A Packer Backer?

a Saturday story

The Green Bay Packers have been my team since childhood. I’ve never wavered from that, although my love for NFL football has waxed and waned over the years. Because I was born in Iowa and lived in Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas occasionally someone will ask me how I became a Cheesehead.

It started with a book. Or to be more exact, a school assignment. My first-grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson, gave us an assignment to check out a book from the library and do a book report on it. I picked a book about football. This would have been somewhere around 1966. At that time, Green Bay was dominating football, having won NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965.

Their players were legendary – Quarterback Bart Starr, Fullback Jim Taylor, Paul Horning at Halfback, with Forrest Gregg and Jerry Kramer on the offensive line. On defense there was Willie Davis on the end, Ray Nitschke as a linebacker, Herb Adderley as a cornerback, and Henry Jordan as a defensive tackle. Of course, there was the ever-accurate and reliable Don Chandler who kicked punts and field goals. This team of all-stars was led by legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, after whom the Super Bowl trophy is named.

This magnificent team captured my imagination when I was a boy, and although I had never been to Wisconsin, much less Green Bay, I remained a loyal Packer Backer through all the years.

I guess it goes to show you the powerful influence a good book can have on a person. Which is a good reason to teach your children to read. My first grade teacher could have never dreamed that one assignment would lead to a life-long affection for a football team, two trips to visit Lambeau Field, and a few football games involving the Packers.