Lambeau

Curly Lambeau was brilliant, flawed and complex-a fascinating sportsman who created a beloved team for the ages. His name is on the most hallowed stadium in the NFL. He won six of the league's first 25 championships and is still sixth on the all-time wins list for NFL coaches. Most remarkably, he kept a franchise alive in what is still the smallest city in all of American professional sports. And yet, many Packer fans-even people who name their dogs "Lambeau''-don't know a lot about Earl Louis "Curly'' Lambeau. Herb Gould's biography, Lambeau: The Epic Life of the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers, explores the accomplishments, the glory, the troubles and the mystery of this key NFL pioneer. In his one season at Notre Dame, he scored the first touchdown of Knute Rockne's coaching career and fell under the influence of the Irish legend. Returning to Green Bay, he created the Notre Dame of the NFL, a David that slayed pro-football Goliaths. Along with George Halas, his fierce rival and great business partner, he helped steer the fledgling NFL from obscurity to unbridled popularity. Lambeau was the NFL's first 1,000-yard passer and pioneered scouting college stars at West Coast post-season games. He was the first to fly his team to road games, and the first to have a dedicated practice facility. And yet, he frustrated his most loyal supporters, spending too much money in Green Bay, too much time in California and going through too many divorces. When he started losing too many games, his reign ended abruptly. Leaving Green Bay, he briefly coached the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins. Although loyal supporters tried to restore him to power in Green Bay, that was never in the cards. The new age belonged to Vince Lombardi. Lambeau had set the table for NFL glory. But unlike Halas, he had not been an owner. At the end, there was no seat at the table for Curly Lambeau. But Lambeau Field, an honor that would come posthumously, would assure that his name would live on.