If you walk down Lombardi Avenue in Green Bay, you can practically feel the weight of the history. It's not just about the frozen tundra or the foam cheese hats. It is about the hardware. Specifically, the four Vince Lombardi Trophies sitting in the atrium of Lambeau Field.
Fans always ask: what years did the packers win super bowls, and the answer is a bit more nuanced than just four dates on a calendar. Because the Packers don't just count Super Bowls. They count world championships.
Green Bay has 13 of those. That is more than any other franchise in the history of the NFL. But when we talk strictly about the Super Bowl era, the "Big Four" victories happened in 1967, 1968, 1997, and 2011.
Wait, 1967? Actually, the games were played in those years, but they represent the 1966, 1967, 1996, and 2010 seasons. Football scheduling is weird like that.
The Era of Dominance: Super Bowl I and II
The first two Super Bowls weren't even called "Super Bowls" at the time. They were officially the AFL-NFL World Championship Games.
On January 15, 1967, the Packers dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. This was the moment Vince Lombardi solidified his legend. Bart Starr, the calm, collected signal-caller, took home the MVP. He wasn't flashy. He was just perfect.
Honestly, the league was terrified that the upstart AFL would embarrass the established NFL. Lombardi felt that pressure. You could see it in his face on the sidelines. But the Packers dominated the second half, outscoring the Chiefs 21-0 after the break.
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They did it again the very next year.
January 14, 1968. The Orange Bowl in Miami. The Packers beat the Oakland Raiders 33-14. This was Lombardi’s final game as the Green Bay head coach. It was the end of an era. Bart Starr won MVP again, making him the only Packer to win it twice.
After that? The lights went out in Title Town for a long, long time.
The 29-Year Drought and the Return to Glory
For nearly three decades, Green Bay was a wasteland for winning. The 70s and 80s were rough. Basically, the team was a "glory days" memory until a guy named Brett Favre arrived in 1992.
Everything changed in the 1996 season.
On January 26, 1997, the Packers faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. This game was a wild ride. Favre threw a 54-yard touchdown to Andre Rison on the second play from scrimmage. He literally ran around the field holding his helmet in the air like a kid.
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But the real story of that win wasn't the quarterback. It was Desmond Howard.
When the Patriots cut the lead to 27-21 in the third quarter, Howard took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. It broke New England's spirit. Howard became the first special teams player ever to win Super Bowl MVP. The final score was 35-21. The drought was over.
Aaron Rodgers and the 2010 Underdog Run
If you look at the 2010 season, nobody expected the Packers to be the ones standing at the end. They were a six-seed. They had to win three straight road games just to get to the Super Bowl.
But they did.
On February 6, 2011, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, the Packers took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Aaron Rodgers was clinical. He threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns. No interceptions.
The game was a nail-biter. Charles Woodson, the heart of the defense, went out with a broken collarbone. Donald Driver, the veteran receiver, was sidelined with an ankle injury. The Packers were literally limping.
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But the defense held. Nick Collins had a massive pick-six earlier in the game that provided the cushion they needed. Green Bay won 31-25. Rodgers finally stepped out of the shadow of Brett Favre and earned his own ring and an MVP trophy.
Why These Years Matter So Much
You've got to understand the culture of Green Bay to realize why these four years are etched into the city's soul. Most NFL teams are owned by billionaires. The Packers are owned by the people. When the team wins, the whole town feels like they’re on the roster.
Key Takeaways for Every Fan
- The total count: Green Bay has 4 Super Bowl wins and 13 total NFL championships.
- The MVPs: Bart Starr (twice), Desmond Howard, and Aaron Rodgers.
- The coaches: Vince Lombardi (2), Mike Holmgren (1), and Mike McCarthy (1).
- The heartbreak: They’ve only lost one Super Bowl, which was Super Bowl XXXII against the Denver Broncos in 1998.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the history, honestly, the best place to start is the Packers Hall of Fame at Lambeau. You can see the actual rings and the original contracts from the 1920s.
Keep an eye on the current roster, too. The "Title Town" expectations never go away, regardless of who is under center. Whether it's the 60s, the 90s, or the 2010s, the Packers find a way to reinvent themselves.
Check out the official NFL archives for full game replays of these classics. Seeing Desmond Howard's return or Bart Starr's clinical precision in 1967 gives you a much better perspective than just reading the box scores. You can also follow the team's current progress through the official Packers app to see when the next trophy might be coming home.