As we grind through the excitement and anticipation of another Packers season, I feel compelled to write a blog about someone who has been around longer than the "G" on the helmets, Lambeau Field or the Super Bowl as we know it today:
Lee Remmel.
For 63 years, he has either covered or worked for the Packers. Think about that for a second -- 63 years! -- 34 years as a member of the Packers public relations staff, 29 1/2 years as the Packers beat writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
The fact that he has been involved with the team longer than many of our grandparents have been alive is amazing, if not unbelievable. He has witnessed in person 123 Packers-Bears games and been a part of all 41 Super Bowls, which tells me two things: he has been blessed with great health and has maintained a passion and love for the Packers franchise that rarely is seen in any walk of life. I salute Mr. Remmel for being that consistent and committed to "The Green and Gold."
He is now the Packers team historian and the press box is named in his honor. I really enjoy seeing Lee when I go up and cover games, because he motivates me to push forward and keep my passion for sports in perspective. I also sense his presence and I'm very glad the organization has not forced him into some kind of retirement or an irrelevant position. We need Lee to tell us about the lean years in the '50s, before the glorious '60s and all the other good and bad eras of Packers football. We need Lee to tell us stories about not just Lombardi, Starr or Favre but Lisle Blackbourn, Lynn Dickey and Frankie Winters.
I laugh at the fact that Lee is still rolling at full speed the last five minutes of games to this day. He shows media unfamiliar with how to get to locker rooms from the press box. Usually, he is lapping reporters half his age on the private concourse we use to get to those locker rooms (myself included).
Before Lee leaves the team, they should send him out in a pre-game introduction and acknowledge him and his lifelong dedication to the Packers, and fans should give him a standing ovation, because he has truly has earned that. Players, coaches and administrators have come and gone, but Lee has persevered and excelled with the team.
Lee Remmel is what Green Bay Packers football and the NFL is truly about -- passion, dedication, commitment and perseverance. God bless "Da Ol' Man."
Steve Haywood is the host of That Being Said, which airs weeknights at 6 p.m. on Milwaukees ESPN Radio 1510 Days / 1290 Nights. A lifelong Milwaukee resident, Steve has been working on the radio since 1996 and also is executive producer of Sports Perspectives on MATA Community Media.
After graduating from Milwaukee Tech High School in 1985, Haywood attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he graduated in 1991.
He has covered a number of major events, including the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2002 and the NBA All-Star Game in 2003.
Haywood, 39, is married with two kids, a dumb cat and a dog described as a real curmudgeon.
