From 1920 to 1949, Lambeau was the head coach and general manager of the Packers, with near-total control over the team's day-to-day operations.

He is tied with rival George Halas of the Chicago Bears and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots of having the most NFL championships by a coach.

With players such as quarterback Arnie Herber and split end Don Hutson, his teams revolutionized the use of the passing game in football.

[3][4] Green Bay Press-Gazette sportswriter George Whitney Calhoun noted in September 1917 that Lambeau was trying out for the University of Wisconsin freshmen football team as "one of the best gridiron prospects that has ever been turned out of a high school".

After graduating from high school, he worked for his father in the construction business and participated in different local football teams.

After a long recovery from tonsillitis, Lambeau went to work as a shipping clerk at the Indian Packing Company for $250 a month.

[8] Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun founded the Green Bay Packers on August 11, 1919, after the packing company put up $500 for uniforms.

Lambeau coached three NFL teams over his 33-year career: the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Cardinals, and the Washington Redskins.

[9][1] In 1946, Lambeau purchased Rockwood Lodge, a former Norbertine retreat, creating the first self-contained training facility in professional football.

Lambeau's players also grew to hate the facility, partly because they were severely battered by the brick-hard limestone under the fields.

On some days, Lambeau had to move practices to fields near City Stadium due to the severe beating his players took at the Lodge.

Desperate for cash, Lambeau found investors willing to invest funds into the team on the condition that it abolished its then-unique public ownership structure.

This proposal was considered rank heresy in Green Bay, and led to rumors that the NFL was using the pending merger with the All-America Football Conference as leverage to force Lambeau to relocate the Packers to the West Coast or shut down the team.

In response to these events, team officials offered him a revised contract that stripped him of nearly all control over non-football matters.

Lambeau rejected this offer almost out of hand, effectively ending his 31-year tenure at the helm of the team he founded;[14] however, he did not formally resign until February 1, 1950,[17][18] seven days after his beloved Rockwood Lodge burned down in a fire that was presumed to be intentional, but had been caused by faulty electrical wiring.

[19] He traded Paul Christman, part of the "Million Dollar Backfield" that had won the 1947 title to the Green Bay Packers in favor of trying to push Jim Hardy for a greater passing attack.

He resigned after the tenth game while stating that “No man can do a satisfactory job if he constantly is harassed by front office second-guessing", while the Cardinals management publicly accused Lambeau of losing the trust of his coaches and players.

While a player-coach for the Packers, Lambeau also coached his alma mater Green Bay East High School's football team from 1919 to 1921, compiling a 14–4–3 record.

[24] While waiting for his girlfriend, Mary Jane Van Duyse, to get ready for a date, he stepped out of his new red Cadillac convertible and helped her father cut the grass and then collapsed.

[28] Just two months after his death, the stadium was renamed Lambeau Field prior to the 1965 Green Bay Packers season to honor his contributions as founder, player, and coach.

[29][30] Lambeau Field has become such an iconic facility that the Green Bay Packers and surrounding community have continued to remodel the stadium, instead of building a new one.