team as a senior in 1917 . Lambeau then played for legendary coach Knute Rockne at Notre Dame in 1918 , making the Irish ' s varsity squad as a freshman , but a severe case of tonsillitis forced him to return home before his sophomore year . Founding the Packers . Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun formed the Green Bay Packers on August 11 , 1919 , while Lambeau was working as a shipping clerk at the Indian Packing Company . The Packers initially played teams from Wisconsin and Michigan ' s Upper Peninsula ; however , the success of the team in 1919 - 20 quickly led to its joining of the American Professional Football Association , with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922 . Playing career . Lambeau played for the Packers from 1919 to 1929 . Although Lambeau played halfback , he was both the primary runner and passer , as was common practice during that period ; most teams used the single wing offense at the time . Lambeau threw the Packers ' first official pass , first official touchdown pass , and kicked the Packers ' first official field goal . Career as a coach . Green Bay Packers . Lambeau coached the Packers as an NFL team from 1921 to 1949 . As head coach , he led the Packers to six NFL championships ( 1929 , 1930 , 1931 , 1936 , 1939 , 1944 ) . As Packers ' head coach , Lambeau compiled a regular - season record of 209 – 104 – 21 ( . 667 winning percentage ) with a playoff record of 3 – 2 [ 212 – 106 – 21 ( . 667 ) overall ] . These official records do not include the Packers ' 19 – 2 – 1 record under Lambeau prior to joining the NFL . Ties did not count in the standings in those days . In 1946 , Lambeau purchased Rockwood Lodge , creating the first self - contained training facility in professional football . The purchase was controversial among the Packers ' board of directors , and Lambeau ' s deteriorating relationship with the board was one of the factors that would lead to his departure in early 1950 . In addition , Lambeau ' s record as a coach had dropped sharply after Hall of Fame receiver Don Hutson retired in 1945 . Career record . Lambeau completed his 33 - year NFL coaching career with an official overall record of 229 – 134 – 22 ( . 595 winning percentage ) . Personal life . Lambeau was married three times , first to Marguerite Van Kessel from 1919 ending in divorce with one son in 1934 . His second wife Susan Johnson was a former Miss California . They were married from 1935 to 1940 . He married Grace Garland in 1945 and was divorced in 1955 . Lambeau died of a heart attack in Sturgeon Bay , Wisconsin , while visiting a friend . Legacy . The Packers ' stadium , Lambeau Field in Green Bay , is named after Curly Lambeau . The venue opened in 1957 , informally called " New " City Stadium for its first eight years . It was renamed " Lambeau Field " in September 1965 , after Lambeau ' s death . Erected after the stadium ' s 2003 renovation , a 14 - foot statue of Lambeau greets visitors . Lambeau Street , in Green Bay ' s Packerland Industrial Park , is also named in his honor . Among other things , Lambeau is credited with pioneering daily practices , the forward pass in the NFL , implementing pass patterns and flying to road games . Lambeau was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1961 . Lambeau was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ' s inaugural class in 1963 .