Founded on August 11, 1919, by Earl "Curly" Lambeau, the Green Bay Packers were originally known as the Indian Packers. The team was named after their original sponsor, Lambeau's employer, the Indian Packing Company. In 1921, the year the Packers joined the NFL, Lambeau's employer was bought out by the Acme Packing Company, and he changed the team name to the "Acme Packers." (Some sources consider this the original name because they don't count the first two years when the Packers operated as an independent football team.) Neither name stuck, however, and "Green Bay Packers" soon became the official name.