Packers Team Historian to Present in Stevens Point on the History of Packers Training Camps

STEVENS POINT, WI – The Portage County Historical Society is proud to welcome Cliff Christl, team historian for the Green Bay Packers, for a special program exploring the history of Packers training camps, with a focus on the seasons from 1954 to 1957, when the team held camp in Stevens Point.

The presentation, titled The History of Green Bay Packers Training Camps, will take place on Wednesday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Room of the Dreyfus University Center on the UW–Stevens Point campus. The event is generously sponsored by Associated Bank.

Cliff Christl has served as the Packers’ official team historian since 2014. In that role, he authored the four-volume history The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packers 1919–2019, which earned the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Book of Merit Award. He also wrote most of the text for the 2015 renovation of the Packers Hall of Fame and was the primary historical source for the Emmy-nominated documentary series Legacy: 100 Seasons of the Green Bay Packers.

Before joining the Packers organization, Christl spent nearly four decades as a sportswriter for Wisconsin newspapers, including the Manitowoc Herald-Times, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He was named Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year a record seven times and received multiple national and regional writing honors. In addition to his official team history, Christl has authored or co-authored five other books on pro football and Packers history.

Christl’s presentation will trace the evolution of Packers training camps, with a special focus on the team’s years in Stevens Point and their broader impact on the franchise and the community. A Q&A session will follow the talk, offering a rare opportunity for direct engagement with one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Packers history.

Tickets are available now at a reduced rate for advance purchase:

• $10 for PCHS members

• $20 for non-members

• $25 at the door (all attendees)

“This event is a fantastic opportunity to revisit a unique chapter of Stevens Point’s history and celebrate our connection to one of the NFL’s most legendary teams,” said John Harry, Executive Director of the Portage County Historical Society. “We’re thrilled to bring Cliff Christl here for what’s sure to be a memorable evening.”

To purchase tickets and learn more, visit pchswi.org/programs.