How Did You Become a Packer Fan?

[Carolina_Packer]

I was born in Janesville, WI in 1966 toward the tail-end of the Lombardi dynasty. I grew up surrounded by relatives who had the pleasure of living through that time in Packers history, and would tell stories of what it was like.

My earliest memory of anything Packers was 1975, which was during a very tough stretch in team history. It was Bart Starr's first year as a head coach, and the team had just survived the Dan Devine era, which started with promise and ended in misery. http://www.packershistory.net/1975PACKERS.html

The first game that I recall is being at my Uncle Bill's house near Fort Atkinson, WI at a family gathering. October 19, 1975 the now down-trodden Packers defeated the undefeated Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium 19-17. That was a happy day at Uncle Bill's house for sure, and I was a fan for life, but more dark times lay ahead for us Packer fans, with glimmers of hope in two different parts of the 1980's.

While I have toured Lambeau Field and the Packers HOF twice, the only time I attended a game was a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the dismal 2005 season.

I now live near Raleigh, NC and my 10 year son started following the Packers in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl. I told him about how different our experiences were starting out as Packer fans, and how fortunate he was to start following the team at such a great time in franchise history.

I'd love to hear from all the Packerrats as to how they got started as Packer fans, perhaps your first game memory, etc.

[esoxx]

Birth

[Joemailman]

Born and grew up in Aurora, Illinois, about 40 miles west of Chicago. So why not a Bears fan? A number of reasons. My dad grew up in Chicago, but was a Chicago Cardinals fan. He didn't like Halas. He had great respect for Lombardi, so when the Cardinals left Chicago about the same time Lombardi came to Green Bay, he and we quite naturally became Packer fans. In addition, we were one of those Chicago-area families who would escape to Northern Wisconsin (Eagle River) every chance we got, and always thought it was cool there was an NFL team in the northern part of Wisconsin. I moved to Wausau in 1996, and I and 2 brothers have Gold Package season tickets. They still live in Illinois, and make the trek to Green Bay twice a year for the Gold package regular season games.

[red]

Born and grew up in Aurora, Illinois, about 40 miles west of Chicago. So why not a Bears fan? A number of reasons. My dad grew up in Chicago, but was a Chicago Cardinals fan. He didn't like Halas. He had great respect for Lombardi, so when the Cardinals left Chicago about the same time Lombardi came to Green Bay, he and we quite naturally became Packer fans. In addition, we were one of those Chicago-area families who would escape to Northern Wisconsin (Eagle River) every chance we got, and always thought it was cool there was an NFL team in the northern part of Wisconsin. I moved to Wausau in 1996, and I and 2 brothers have Gold Package season tickets. They still live in Illinois, and make the trek to Green Bay twice a year for the Gold package regular season games.

You're from aurora? I use to live in batavia

Did i already know this?

And my dads side of the family is from mosinee. Go figure

I was a birther. Never knew anyting but being a packer fan

[Joemailman]

You're from aurora? I use to live in batavia

Did i already know this?

And my dads side of the family is from mosinee. Go figure

I was a birther. Never knew anyting but being a packer fan

Yeah, I was never anything but a Packer fan either. Credit my dad for that. Do they still show Packer games at Little Red Schoolhouse Pizza on Route 31 in North Aurora?

[red]

I have no idea, i havent been back there in over 10 years

And u never went to the little red school house, even though it was a short walk away. I lived across from mooseheart

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

it was stamped on my birth certificate and on my forehead, but only lately, with receding hairline does the head shot show up.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I was born in a little log cabin in northern Wisconsin where I divided my time between rail splitting and cherry tree chopping. I had to walk 20 miles to the nearest tavern, where I quickly became a fan of the black-and-grey. (We did not have color TV)

[Joemailman]

I was born in a little log cabin in northern Wisconsin where I divided my time between rail splitting and cherry tree chopping. I had to walk 20 miles to the nearest tavern, where I quickly became a fan of the black-and-grey. (We did not have color TV)

Bullshit. Nobody in Wisconsin lives 20 miles from the nearest tavern.

[StPaulPackFan]

Born and raised in Wausau. Started to watch the Packers with my dad in the mid 70's. I remember how emotional he would get during games and how many interesting curse words I learned at a young age. In retrospect, it's amazing that I became a Packer fan after watching him go through so much torture week after week. But I guess that's just what we did in Wisconsin :-). Coincidentally, my HS football team, DC Everest, had the same colors as the Packers, except for green helmets. I always thought that was pretty cool.

I live in St. Paul now but could never see switching teams. I'm just not sure how people are able to do that. When I think of cheering for the vikings I just feel dirty. Yuck!

[Joemailman]

Apparently, Sam Shields was born a Packer fan.

http://www.s2.buzzreactor.com/sites/default/files/Sam-Shields-rookie-Green-Bay-Packers-cornerback-gets-Super-Bowl-XLV-ring-ink.jpg

[wpony]

Bullshit. Nobody in Wisconsin lives 20 miles from the nearest tavern.

LOL boy do you have that right maybe 1 mile:glug:

[Pugger]

<--- Birth.

[pbmax]

Browns fan until they moved. Was going to set the whole thing aside, seemed the only rational answer.

But while each and every other Packer fan was tired of Favre's missteps and slow uptake (at least until the second half of 1994) I thought he was going to be Terry Bradshaw. So I stuck around.

[Carolina_Packer]

Browns fan until they moved. Was going to set the whole thing aside, seemed the only rational answer.

But while each and every other Packer fan was tired of Favre's missteps and slow uptake (at least until the second half of 1994) I thought he was going to be Terry Bradshaw. So I stuck around.

So, you rooted for Clay Matthews, Jr. before rooting for CM3. Interesting, I didn't know that. Did you ever see a game at old Municipal Stadium? So, when the Packers beat the Ravens last year; was that doubly sweet for you? :-)

[pbmax]

So, you rooted for Clay Matthews, Jr. before rooting for CM3. Interesting, I didn't know that. Did you ever see a game at old Municipal Stadium? So, when the Packers beat the Ravens last year; was that doubly sweet for you? :-)

I did, though I thought Chip Banks was better for a year or two :) Clay III's Dad didn't look like a pass rusher in 3-4 right away and I think he played 4-3 prior to Schottenheimer getting hired.

I don't really resent the Ravens, thought that leaving the team history behind was a pretty solid compromise. Bob Irsay made Art Modell look like a cherub.

Modell was in a bad position but some of it was of his own making. In trying to upgrade his position and the stadium, he got involved in the Board that ran Municipal Stadium (yes, I attended games there). That Board was a poor investment and from that point forward, Modell sought to make himself whole financially. That made negotiations problematic.

Now whether this was legit or he was playing one side of the equation against the other is the subject of a lot of debate. I think he still had a hand in the Stadium Board when the final nail went into the coffin. What is beyond debate is that when the Indians got a deal to build Jacobs Field, he found his position worse.

If he still owned a percentage, he stood to lose an important client, more money and had no momentum to get the football only stadium off the board. But even if he had divested himself of the Stadium deal, he was in a worse position coming in second to the Indians when it came time to get public money. It also became a very public pissing match.

[texaspackerbacker]

I was born in Janesville, WI in 1966 toward the tail-end of the Lombardi dynasty. I grew up surrounded by relatives who had the pleasure of living through that time in Packers history, and would tell stories of what it was like.

My earliest memory of anything Packers was 1975, which was during a very tough stretch in team history. It was Bart Starr's first year as a head coach, and the team had just survived the Dan Devine era, which started with promise and ended in misery. http://www.packershistory.net/1975PACKERS.html

The first game that I recall is being at my Uncle Bill's house near Fort Atkinson, WI at a family gathering. October 19, 1975 the now down-trodden Packers defeated the undefeated Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium 19-17. That was a happy day at Uncle Bill's house for sure, and I was a fan for life, but more dark times lay ahead for us Packer fans, with glimmers of hope in two different parts of the 1980's.

While I have toured Lambeau Field and the Packers HOF twice, the only time I attended a game was a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the dismal 2005 season.

I now live near Raleigh, NC and my 10 year son started following the Packers in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl. I told him about how different our experiences were starting out as Packer fans, and how fortunate he was to start following the team at such a great time in franchise history.

I'd love to hear from all the Packerrats as to how they got started as Packer fans, perhaps your first game memory, etc.


No shit? Janesville? I graduated from high school there in June 1965. Your weren't born in March of '66, were you? Your mother wasn't named ........... no it can't be ......... never mind.

[texaspackerbacker]

I remember pre-Lombardi days - I was about 7 years old and listening to the Packers on the radio - Tobin Rote at QB, Breezy Reid, Fred Cone, Bobby Dillon, Billy Howton, Bill Forrester, Dave Hanner before he was called "Hawg", etc. About the second year I was a fan, Madison got its CBS TV station, and I could actually SEE the Packers. Before that, the only games we could get were the Bears on the Rockford channel. Those were dark days, but I had the privilege of being in high school and college during the great years leading up to and including the first two Super Bowls.

[Carolina_Packer]

No shit? Janesville? I graduated from high school there in June 1965. Your weren't born in March of '66, were you? Your mother wasn't named ........... no it can't be ......... never mind.

Dad?! :-) Nah, my Mom and Dad graduated from Fort Atkinson High School together in 1954, and by the time I came along, they already had 3 of their 5 kids and we were living in Edgerton. Long shot question, but I had an Uncle (Marvin Hauser) who taught in the Janesville school system. I can't recall if he was at Craig or not. Did you possibly know him? Great guy, now passed on. He was a tremendous Packer backer.

[Just Jeff]

You're from aurora? I use to live in batavia

Did i already know this?

And my dads side of the family is from mosinee. Go figure

I was a birther. Never knew anyting but being a packer fan
Marmion grad here. You?

[Cheesehead Craig]

Birther. Grew up in Burlington, WI.

[Guiness]

Being from Canada, I was introduced to the Packers relatively late in life! In the space of a few years, I made two trips to Wisconsin to install some equipment, on to Sargento cheese in Plymouth, another to a window manufacturer in Wasau. Both times was during football season, and the love for the team was infectious!

I was in Plymouth on 'Bear' week-end, and went to a little restaurant...there was a sign on the door that said "We reserve the right not to serve immigrants and FIBs". I asked the waitress, a girl that was maybe all of 18, what an FIB was. She answered with a straight face, no indication she was kidding at all! I though it was hilarious.

My first football love was the Edmonton Eskimos, during their amazing run of five straight Grey Cups led by Warren Moon.

[Patler]

I got interested when they drafted Russ Letlow.

[Zool]

Tomah

[pbmax]

I got interested when they drafted Russ Letlow.

Former hockey prodigy?

[QBME]

Raised in Waukesha County in the shadow of St. Vincent of Lombardi. Now reside in St. Charles, IL, just up the river from Batavia & Aurora.

Small world Packer fan story involving the picture of the little girl at training camp last week who is holding DuJuan Harris' hand while he carries her little pink bike with training wheels - turns out she is the 3 year old daughter of a bartender who works at a golf club in St. Charles I belong to. He was bursting with excitement when he showed me the photo and told me the story over the weekend.

[Joemailman]

I got interested when they drafted Russ Letlow.

First Packer draft pick ever. Curly should have traded up and drafted Joe Stydahar.

[denverYooper]

I was born and raised in Tilden Township. Some were Packers, some were Lions, and a few were Bears.

My parents just raised me right, even though I was born during the lean years.

[hoosier]

Grew up in Madison. After watching SB XII I was tempted by fate to become a Cowboys fan, but was soon set straight by those Packer teams of the early 80s, with Lynn Dickey, James Lofton, Paul Coffman and a whole lot of nothing on defense.

[Bossman641]

Parents both grew up in the Dells with my dad's side having tickets to the Milwaukee games. Think I went to my first game when I was 6 or 7.

Interesting to see all the ties to the western suburbs. I was born and raised in Rockford myself, but have been in Warrenville/Naperville for a few years now since moving here for my wife.

[deake]

I was born in a log cabin at route 1, Curtiss, Wi. listened to the pack on the radio,"Rote back to pass, it's incomplete, Rote back to pass, it's incomplete, Rote back to pass, incomplete, McGee in to punt." The owner of our local cheese factory had a block of tickets that nobody wanted in December so got to see some games. The good old days.

[QBME]

I was born in a log cabin at route 1, Curtiss, Wi. listened to the pack on the radio,"Rote back to pass, it's incomplete, Rote back to pass, it's incomplete, Rote back to pass, incomplete, McGee in to punt." The owner of our local cheese factory had a block of tickets that nobody wanted in December so got to see some games. The good old days.

My brother and I used to own about a hundred acres for hunting between Curtiss and Owen. Hung out at Whitey's a bit.

[deake]

Ever been in Herman's Bar in Curtiss? That was my dad's place.

[QBME]

Ever been in Herman's Bar in Curtiss? That was my dad's place.

Can't say for sure, but chances are pretty good. We used to hit several local taverns. All nice places with good folks.

[3irty1]

My parents moved from Illinois to Wisconsin shortly after I was born but neither was interested in sports enough to have much of an affiliation with the Bears or any other team. I was introduced to pro football playing Madden with the neighbor girl who was a Cowboys fan for some reason, so I wanted to be one too. This didn't last for two reasons: First, watching the cowboys at Thanksgiving I learned that my grandpa was a fan of "The Chicago Bears and any team that played the Dallas Cowboys" and I didn't want to betray my grandpa. Second reason was my elementary school which insentivized being a Packer fan through the organized wearing of their apparel during weeks of rivalry games, and the canceling of school the day after playoff games. By the time we played the Cowboys in the 1995 NFCC I was cheering for the Green, Gold, and no school.

[Carolina_Packer]

My parents moved from Illinois to Wisconsin shortly after I was born but neither was interested in sports enough to have much of an affiliation with the Bears or any other team. I was introduced to pro football playing Madden with the neighbor girl who was a Cowboys fan for some reason, so I wanted to be one too. This didn't last for two reasons: First, watching the cowboys at Thanksgiving I learned that my grandpa was a fan of "The Chicago Bears and any team that played the Dallas Cowboys" and I didn't want to betray my grandpa. Second reason was my elementary school which insentivized being a Packer fan through the organized wearing of their apparel during weeks of rivalry games, and the canceling of school the day after playoff games. By the time we played the Cowboys in the 1995 NFCC I was cheering for the Green, Gold, and no school.

Were you ever able to influence your Mom or Dad to root for the Pack?

[ThunderDan]

Born, Bred, Raised, Dead

[Zool]

ZOMBIE!

[mission]

Birth. Born and raised in Monroe, Wisconsin. The home of the Cheesemakers and the 'Swiss Cheese Capitol of the World'!

[ThunderDan]

Birth. Born and raised in Monroe, Wisconsin. The home of the Cheesemakers and the 'Swiss Cheese Capitol of the World'!

Make that cheese! Make that cheese!

[pbmax]

Monroe has a radio station (or at least the transmitter-WEKZ) that is kinda cool. Its pretty ordinary during the week (oldies/classic rock) but on the weekends you get actual 50's and 60's rock and roll, the stuff you never hear anymore, big band and jazz. Every time I flip through that station on the weekend I am surprised. Its a nice break from the same 20 songs on each of the other stations in Madison.

[mission]

Monroe has a radio station (or at least the transmitter-WEKZ) that is kinda cool. Its pretty ordinary during the week (oldies/classic rock) but on the weekends you get actual 50's and 60's rock and roll, the stuff you never hear anymore, big band and jazz. Every time I flip through that station on the weekend I am surprised. Its a nice break from the same 20 songs on each of the other stations in Madison.

Yeah, it's an actual radio station. :) Not sure exactly how it functions anymore, but we used to have our HS football games and that kind of thing on there (they'd give us the cassette recordings at the end of the year). Sounds like it's still hanging around, that's nice...
Everyone loves the station in town.

[texaspackerbacker]

Dad?! :-) Nah, my Mom and Dad graduated from Fort Atkinson High School together in 1954, and by the time I came along, they already had 3 of their 5 kids and we were living in Edgerton. Long shot question, but I had an Uncle (Marvin Hauser) who taught in the Janesville school system. I can't recall if he was at Craig or not. Did you possibly know him? Great guy, now passed on. He was a tremendous Packer backer.

I went to Janesville H.S. a year or two before it became Craig. Was Mr. Hauser an Art teacher I vaguely recall the name but that's about all.

[Carolina_Packer]

Birth. Born and raised in Monroe, Wisconsin. The home of the Cheesemakers and the 'Swiss Cheese Capitol of the World'!

Don't forget Huber beer! :-) My family used to stop at Baumgartner's in Monroe when we would travel from Iowa to visit relatives back in Fort Atkinson/Jefferson. We each got to pick out our favorite cheese.

[Iron Mike]

Born in Bellin Hospital, Green Bay. HS classmate of Dom Gentile's son.

[Carolina_Packer]

I went to Janesville H.S. a year or two before it became Craig. Was Mr. Hauser an Art teacher I vaguely recall the name but that's about all.

He taught Business Education, Accounting, etc. He retired from teaching in 1986. He was at Craig for 33 years, so he would have been there when you went to school. Small world.

[HarveyWallbangers]

My Grandpa was a Packers fan from North Dakota. He passed it down to my Dad and his brother. My Grandpa died before I was born. My Dad passed away a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad I was able to experience a couple of Super Bowl titles with my Dad.

[Carolina_Packer]

My Grandpa was a Packers fan from North Dakota. He passed it down to my Dad and his brother. My Grandpa died before I was born. My Dad passed away a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad I was able to experience a couple of Super Bowl titles with my Dad.

Harvey, my condolences to you and family. I'm glad you had those memories to share.