Let’s start with a little personal information about me. I am 26 years old, and I was born into the covenant of Packers fandom thanks to my father. My dad spent a good chunk of his younger years living in Stevens Point, WI. This is where his Green Bay Packers fandom took off. Beginning just a few years later, he was lucky enough to spend his college years watching Brett Favre win 3 MVPs. He also remembers where he was when he heard about the Reggie White signing, and he’ll never forget the ‘96-’97 team.
I’ve always found it really exciting to talk to my dad about those early Favre era teams. He’d consistently have a hard time holding back a smile whenever we discussed guys like Gilbert Brown, Leroy Butler or Sterling Sharpe. I could tell those 90’s teams would always hold a special place in his heart, and rightfully so.
I’ll forever be grateful for Brett Favre’s longevity as a Green Bay Packer. He played just long enough for me to experience the end of his career in Green Bay with my dad. The first Green Bay Packers season that I can remember was that 2007 season. I remember Favre tying the all-time scoring pass record against the Chargers, I remember the walkoff deep bomb against the Broncos, I remember the snowy playoff win over Seattle after the Ryan Grant fumbles, and most of all I remember the fateful last interception against the Giants.
Man, that last interception tore my heart out of my chest. Even as an 8 year old, I could sense that this might be the end for the great Brett Favre.
The summer of 2008 was a tough one for me as a Green Bay Packers fan. Every day I came home from school and turned on Sportscenter where I could follow each twist and turn of “Favre Watch.” I cried when he retired. But that was nothing compared to what I felt when he came out of retirement, only to be pushed away by the Packers.
Mike McCarthy said that summer, “the train is leaving the station, and Brett Favre is not on it.” What!?!? How in the world could they do this to Favre? This is the guy that my dad has told me bed time stories about for years, this is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl in Green Bay since Bart Starr! And now they’re just going to push him away in favor of some no name kid from California! My 8 year old brain could hardly handle it.
Eventually, I got over it, and it’s a good thing I did. I think quite often about how lucky I am to have experienced all of what came next for the Green Bay Packers.
I was 9 years old when Aaron Rodgers took over, and I was 23 years old when he walked off the field at Lambeau for the last time. A 15 year career in Green Bay that perfectly lined up with the most formative years of my childhood. I realize that not everything worked out swimmingly during the Rodgers era. Each of those seasons had their ups and downs. But for 15 years we got to watch one of the all time greats go to work. For 15 straight seasons we knew that our team always had a legitimate shot at the title. All because of one man.
Aaron Freaking Rodgers.
The Super Bowl, the playoff wins, the 4 MVP’s, all the hail marys, countless division titles and constant owning of the Bears was all great. But, mostly I’m just grateful to have an era that I can cherish the same way that my dad does with the ‘90’s teams. Rodgers is to me as Favre was to my dad, and that means something special to me.
I already can’t wait for the day when my baby daughter grows up and might want to hear about Aaron Rodgers. Maybe she’ll even want to sit down and watch some old highlights with me. I don’t know, a guy can dream.
Ahead of the big matchup on Sunday I want to take this chance to celebrate Aaron Rodgers. I feel like I speak for a large contingent of Packers fans when I say, we are happy with where the Packers are now, moving on from Aaron needed to happen, but we will NEVER forget all the memories from those 15 years. Aaron brought us joy on a weekly basis for each of those seasons, and I’ll always be grateful for that.
It is one of my life goals to ensure the greatness of Aaron Rodgers doesn’t get lost to history. To me, he is not only the most memorable quarterback of my lifetime, but also the greatest. A player like that deserves to be remembered!
I spent multiple hours this week going through and watching a good chunk of Rodgers’ TD passes while he was with the Packers, and picked the 10 that were most memorable to me. I had them all picked out and ready to embed in this post, but it turns out copyright laws restrict me from doing that. It was my hope to facilitate a trip down memory lane for all of us, but sadly I won’t get that chance.
I will be lucky enough to be at the game on Sunday. It’s the most excited I’ve ever been to attend a sporting event. As a Packers fan first, I obviously am hoping for a big Packers win. But, at the same time, I will cheer loudly in support of our old boy when he runs out onto the field on Sunday. He was the QB of my childhood, he continually brought me so much joy, and I can’t wait to see him one more time.
