Your First Packer Memory...

[Patler]

My first Packer memory was '59 when I was 9 years old. My Dad introduced me to watching the Packers who had this new coach named Vince Lombardi. During his first year as coach, the Packers actually won more games than they lost! In Lombardi's first year, the Packers were 7-5. Before Lombardi arrived, the Packers had won only 1 game in '58.

I began to watch every game with him. I knew I had arrived as a "Man" when the Packers played the Eagles in the '60 NFL Championship game. My Dad watched the game with about 4 of his buddies. I was invited as the only kid in the room. I felt I was "Big Stuff" at age 10 to hang out with my Dad and his Packer buddies.

The Packers lost in a very close game. Bart Starr completed a pass to Jim Taylor but he was stopped at the Eagles' 9 yard line by a tough safety named Bednarik.

Yeah, and Chuck Bednarik just laid on him until time ran out....I don't think he was a safety, though. He's also famous for knocking Frank Gifford unconscious in a big game.

Great story--and boy, was your timing good. I happened to be rooting around on pro-football-reference.com the other day, and that '58 team was even worse than I had realized. 1-10-1, and they were outscored something like 24-0 in the 4th quarter of the only win--and all of their losses but one were by double digits.

Now me, I was born just a little too late, so I arrived on the Pack fan scene right AFTER the Lombardi coaching years ended. But here's another childhood memory: When I was 6--that would be 1969--I got my first pair of shoulder pads for Christmas. The package said they came from Vince Lombardi, and I believed my parents Man, was I excited!

Chuck Bednarik was a center and linebacker. One of the last great two-way players.

[neil38133]

In the mid sixties, when I was around 9 or 10 years old, we lived in Racine. My uncle and grandfather lived in Milwaukee. When the games were in Milwaukee, they were blacked out on the Milwaukee stations. Our family had a cottage up near Plymouth, where we could pick up the game on a Green Bay station. So on game day, I would ride up to the cottage with my Dad, uncle, and grandfather, and sit in the unheated cottage, with no water, and watch the game on a small B&W TV. I was thrilled to be one of the 'men'.

My second memory would be Travis Williams running back I forget how many kicks in one game, (I think it was against the Browns), something like 3 or 4 kicks he ran for TD's in one game.

[Badgerinmaine]

Chuck Bednarik was a center and linebacker. One of the last great two-way players.

Yes, and he never hesitates to remind people of the latter in denigrating modern football players' toughness. He was an ornery young coot when he played, and a really ornery old coot afterwards.

[Badgerinmaine]

I walked through the locker room door, and there stood Curley Lambeau, Johnny Blood, Mike Michalski and others. I was awestruck, but walked to an open spot on the bench, dropped my bag on the floor and sat down. Curley came over and said, "Hi. I'm Coach Lambeau. We've were expecting........"

So, how long have you been having these dreams of what will happen when you show up at heaven, Mr. Patler? And all this time, I thought it was St. Peter who would greet me.

[Patler]

I walked through the locker room door, and there stood Curley Lambeau, Johnny Blood, Mike Michalski and others. I was awestruck, but walked to an open spot on the bench, dropped my bag on the floor and sat down. Curley came over and said, "Hi. I'm Coach Lambeau. We've were expecting........"

So, how long have you been having these dreams of what will happen when you show up at heaven, Mr. Patler? And all this time, I thought it was St. Peter who would greet me.

Actually, Pete and I were good friends. Those of us who knew him always called him Pete instead of Peter, and the "Saint" part is just so formal. Besides. he really is a Packer fan, and the "Saint" part always makes him cringe thinking about the debauchery of New Orleans...

[privatepacker]

I sat w/ my father watching the Packers play the Giants in the championship and he was rooting for the Packers because he was a huge Bart Starr fan. That's when I became a Packer fan and have been one ever since.

[Patler]

Kidding aside, my first Packer memories are newspaper articles, reading about the games on Tuesdays. Yes, Tuesdays. The paper was delivered to us by the mail carrier, and the paper was a day behind. On Monday we got the Saturday paper. I was thrilled when we finally got a radio good enough to bring in the game broadcasts, but it had to be turned just right, and if the weather was bad, you could forget about hearing the game.

[Badgerinmaine]

I was thrilled when we finally got a radio good enough to bring in the game broadcasts, but it had to be turned just right, and if the weather was bad, you could forget about hearing the game.

Where did you grow up?

[Patler]

I was thrilled when we finally got a radio good enough to bring in the game broadcasts, but it had to be turned just right, and if the weather was bad, you could forget about hearing the game.

Where did you grow up?

Rural northern Wisconsin. A few weak radio signals where we were at, and the hills surrounding us didn't help. Only one Wisconsin radio station came in regularly.

[Fritz]

I've told this before, but it means a lot to me.

When we were kids, my parents would visit (or we'd be visited by) my Dad's brother's family. My Dad and Uncle would watch football - those old TV's where you had the rabbit ears (with the aluminum foil on the tip to try to help the reception) and the fuzzy picture. We were at my Uncle's back in the day ('67, I think) and they were watching the Lions' game as we lived in metro Detroit. In those days you had to wait until halftime to get the scores - you oldtimers remember? They didn't have stuff on the bottom of the screen. Anyway, at halftime of the Lions' game, the announcers had the scores up - the old manual scoreboard with all the games listed, and the camera would focus in on each one - and the Packers's score came on. They were ahead of the Giants - 16-7, I think - and my Dad said, "Boy, those Packers are good."

Being a six year old kid, I thought that meant my Dad liked the Packers. So in that instant I became a fan. The next week, when the Packers' score came on at halftime, my Dad was out of the room, so when he came back in I said "Dad, the Packers are ahead!" I was excited to be able to share this good news with my old man. He replied "So what?" (he was, after all, a Lions' fan). It broke my heart, but it was too late: I was a Packer fan.

[taylor 31]

My very first Packer football card was an offensive lineman named Richard Afflis.Later known as "Dick The Bruiser"whom I believe is in the Pro Wrestling HallOf Fame.Not much of a football player though.

[gbgary]

I've told this before, but it means a lot to me.

When we were kids, my parents would visit (or we'd be visited by) my Dad's brother's family. My Dad and Uncle would watch football - those old TV's where you had the rabbit ears (with the aluminum foil on the tip to try to help the reception) and the fuzzy picture. We were at my Uncle's back in the day ('67, I think) and they were watching the Lions' game as we lived in metro Detroit. In those days you had to wait until halftime to get the scores - you oldtimers remember? They didn't have stuff on the bottom of the screen. Anyway, at halftime of the Lions' game, the announcers had the scores up - the old manual scoreboard with all the games listed, and the camera would focus in on each one - and the Packers's score came on. They were ahead of the Giants - 16-7, I think - and my Dad said, "Boy, those Packers are good."


Being a six year old kid, I thought that meant my Dad liked the Packers. So in that instant I became a fan. The next week, when the Packers' score came on at halftime, my Dad was out of the room, so when he came back in I said "Dad, the Packers are ahead!" I was excited to be able to share this good news with my old man. He replied "So what?" (he was, after all, a Lions' fan). It broke my heart, but it was too late: I was a Packer fan.

that was great. it's funny how kids latch on to stuff. you guys that were trained to be Packer fans, like my kids were, won't understand. well...maybe you will. it's not like football is the only sport. when i opened that first pack of football cards, Paul Hornung being the top card is only part of it. i loved the colors of the Packers, the G on the helmet and my initials being GB didn't hurt.

[Chevelle2]

I've told this before, but it means a lot to me.

When we were kids, my parents would visit (or we'd be visited by) my Dad's brother's family. My Dad and Uncle would watch football - those old TV's where you had the rabbit ears (with the aluminum foil on the tip to try to help the reception) and the fuzzy picture. We were at my Uncle's back in the day ('67, I think) and they were watching the Lions' game as we lived in metro Detroit. In those days you had to wait until halftime to get the scores - you oldtimers remember? They didn't have stuff on the bottom of the screen. Anyway, at halftime of the Lions' game, the announcers had the scores up - the old manual scoreboard with all the games listed, and the camera would focus in on each one - and the Packers's score came on. They were ahead of the Giants - 16-7, I think - and my Dad said, "Boy, those Packers are good."

Being a six year old kid, I thought that meant my Dad liked the Packers. So in that instant I became a fan. The next week, when the Packers' score came on at halftime, my Dad was out of the room, so when he came back in I said "Dad, the Packers are ahead!" I was excited to be able to share this good news with my old man. He replied "So what?" (he was, after all, a Lions' fan). It broke my heart, but it was too late: I was a Packer fan.

Thanks for sharing - this is a great story!