In the Super Bowl era, two teams stand head and shoulders above the competition. The Tom Brady-led New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers lead the Super Bowl count with six apiece. However, the term “Titletown” has been reserved for a small city in the Midwest, home to the Green Bay Packers.
Why does Green Bay, the winner of four Super Bowls, hold that particular distinction?
How Did Green Bay Come To Be Known As Titletown?
The answer lies in league history before the advent of the Super Bowl. During that time — from 1919 to 1965 — the winners of the NFL season were referred to as NFL Champions.
In that span, the Packers won nine NFL Championships. The aforementioned four Super Bowls brought their ring tally up to 13, far and away the leader among all franchises.
Further, the Vince Lombardi Trophy got its namesake because Coach Vince Lombardi led Green Bay to victory in the first two Super Bowls. Even so, the story behind the Packers gaining the Titletown nickname predates their Super Bowl heroics and is a rather curious tale.
Due to the seating limitations of stadiums in Green Bay, including the old City Stadium and the now-renovated Lambeau Field, Milwaukee acted as a pseudo-hometown for the Packers. With a slate of home games taking place in Milwaukee, Green Bay had to share its hosting duties.
That backdrop brings us to 1961. Despite winning six NFL Championships already, the Packers had only hosted the Championship game once (at that time, the game rotated between Eastern and Western Conferences from year to year).
They did host the event in 1939, but that was when State Fair Park in Wisconsin was the game’s site. In 1961, Green Bay finally got its chance.
On Dec. 3, 1961, the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 20-17, clinching the Western Conference Championship and securing home-field advantage in the NFL Championship Game. Finally, the championship contest was coming to Green Bay.
Days later, at a breakfast held in Green Bay’s old Beaumont Hotel, the city became Titletown. Local businessmen and townspeople overjoyed with the situation gave themselves the nickname, with Titletown banners marking their territory.
The Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena held an early Christmas party for the team, adopting “Titletown, U.S.A,” to the tune of “Mr. Touchdown.”
With celebration underway before the game began, their subsequent victory was fait accompli. A 37-0 rout of the same New York Giants completed the prophecy and the legend of Titletown was forever immortalized.