THERE'S ONLY ONE LAMBEAU!

Thanks to an incredibly special place called Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers professional

football team in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I have had thrill after thrill watching a small town team proudly represent my home state of Wisconsin throughout  the years. Yesterday was another example of a fabulously played game at Lambeau Field. Green Bay came out on top against Dallas, 26-21, and the hometown fans went crazy. I wish I could have been there!

I'm guessing that there are millions of people who don't have a clue as to how Lambeau Field got its name.  Unlike most of the professional stadiums today, it's not named after some giant corporation.  It was Curly Lambeau, a player and coach of Green Bay for 31 years who was the inspiration for the stadium name.  He was also the co-founder of the team in 1919, and at several

points throughout the years, he no doubt worried about the financial survival of the team. At different times the city had to struggle to keep the team afloat.  A number of other small town teams had already folded. Green Bay was different, and today its fans proudly talk of its 13 championships.  Curly Lambeau was part of six of those events. He and Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach who turned Green Bay into Title Town, will always be revered, and together, they stand outside the stadium in statue form.

One of my favorite NFL championships in Green Bay was in 1961, when the Packers, the definite underdog,

defeated the New York Giants at Lambeau Field, 37-0.  Growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, there was nothing my mother and I loved more than seeing our beloved small town team trounce the big city foe.  The Frozen Tundra became the field of legend.

Today I revel in watching the Lambeau Leap, after the Packers score a touchdown.  The Packer player who scores often jumps in the end zone stands to share that glorious moment with fans.  It was Leroy Butler, a former Packer great who instituted that classic play, which has become a fan favorite over the years.  And opposing players who have occasionally tried to duplicate it after scoring a touchdown, have been soundly rejected by fans, reminding them that Lambeau is Packers territory--sacred ground!

Today Lambeau Field is the third largest National

Football League stadium.  It seats over 80,000 screaming fans, and often has the feel of a college game.  Its atmosphere is unmatched in professional football!  If you're an American football fan of any kind, put it on your "bucket list" to visit Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  The facilities are first rate, and the people of Green Bay, like Wisconsin in general, have that magical quality called "Wisconsinality."  Of course I might be a bit biased!  Thanks to mom, I've never forgotten my roots, or team!


P.S. Happy birthday, mom!  I know you'll be watching the Packers-Seahawks game from "somewhere out there" this weekend.  Can't wait!!