Located at 1265 Lombardi Avenue in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the current Lambeau Field was originally known as the New City Stadium, which was dedicated on September 29, 1957 by then Vice President, Richard Nixon. The facility was built at a cost of $960,000 and had a seating capacity of 32.500. One really interesting fact to note, New City Stadium was the first venue built specifically for an NFL team. In the inaugural game, Green Bay's Packers beat the Chicago Bears, 21-17 on that first match at the facility. In 1965, the Stadium was rededicated in honor of Curly Lambeau, founder of the Green Bay Packers. Lambeau not only started the team in 1919, he played on the team in the very early years and coached them until 1949. Lambeau Field itself is owned by the City of Green Bay, although they have put the option out to sell the name. So far, no one has dared tarnish the name Lambeau Field with a corporate branding opportunity.
While the demand for seats grew, so did the stadium. Cleverly finding new ways to update the capacity, Lambeau's seating grew from the original 32,500 in 57, adding over 6,000 in 1961, nearly 4,000 in 1963, over 12,000 in 1965, and about 5500 in 1970. Each of these additions was a new grouping of seating added onto the original facility. In 1971, they shut the stadium down to combine all these separate sections into a uniform oval in an enclosed space. Because the season tickets have been sold out since 1960 and the waiting list has over 74,000 names, Lambeau seats are precious, prompting the continual expansions. Not to mention improvements including the underground heating and drainage systems. The most extensive renovation was completed for a September 7, 2003 rededication after 32 months of renovation work. The last expansion brought capacity to 72,928, and you can be certain that Green Bay Packers fans were thrilled. Not only for the additional seats, the facility now housed the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and space to host events year-round rather than just 10 days in a year.
Lambeau Field is considered "sacred" ground. The mythology and history tied in with the frozen tundra, Lambeau leap, and other important aspects of what gives Lambeau Field its magic. The turf at Lambeau Field has been considered sacred, and in 2007 they took the turf into the realm of technology. Now, the field is made of natural grass that has been reinforced with man-made fibers at their base. This is intended to prevent divots and torn up clods being torn up from the field during play. In previous seasons, the field has had to be re-sodded mid-season or even have various areas of the field replaced. While this is a change, the field will still play like real grass.
The year was 1967, New Year's Eve Day and the NFL Championship game is being played in -13˚F at Lambeau. A game that would go down as the Ice Bowl. The one time they really needed that underground heating system to work, it failed. To help make the field better, the ground was covered the night before and heated. That warmed ground, when exposed, immediately flash froze in the bitter wind. That game saw the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in a battled score of 21-17. After that Championship, it was said that the name "Frozen Tundra" was coined by NFL Films narrator, John Facenda. The name actually came from sportscaster Chris Berman's witty commentary where he was imitating John Facenda's well known voice.
In Sections 133 through 138 in Lambeau Field, you need to get front row seats to be in what's now known as the "Leap Zone", where Packer players will leap into the arms of cheering fans. In 1993, LeRoy Butler started the now widely practiced move after scoring a touchdown. His teammate Robert Butler used the move frequently and the "Lambeau Leap" spread across the NFL to other teams and their fans. No one ever forgets that the move originated in Green Bay, though.
Whatever your interest in Lambeau Field, it's a place that you have to see. Especially when you consider that in 2007 & 2008 Lambeau Field was voted the #1 NFL Experience by Sports Illustrated readers.
