packinpatland
11-16-2008, 05:02 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/sports/football/16cheer.html?_r=1&ref=football&oref=slogin
Lee Remmel Is Living a Personal History With the Packers
By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI
Published: November 15, 2008
When Lee Remmel became a Packers fan in the late 1920s, Lambeau was the name of a player, not yet of a football field.
“Lambeau was great, but as I got a little older, I grew to admire Don Hutson,” Remmel said of Hutson, a speedy receiver in the 1930s and ’40s. “It was believed that he could run the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds, which is quite incredible.”
Remmel had a 62-year professional association with the Packers, who were founded by tailback Curly Lambeau. As a reporter with The Green Bay Press-Gazette and later in public relations with the Packers, Remmel worked with all 14 head coaches in team history, including Vince Lombardi.
“I first met him in 1959 when he came to the Packers as a coach and general manager,” Remmel, 84, said. “He was not an easy person to like, or dislike. He did things his own way, and you had better follow that way or there would be some hell to pay.”
Remmel began covering the Packers for The Press-Gazette in 1945. Then in 1974, the Packers surprised him with an offer to run the team’s public-relations department.
Remmel said: “I was in the middle of a long-distance telephone interview with Dan Devine, then the head coach of the Packers, when all of a sudden he asks, ‘Would you be interested in working for us?’ A few days later, I’m interviewing with Dominic Olejniczak, the team’s president, who was a very frugal administrator. Well, we started to negotiate and I just said, Look, I already have a good job, so if you want me, this is what I’m asking for.’ ”
They came to terms, and Remmel held the job until 2004, when he became the team’s historian. The N.F.L. recognizes him as being one of 12 members of the news media to work the first 40 Super Bowls.
“He’s a Packers icon,” quarterback Brett Favre said in a statement when Remmel retired last year. “There will never be another like him.”
Remmel planned to be at Lambeau Field on Sunday to see his 124th Bears-Packers game.
“I don’t despise the Bears, I respect the Bears,” he said. “They are one-half of what I consider the greatest rivalry in professional sports.” Remmel, who grew up in Shawano, Wis., and survived a brain tumor at 15, is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame.
“Though he was quite ill from the ages of 10 to 15, he went on to have an incredible career,” said Noreen Remmel, his wife of 60 years. “He always worked hard for the Packers, and the team really appreciated it.”
Having spent half of his career as an outsider looking in, and the other half as an insider looking out for the team’s best interest, Remmel considers himself “lucky enough” to have been around for all 12 of Green Bay’s N.F.L. championships, including Super Bowls I and II under Lombardi, and Super Bowl XXXI with Favre at the helm.
Remmel remembered attending his first Packers game with his father. They saw a 42-28 victory over the Bears on Sept. 24, 1944, at City Stadium in Green Bay. Remmel also recalled the first Packers game he covered for The Press-Gazette on Oct. 7, 1945.
“Don Hutson caught four touchdown passes and kicked five extra points against the Detroit Lions,” he said of Green Bay’s 57-21 victory at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis., near Milwaukee. “From a scoring standpoint, that was the greatest game I have ever seen.”
Recollections like these are part of what is probably the longest living memory of the N.F.L.
“I’d have to think for a heck of a long time to find someone like Lee who was a part of the old N.F.L. guard who is still around today,” said Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel chief, who now analyzes the league for NFL.com. “In fact, it’s almost impossible to find someone who goes back to the early days as long a ways as Lee goes.”
During Remmel’s tenure with the Packers, another moment stood out. “Based on overall value, I would have to say it was Bart Starr’s game-winning sneak to win the 1967 Ice Bowl,” he said.
Of Starr, Remmel said: “He was a very bright football player and an extremely effective field general who won five championships in seven years. He was also the perfect role model for children.”
But Hutson remained Remmel’s favorite player until Favre came along in 1992.
“It bothers me that he is no longer with us,” Remmel said of Favre, who came out of retirement to join the Jets this season. “I spent 16 years by his side, and we shared a lot of great memories together. I always thought he would be a lifelong Packer, and I really hated to see him go.”
Remmel isn’t going anywhere.
“I have had the good fortune of being a part of this wonderful journey with the Packers, and for me, that journey continues,” he said. “In fact, we have another game on Sunday.”
E-mail: cheers@nytimes.com
Lee Remmel Is Living a Personal History With the Packers
By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI
Published: November 15, 2008
When Lee Remmel became a Packers fan in the late 1920s, Lambeau was the name of a player, not yet of a football field.
“Lambeau was great, but as I got a little older, I grew to admire Don Hutson,” Remmel said of Hutson, a speedy receiver in the 1930s and ’40s. “It was believed that he could run the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds, which is quite incredible.”
Remmel had a 62-year professional association with the Packers, who were founded by tailback Curly Lambeau. As a reporter with The Green Bay Press-Gazette and later in public relations with the Packers, Remmel worked with all 14 head coaches in team history, including Vince Lombardi.
“I first met him in 1959 when he came to the Packers as a coach and general manager,” Remmel, 84, said. “He was not an easy person to like, or dislike. He did things his own way, and you had better follow that way or there would be some hell to pay.”
Remmel began covering the Packers for The Press-Gazette in 1945. Then in 1974, the Packers surprised him with an offer to run the team’s public-relations department.
Remmel said: “I was in the middle of a long-distance telephone interview with Dan Devine, then the head coach of the Packers, when all of a sudden he asks, ‘Would you be interested in working for us?’ A few days later, I’m interviewing with Dominic Olejniczak, the team’s president, who was a very frugal administrator. Well, we started to negotiate and I just said, Look, I already have a good job, so if you want me, this is what I’m asking for.’ ”
They came to terms, and Remmel held the job until 2004, when he became the team’s historian. The N.F.L. recognizes him as being one of 12 members of the news media to work the first 40 Super Bowls.
“He’s a Packers icon,” quarterback Brett Favre said in a statement when Remmel retired last year. “There will never be another like him.”
Remmel planned to be at Lambeau Field on Sunday to see his 124th Bears-Packers game.
“I don’t despise the Bears, I respect the Bears,” he said. “They are one-half of what I consider the greatest rivalry in professional sports.” Remmel, who grew up in Shawano, Wis., and survived a brain tumor at 15, is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame.
“Though he was quite ill from the ages of 10 to 15, he went on to have an incredible career,” said Noreen Remmel, his wife of 60 years. “He always worked hard for the Packers, and the team really appreciated it.”
Having spent half of his career as an outsider looking in, and the other half as an insider looking out for the team’s best interest, Remmel considers himself “lucky enough” to have been around for all 12 of Green Bay’s N.F.L. championships, including Super Bowls I and II under Lombardi, and Super Bowl XXXI with Favre at the helm.
Remmel remembered attending his first Packers game with his father. They saw a 42-28 victory over the Bears on Sept. 24, 1944, at City Stadium in Green Bay. Remmel also recalled the first Packers game he covered for The Press-Gazette on Oct. 7, 1945.
“Don Hutson caught four touchdown passes and kicked five extra points against the Detroit Lions,” he said of Green Bay’s 57-21 victory at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis., near Milwaukee. “From a scoring standpoint, that was the greatest game I have ever seen.”
Recollections like these are part of what is probably the longest living memory of the N.F.L.
“I’d have to think for a heck of a long time to find someone like Lee who was a part of the old N.F.L. guard who is still around today,” said Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel chief, who now analyzes the league for NFL.com. “In fact, it’s almost impossible to find someone who goes back to the early days as long a ways as Lee goes.”
During Remmel’s tenure with the Packers, another moment stood out. “Based on overall value, I would have to say it was Bart Starr’s game-winning sneak to win the 1967 Ice Bowl,” he said.
Of Starr, Remmel said: “He was a very bright football player and an extremely effective field general who won five championships in seven years. He was also the perfect role model for children.”
But Hutson remained Remmel’s favorite player until Favre came along in 1992.
“It bothers me that he is no longer with us,” Remmel said of Favre, who came out of retirement to join the Jets this season. “I spent 16 years by his side, and we shared a lot of great memories together. I always thought he would be a lifelong Packer, and I really hated to see him go.”
Remmel isn’t going anywhere.
“I have had the good fortune of being a part of this wonderful journey with the Packers, and for me, that journey continues,” he said. “In fact, we have another game on Sunday.”
E-mail: cheers@nytimes.com