Micah Parsons may own No. 1 in Green Bay right now, but the Packers’ best player to wear it is still Curly Lambeau.
That’s the reality in the second installment of this Packers jersey-number series, and it comes with a little bit of history attached. Only three players have ever worn No. 1 for Green Bay, so the pool is tiny. Eddie Usher gets a mention for wearing it in 1922, but this race really comes down to Parsons and the man whose name is on the stadium.
Parsons, who arrived from the Dallas Cowboys in August 2025, even considered taking No. 0 before becoming the first Packers player to wear No. 1 in nearly a century. And he wasted no time looking like a future answer to this question.
In his first season in Green Bay, the Penn State product put up 12.5 sacks in 14 games before a torn ACL ended his year late in the 2025 season. He also earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod, his third First-Team All-Pro selection, and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Still, for now, Lambeau gets the nod.
There was some backlash from a few Cheeseheads when Parsons claimed the number, with some fans viewing it as a slight to Lambeau. But the record shows Lambeau wore a lot of numbers during his Packers playing days, not just one.
The team’s official website lists No. 10, No.
13, No. 14, No.
20, No. 22, No. 42, and No. 1 among the digits he used during his nine-year run as a player/coach from 1921 to 1929.
The exact numbers he wore in the team’s semi-pro days in 1919 and 1920 aren’t known.
No. 1 was the one he seemed to wear most often. Lambeau used it in at least parts of the 1923, 1924, 1925, and 1926 seasons, though the number of games isn’t clear because players often switched numbers during a season back then. What is clear is that he earned two of his three Second-Team All-Pro selections during that stretch, adding honors in 1923 and 1924 after also being selected in 1922.
As a player, Lambeau did a little of everything. He was Green Bay’s main runner and primary passer, and he also handled some kicking duties. Over his pro career, he threw 24 touchdown passes, rushed for eight scores, caught three touchdowns, and made 20 extra points and six field goals.
His final season as a player/coach came in 1929, when he appeared in just one game and still helped lead the Packers to their first NFL Championship. After that, he stayed on as head coach and guided Green Bay to five more titles before leaving the franchise in early 1950. The Packers later put his name on the stadium in 1965, two months after his death.
Parsons is almost certainly going to climb into this spot before long. For now, though, No. 1 belongs to Curly Lambeau.
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Packers Suddenly Have A Season Defining Question Around Josh Jacobs
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The football questions are piling up, too. Jacobs was already dealing with lingering ankle and knee issues late last season, and at 28, he is at the age when running backs start to face the usual durability and decline concerns. Even so, there remains a belief in league circles that he can still be a productive back, which is why the Packers suddenly have a real decision to make about how much they can count on him moving forward. [Read more 🡒]