1923 Green Bay Packers season
| 1923 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Curly Lambeau |
| Home field | Bellevue Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–2–1 NFL (8–2–1 overall) |
| League place | 3rd NFL |
The 1923 Green Bay Packers season was their fifth season overall and their third season in the National Football League (NFL). The team finished with a 7–2–1 record under player/coach Curly Lambeau earning them third place. This was the Packers first season in Bellevue Park.
The NFL season opener on September 30, bringing the Minneapolis Marines to town for their NFL debut, drew a paid attendance of 3,008 — said to be "the largest crowd that ever witnessed a football game in Green Bay."[1] That figure would be exceeded twice more during the year.
Schedule
[edit]| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | September 23 | Hibbing Miners | W 10–0 | — | Bellevue Park | 2,670 | — | [2] | |
| 1 | September 30 | Minneapolis Marines | W 12–0 | 1–0 | Bellevue Park | 3,008 | Recap | [1][3][4] | |
| 2 | October 7 | St. Louis All-Stars | T 0–0 | 1–0–1 | Bellevue Park | 2,831 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 14 | Chicago Bears | L 0–3 | 1–1–1 | Bellevue Park | 4,451 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 21 | Milwaukee Badgers | W 12–0 | 2–1–1 | Bellevue Park | 5,000 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 28 | Racine Legion | L 3–24 | 2–2–1 | Bellevue Park | 2,800 | Recap | ||
| 6 | November 4 | at St. Louis All-Stars | W 3–0 | 3–2–1 | Sportsman's Park | 750 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 11 | at Racine Legion | W 16–0 | 4–2–1 | Horlick Field | 3,500 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 18 | at Milwaukee Badgers | W 10–7 | 5–2–1 | Athletic Park | 5,400 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 25 | Duluth Kelleys | W 10–0 | 6–2–1 | Bellevue Park | 3,000 | Recap | [5][6] | |
| 10 | November 29 | Hammond Pros | W 19–0 | 7–2–1 | Bellevue Park | 2,000 | Recap | [7][8] | |
| Note: Games in italics indicate a non-NFL opponent. Thanksgiving Day: November 29. | |||||||||
Standings
[edit]| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Canton Bulldogs | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 246 | 19 | W5 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 123 | 35 | W1 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 2 | 1 | .778 | 85 | 34 | W5 | ||
| Milwaukee Badgers | 7 | 2 | 3 | .778 | 100 | 49 | W1 | ||
| Cleveland Indians | 3 | 1 | 3 | .750 | 52 | 49 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 161 | 56 | L1 | ||
| Duluth Kelleys | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 35 | 33 | L3 | ||
| Buffalo All-Americans | 5 | 4 | 3 | .556 | 94 | 43 | L1 | ||
| Columbus Tigers | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 119 | 35 | L1 | ||
| Toledo Maroons | 3 | 3 | 2 | .500 | 35 | 66 | L1 | ||
| Racine Legion | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 86 | 76 | W1 | ||
| Rock Island Independents | 2 | 3 | 3 | .400 | 84 | 62 | L1 | ||
| Minneapolis Marines | 2 | 5 | 2 | .286 | 48 | 81 | L1 | ||
| St. Louis All-Stars | 1 | 4 | 2 | .200 | 25 | 74 | L1 | ||
| Hammond Pros | 1 | 5 | 1 | .167 | 14 | 59 | L4 | ||
| Akron Pros | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 25 | 74 | W1 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 1 | 6 | 1 | .143 | 16 | 95 | L2 | ||
| Oorang Indians | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 50 | 257 | W1 | ||
| Louisville Brecks | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 90 | L3 | ||
| Rochester Jeffersons | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 141 | L4 | ||
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
[edit]The following players saw action in at least one NFL game for the 1923 Green Bay Packers.[9] The total number of NFL games in which they appeared during the year follows in parentheses.
Linemen
- Cub Buck (10) †
- Jug Earp (8) †
- Milton "Moose" Gardner (9) †
- Jack "Dolly" Gray (1)
- Norbert Hayes (6)
- Kenyon †
- Wes Leaper (2)
- Dewey Lyle (9) †
- Jab Murray (9)
- Wally Niemann (10) †
- Vincent "Cowboy" Wheeler (10) †
- Whitey Woodin (10)
Backs
- Myrt Basing (9)
- Patrick "Buck" Gavin (9) †
- Hal Hansen (1)
- Curly Lambeau (10) †
- Charlie Mathys (10) †
- Stan Mills (9) †
- †- Denotes player in starting lineup for the non-NFL season opener against Hibbing.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Packers Beat Marines 12 to 0 Before Big Crowd: Green Bay Eleven Smashes Way to Two Touchdowns in Last Half of Pigskin Fray," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Oct. 1, 1923, pp. 12–13.
- ^ "Packers Win Opening Game from Hibbing 10 to 0: Bays' Aerial Attack Much in Evidence; Earps Blocks Punt; Lyle Gets Touchdown," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Sept. 24, 1923, p. 14.
- ^ "Marines Bow Before Green Bay Team, 12–0: Second Half Offensive Pushes Across Two Touchdowns in First League Game of Season," Minneapolis Tribune, Oct. 1, 1923, p. 8.
- ^ "Marines Oppose Duluth Sunday: Green Bay Eleven Defeats Marines in Opening Contest, 12 to 0," Minneapolis Journal, Oct. 1, 1923, p. 26.
- ^ "Aerial Attack Gives Green Bay Win Over Duluth: Stubborn Game by Both Teams Thrills 3,000," Duluth News Tribune, Nov. 26, 1923, p. 27.
- ^ "Packers Win Northwest Title, Defeat Duluth 10–0: Mills Gets Touchdown on Pass from Lambeau; Buck Kicks Another Field Goal," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Nov. 26, 1923, pp. 12-13.
- ^ "Thanksgiving Day Passes Off Quietly in Green Bay," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 13.
- ^ "Packers' Aerial Attack Buries Hammond 19 to 0: Bay Eleven Passes Their Way to Victory; Invaders Never Close to Scoring," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 13.
- ^ "1923 Green Bay Packers Roster & Players," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com
Further reading
[edit]- Cliff Christl, The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packers, 1919–2019. 4 volumes. Stevens Point, WI: KCI Sports Publishing, 2021.
- Larry D. Names, The History of the Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years, Part One. Wautoma, WI: Angel Press of Wisconsin, 1987.
- Arch Ward, The Green Bay Packers. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1946.