Green Bay in Brown County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Drumbeat of the Lumberjack Band
Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2018
1. Drumbeat of the Lumberjack Band Marker
Inscription.
Drumbeat of the Lumberjack Band. . The lumberjack Band was once synonymous with the Green Bay Packers. It performed at home games, pep rallies and other celebrations; and energized players and fans alike with its rollicking capers and snappy music. Loosely organized in 1921, the Lumberjacks took Chicago by storm that season when they led an invasion of some 500 fans for the first Packers-Bears game. The band left Green Bay on a midnight train and upon arriving in Chicago in the early morning hours marched through the Loop before heading out to Cubs Park for the game. Dressed in hunting caps, mackinaws, flannel shirts, corduroy pants and high boots, they kept a lively pace playing such songs as "On Wisconsin," and "How Dry I Am." In 1939, the Packers took over sponsorship, dressed the band in red coats and green trousers, and made the association official. Lore has it that Vince Lombardi ordered the band to change its name to Green Bay Packer Band and adopt a more professional look after the Packers won their second straight NFL title in 1962. At that point, the Lumberjack name was abandoned and members started wearing prim green blazers and grey trousers. Whatever the case, Lombardi once called it, "The best playing band in the National Football League." Sponsored by: David and Jane Voss, Jr. Tim and Andrea Kippenhan
The lumberjack Band was once synonymous with the Green Bay Packers. It performed at home games, pep rallies and other celebrations; and energized players and fans alike with its rollicking capers and snappy music. Loosely organized in 1921, the Lumberjacks took Chicago by storm that season when they led an invasion of some 500 fans for the first Packers-Bears game. The band left Green Bay on a midnight train and upon arriving in Chicago in the early morning hours marched through the Loop before heading out to Cubs Park for the game. Dressed in hunting caps, mackinaws, flannel shirts, corduroy pants and high boots, they kept a lively pace playing such songs as "On Wisconsin," and "How Dry I Am." In 1939, the Packers took over sponsorship, dressed the band in red coats and green trousers, and made the association official. Lore has it that Vince Lombardi ordered the band to change its name to Green Bay Packer Band and adopt a more professional look after the Packers won their second straight NFL title in 1962. At that point, the Lumberjack name was abandoned and members started wearing prim green blazers and grey trousers.
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Whatever the case, Lombardi once called it, "The best playing band in the National Football League."
Sponsored by:
David & Jane Voss, Jr.
Tim & Andrea Kippenhan
Location. 44° 30.922′ N, 88° 0.915′ W. Marker is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in Brown County. It is at the intersection of North Washington Street and Cherry St. and Washington St. on North Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Green Bay Heritage Trail Plaza, Green Bay WI 54301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2019, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 746 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 27, 2019, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
