User:Gonzo fan2007/Five

The Hungry Five are the five Green Bay, Wisconsin-area businessmen who were instrumental in keeping the Green Bay Packers franchise in operation during its early years. They raised funds, incorporated the team as a non-profit corporation, sold stock and otherwise promoted the franchise. The Five were Andrew B. Turnbull, Curly Lambeau, Gerald Francis Clifford, Lee Joannes and W. Webber Kelly. Turnbull, Joannes, and Kelly all served as president of the Packers, in addition to other leadership roles. Clifford served as team lawyer and ultimately vice president under Joannes. Lambeau, who was the only member of the Five who was ever paid a salary by the Packers, was the team's head coach for almost 30 years. Although other people made significant contributions to the Packers, the Five were recognized as helping shepherd the team through numerous difficult periods and were essential in maintaining the team's publicly-owned, non-profit status. All of the Five have been inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Lambeau was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Packers current stadium, Lambeau Field, was named after him.

History of the Packers
The Green Bay Packers were founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. After two seasons of playing against local teams, the Packers entered the National Football League (which at the time was called the American Professional Football Association). In 1923, the team faced financial hardships and in order to survive, a publicly-owned, non-profit organization was formed to take on the ownership of the team. Green Bay Packers, Inc. (which was originally known as the Green Bay Football Corporation) was organized after a stock sale in 1923 raised $5,000. As part of the corporation, a board of directors, led by a president and executive committee, is elected each year to lead the team. Additional stock sales in 1935 and 1950 helped keep the team from going insolvent and maintained the unique ownership structure of the Packers.

Naming
"The Hungry Five" nickname and selection of the five people is attributed to Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune. The "Hungry" reference came from the perception that they always seemed to have their hands out for money, since the franchise was often in financial trouble. Ward wrote The Green Bay Packers: The Story of Professional Football, one of the first books chronicling the history of the team. Packers historian Cliff Christl noted that Ward did not provide an accurate description of the events that led to the Packers becoming a public-owned, non-profit corporation, which was a key part of the story that Ward used to establish the importance of "The Hungry Five" to the Packers.

Legacy
The Hungry Five are recognized for helping to save the Green Bay Packers franchise on numerous occasions. They are also credited with establishing and maintaining the unique ownership structure of the Packers a public-owned, non-profit corporation. Not only did they help rally support and raise funds, but all five served in important leadership positions during the early years of the franchise. Even though each person provided significant contributions during their affiliation with the team, Packers historian Cliff Christl noted that the selection of these five left out numerous early contributors, including Ray Evrard, John Kittell and many others. Christl also noted that the selections of Lambeau and Clifford were inconsistent with the other selectees. Lambeau was the founder of the Packers and played a number of essential roles, including player, coach, general manager and executive. However, he was the only member of the five who were paid for their services. During a speech to a local Lions Club in 1934, Lambeau himself grouped the other four members of the five together, calling them the "Four Horseman" of the Packers. Regarding Clifford, Christl noted that he came on much later after replacing Evrard and was not part of the initial formation of the public-owned, non-profit corporation. That said, Clifford still immediately contributed to the early history of the Packers. All five were inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in recognition of their contributions to the team.