The 2014 NFL season is upon us. Training camp is underway. Preseason games are underway. But before we get to far into the daily grind, the Packers made a long-waited announcement.
 |
| Photo credit: ESPN.com |
The Packers announced today that the team will induct Brett Favre into the Packers' Hall of Fame in 2015 along with retiring the longtime quarterback's jersey.
This is great news for all Packers fans. Today, Brett Favre is back home. He is part of the Packers family once again. It has been nearly six years since the Packers traded Favre to the New York Jets.
Then Favre put on that purple jersey for the Minnesota Vikings. Coming from a diehard Packers fan, it hurt. I was upset. I was disappointed. I rooted against him. I celebrated his struggles. My father, a diehard Brett Favre fan, was torn who to root for. He decided to root for the Packers and the Vikings, unless they were playing each other. Because of that, Sunday's watching football were a little difficult around the house all thanks to Favre for two years.
But it is time to bury the hatchet. It's time to move on. It's time for Favre to join our family once again, for good.
"It was a tremendous honor to play 16 years for the Green Bay Packers. Now to have my name placed among others such as Starr, Hornung, Kramer, Taylor, Lambeau, Nitschke, Lombardi, Davis, White and Hutson is a special honor that I share with all of my teammates and coaches, and that would not have been possible but for the foresight of Ron Wolf, the greatest GM in the history of the NFL," said Favre on his website OfficialBrettFavre.com.
My childhood consisted of watching Brett Favre. No matter what, Favre was on that football field every Sunday afternoon. He reenergized a sports franchise in Green Bay. It's very possible the Packers wouldn't be where we are today without Brett Favre and Ron Wolf. I was very fortunate to witness Favre play at Lambeau Field for six regular season games, one preseason game, and several family night events. I witnessed Favre's 200th consecutive start against the Rams. I witnessed Favre's final regular season game at Lambeau Field in 2007 against the Lions. I witnessed Favre beat the Bears, Vikings, and Lions at home.
I have so many memories of Brett Favre. One of my fondest memories of Brett Favre came at training camp. As you may or may not know, one of Green Bay's famous traditions is the players riding kid's bikes to and from training camp practice. Some of the more popular players cannot ride bikes to practice to prevent getting mobbed by fans on the way. However, one day, Brett Favre was late to practice and he must have determined the quickest way to get to practice was to ride a bike. He was the last player out of the locker room. And he was riding that bike like grease lightning. I just happened to be standing in the way of Brett as he was on his way to practice. I didn't see that it was him right away but I jumped to the side and stuck my hand out for a high-five. He gave me one. As a kid, that meant the world to me. I'll never forget it.
Another memory also came at training camp. Late afternoon practice was over. And my father, brother, and I were headed back to our hotel after a long day. As we pulled onto Highway 41 headed south, a Ford truck happened to be in front of us. After following it for a mile or two, we decided to pass the truck. As we passed, we noticed the driver was Brett Favre. Favre saw we were wearing Packers gear. He waved and then sped up like he wanted to race us on the highway. He then waved again and slowed down letting us pass. A small story, but another memory of the man who wore number four.
And I can't forget the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship Pro-Am at Brown Deer Park in Milwaukee. Favre was playing in the Pro-Am on Wednesday. It was absolutely awesome. I was able to walk right next to Favre while he played. I was able to talk to him while he was walking from one hole to the next. Shockingly, there wasn't very many people there. It was an unbelievable experience for a young fan like myself.
Brett Favre made me love the Packers and NFL so much more. It was a joy watching him play.
So many memories of Favre wearing the Green and Gold. Every Packers fan has them. It's time to bury the hatchet. It's time to celebrate his induction into the Packers' Hall of Fame. It's time to celebrate his jersey retirement. It's time to celebrate Brett Favre as a member of the Green Bay Packers family, again!
Brett, welcome home!
