Lambeau Field has been the home of the Green Bay Packers since 1957, and yes, that’s the longest stadium tenure of any NFL team. Lambeau is a special place indeed, and not just because it’s the only publicly owned stadium in the league. In addition to its long and storied history, it brings its team a pretty solid home field advantage.
Winning at Home
The Green Bay Packers boast a pretty amazing at-home winning percentage – they clock in at a solid 64.4%. One reason may be that Green Bay’s players are more accustomed to the cooler temps of Lambeau, where the field was famously frozen by halftime during a Cowboys/Packers playoff game. It was dubbed the Ice Bowl. The game was played at a temperature of 15 below zero with a whopping wind chill factor of 49 degrees below zero. These bone-chilling temps, combined with a failure of the field’s heating elements, led to a frozen playing surface.
That Sweet Lambeau Home Field Advantage
The Packers also clearly have a home field advantage every time they step onto the gridiron, with an average 2 or 3 point difference between the home team and the visitors’ scores over the course of this legendary franchise’s history.
The build of the stadium itself probably helps boost the team’s performance as well. While Lambeau has undergone a few expansions, its classic bowl shape has never been altered. For this reason, the stadium boasts the highest percentage of great seats – which is amazing considering the 81,435-person capacity.
The stadium experience? It’s unforgettable. Packers are one of the few NFL teams that have fight songs (“Go, You Packers, Go!” got its start in 1931), and after every Packers touchdown, the stadium plays “Bang the Drum All Day” by Todd Rundgren.
Don’t forget the Leap, either. The famous Lambeau Leap got its start in 1993 and was grandfathered when the NFL established a new rule to crack down on excessive touchdown celebrations. It’s so popular that even a statue commemorates it outside the stadium. Incidentally, a defensive player is credited with inventing this unique TD celebration; former Packers strong safety LeRoy Butler spontaneously decided to leap through the air there after scoring his first NFL touchdown.
All About Lambeau
Lambeau Field got its name from Curly Lambeau, the Packers’ founder, former player, and longtime coach, who steered the franchise to six NFL championships during his term. The stadium was previously known as City Stadium, but after Lambeau passed away in 1965, the team chose to rename it in his honor. And while the idea of naming rights has come up a few times, Packers CEO Mark Murphy says a name change will never happen.
The stadium is host to plenty of amenities as well. Renovations at Lambeau Field have massively increased the number of women’s (from 180 to 646) and men’s (from 436 to 798) restrooms; disabled seating (from 56 to 876); and concession areas. There are also 168 state-of-the-art private suites available, plus a boatload of club seating and other unique viewing options.
Coming within the next few years is a large-scale project adjacent to Lambeau Field called Titletown; the large complex will host events and house new tenants, including a public plaza, a hotel by Kohler Co., a Bellin Health Sports Medicine Clinic, and Hinterland Restaurant and Brewery. Green Bay itself was deemed Titletown in 1961, before hosting the NFL Championship Game for the first time in its history.
Lambeau Love
No matter how you slice it, Lambeau Field and the fans of the Green Bay Packers play host to one of the best home field advantages out there. Fans enjoy the stadium amenities and cherish how the traditions bring fans closer to the on-field Packers experience.
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Methodology
Using Pro-Football-Reference.com, we pulled the win-loss history of the Green Bay Packers and removed any records of games played at another venue.
The home-win percentage is determined by dividing total wins at home by the sum of wins, losses, and ties at home.
Sources
- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/sports/football/green-bay-packers-announce-expansion-plan-for-lambeau-field.html?_r=2
- https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yQYjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rScEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6617%2C1788411
- http://www.biography.com/people/curly-lambeau-21224337
- http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/packers-lambeau-field-naming-rights-mark-murphy-london/128rxfcof9t5j1eeejjurb6zb4
- http://www.packers.com/lambeau-field/stadium-info/history/expansions.html
- http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-12-01/features/0611300370_1_fight-song-chicago-bears-philadelphia-eagles
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Iq5dOvo88&app=desktop
- http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12051249/green-bay-packers-reveal-history-lambeau-leap
- http://www.packers.com/lambeau-field/titletown-district.html
- http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-cliffs-notes/article-1/The-truth-about-the-name-Titletown/cdc4082c-ffb8-4e94-9bed-0b2a42ad6c96
- http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-films-americas-game/09000d5d821e1541/America-s-Game-The-Ice-Bowl
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/
