GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ spot on the list of the longest-standing nicknames in major professional sports in North America comes with a Washington Football Team-style historical asterisk.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette’s first story about the city’s new professional football team was published on Aug. 13, 1919. Because its major sponsor was the Indian Packing Co., the nickname “Packers” was a natural. In 1921, the Acme Packing Co., which had purchased the Indian Packing Co., took over as the primary sponsor.
As recorded in the minutes of the American Professional Football Association’s meeting in August 1921, “Motion made, seconded and carried that Acme Packers of Green Bay, Wisconsin, be admitted to membership.