Did 1962 Feature the Best Football Team Ever?

With the NFL on the main stage these days, its top team is getting no shortage of coverage. It seems everyone outside of Wisconsin is on the Green Bay Packers bandwagon, too.

To go along those lines, I’d like to share two new books available now regarding the storied franchise. The first deals with the 1962 Packers team, and the second celebrates the coaching excellence of Vince Lombardi in a truly interactive book.

The 1962 Green Bay Packers
When it comes to some of the best teams in NFL history, you might jump to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who finished undefeated. The glory years of the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys might also join the discussion.

But what about the 1962 Green Bay Packers, which often get lost in the shadows of Green Bay’s Super Bowl 1 and II championship squads? This team, led by Vince Lombardi and filled with 10 eventual Hall of Famers, finished 13-1 and had a 19-point average margin of victory.

The 1962 Green Bay Packers are the subject of a new book by Bob Berghaus that carries the subtitle “The First America’s Team.” The team’s quarterback, Bart Starr, provides the foreward in which he talks about the team’s excellence and the keys to such a great season.

From there, you are transported back to 1962 in Green Bay. Berghaus explains how the team was built through hard work, repetition, tough athletes and, of course, the ever-present leadership of Vince Lombardi.

The season is captured game-by-game, inclusive with player interviews about the games, expectations and playing under Lombardi. Hallmark plays of the team, including the power sweep, are featured, along with some great black-and-white photos of game action and behind-the-scenes meetings.

Each player on the roster is covered in some manner, from Starr and Paul Hornung to reserves Gary Barnes and Earl Gros.

This is the first book that focuses on solely on the 1962 Green Bay Packers, and it’s a great look at one of the best teams ever assembled. A must-read for any Packers fan, football fans in general will enjoy this 196-page book that’s an easy read filled with statistics and interesting facts.

The book is available for $11.96 from Clerisy Press. Visit www.clerisypress.com or call (800) 913-9563 to order a copy.

Lombardi: An Illustrated Life
This isn’t your average biography of Vince Lombardi, but rather an interactive 64-page book filled with reproductions, such as hand-drawn plays, a telegram from President Kennedy and Super Bowl I and II tickets.

We’ll have an excerpt from this book in an upcoming issue of SCD and online. For now, you can order a copy for $26.40 HERE or by calling (800) 258-0929.