Do You Remember the Green Bay Packers Playing at a Milwaukee Baseball Stadium?

When a family buys a second home, it’s typically somewhere secluded and close to a body of water… like a beach house down south or a cabin up north.

When the Green Bay Packers (Wisconsin’s pro football team, in case you’re living under a rock) chose their second home, they chose a larger city 100 miles south and found… a baseball stadium?

Finding a First and Second Home [Field]

When the team was founded in 1919, the Packers played their first games in an open field called Hagemeister Park. In need of more community support and revenue after their inaugural season, bleachers and a fence were erected to attract fans who would pay admission. Thus, City Stadium, the team’s home field for the next 30-plus years, was born.

A problem arose, however, when the team officially joined the National Football League in 1921. Green Bay was not only the smallest city to host a team, but it was also smaller than six other cities in Wisconsin. Because of this, the franchise was not bringing in enough money, and the league was dangerously close to moving the team to the state’s largest city, Milwaukee. But, instead of a permanent relocation, the team and the league found some middle ground.

Fans [Touch] Down South

In an effort to generate more revenue and build a bigger fan base, the Packers agreed to play two to four home games per year in Milwaukee. The first games took place at Borchert Field in 1933. The team then moved to the Milwaukee State Fair Park and later to Marquette Stadium. The Packers finally settled at the Milwaukee County Stadium in 1953, where they stayed for over 40 years.

Following the success of the traveling home games, the NFL demanded that the Packers move to Milwaukee permanently unless a better stadium was built in Green Bay. Fearing the loss of their beloved team, the city began construction of Lambeau Field in 1955. When the iconic stadium finally opened in 1957, the Packers settled into a routine of playing nearly half of their home games in each location.

The End [Zone] of an Era

By the 1990’s, the aging County Stadium was becoming inadequate for the growing team. Revenue from the Milwaukee games was significantly lower than the Green Bay games, leading the team to demand improvements to County Stadium if they were to continue playing there. Then, in 1995, with significant renovations to Lambeau Field completed and none planned for County Stadium, the Packers announced they would be playing their final Milwaukee home game on December 18, 1994.

Green Bay remains the smallest city to host an NFL team. However, if you’ve ever visited Green Bay, you know there’s nothing small about the dedication of its fans. In fact, the Packers are the only community-owned NFL team, having been funded by hundreds of thousands of shareholders since 1922. For a small-town organization, the Green bay professional football team is hugely adored by the city, loved throughout the state, and recognized all over the country.

Here at Penny Mustard, we love learning about the history of things – especially when they involve our favorite local sports teams. We understand the importance of preserving legacies. Whether you’re shopping for your first or your second home, our sophisticrafted furniture will last much longer than the Packers’ stint in Milwaukee.

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