The 1964 Green Bay Packers season was their 46th season overall and their 44th season in the National Football League. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Vince Lombardi, and tied for second place in the Western Conference at 8–5–1.
The Packers opened the season in Green Bay with a promising win over the rival Chicago Bears, the defending NFL champions. They then lost four of six, including three home games, and were 3–4 midway through the season, falling twice to the Baltimore Colts. The first three losses were by a total of five points, but the fourth on October 25, to the Los Angeles Rams in Milwaukee, was by ten and came after building a 17–0 lead.
In the season's latter half, Green Bay won five of six and tied the Rams in the finale to end 3½ games behind the Colts (12–2) in the West, tied for second with Minnesota. Baltimore clinched the Western title on November 22, with three games remaining. Based on point differential in the season split with the Vikings, the Packers were awarded the runner-up slot in the Playoff Bowl, the consolation third place game in Miami played three weeks after the regular season, on January 3.
Green Bay had played in the previous season's Playoff Bowl and won decisively, which followed consecutive league titles in 1961 and 1962, and three straight appearances in the championship game. In the season's third-place game, the St. Louis Cardinals prevailed over the unmotivated Packers, 24–17.
The 1964 season was arguably the most disappointing for Lombardi as a head coach. Consecutive appearances in the consolation Playoff Bowl, and the loss, keyed Lombardi and the Packers to win three consecutive NFL titles; the latter two followed by victories in the first two Super Bowls. Since the playoff era began in 1933, no other team was won three straight NFL titles.
For the first time since 1950, the Packers did not play on Thanksgiving Day. In the previous thirteen seasons they had played the Detroit Lions at Tiger Stadium, and went ; with Lombardi as head coach, the record was , which included the sole loss in 1962. Green Bay next played on Thanksgiving in 1970 at the Cotton Bowl, which was the franchise's first-ever loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Hall of Fame right guard Jerry Kramer missed most of the season due to an intestinal condition. After multiple surgeries, it was rectified in May 1965 after sizable wood fragments from a teenage accident a dozen years earlier
Offseason NFL draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionSchool113Lloyd VossDefensive endNebraska227Jon MorrisCenterHoly Cross336Ode BurrellBackMississippi State340Joe O'DonnellGuardMichigan341Tommy CrutcherLinebackerTCU444Bob LongWide receiverWichita State455Paul CostaTackleNotre Dame560Duke CarlisleQuarterbackTexas569Steve WrightOffensive tackleAlabama797Dick HerzingTackleDrake8111Ken BowmanCenterWisconsin9125John McDowellOffensive TackleSt. John's (MN)10139Allen JacobsBackUtah11153Jack PetersenTackleNebraska-Omaha12167Dwain BeanBackNorth Texas State13181Jack MauroTackleNorthern Michigan14195Tom O'GradyEndNorthwestern15209Alex ZerkoTackleKent State16223Andrew IrelandBackUtah17237Len St. JeanEndNorthern Michigan18251Mike HicksGuardMarshall19265John BakerEndNorfolk State20279Bill CurryCenterGeorgia Tech Yellow indicates a future Pro Bowl selection
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 13 Chicago Bears W 23–12 1–0 City Stadium 42,327 2 September 20 Baltimore Colts L 20–21 1–1 City Stadium 42,327 3 at Detroit Lions W 14–10 2–1 Tiger Stadium 59,203 4 October 4 Minnesota Vikings L 23–24 2–2 City Stadium 42,327 5 October 11 San Francisco 49ers W 24–14 3–2 Milwaukee County Stadium 47,380 6 October 18 at Baltimore Colts L 21–24 3–3 Memorial Stadium 60,213 7 October 25 Los Angeles Rams L 17–27 3–4 Milwaukee County Stadium 47,617 8 November 1 at Minnesota Vikings W 42–13 4–4 Metropolitan Stadium 44,278 9 Detroit Lions W 30–7 5–4 City Stadium 42,327 10 November 15 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–24 5–5 Kezar Stadium 38,483 11 November 22 Cleveland Browns W 28–21 6–5 Milwaukee County Stadium 48,065 12 November 29 at Dallas Cowboys W 45–21 7–5 Cotton Bowl 44,975 13 at Chicago Bears W 17–3 8–5 Wrigley Field 43,636 14 December 13 at Los Angeles Rams T 24–24 8–5–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 40,735 Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
Season summary Week 1 vs Bears
Week 2 vs Colts
Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns
Standings
Playoff Bowl
Round Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Playoff Bowl January 3, 1965 St. Louis Cardinals L 17–24 Orange Bowl 56,218 Source:NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 369
Awards and records Bart Starr, NFL leader, passing yards, (2,144 yards)
References
Sportsencyclopedia.com
External links PackersHistory.net – 1964 season