In 1967, the Green Bay Packers became the first professional football franchise to establish their own team-specific hall of fame, honoring their rich tradition and success. In 1998, they enhanced that distinction by founding a Packers FAN Hall of Fame to annually recognize their famously loyal supporters.
This week, the 10 finalists were named for the 20th member of the Packers FAN Hall of Fame, and it’s up to Cheesehead Nation to select the lucky, longtime, devout and deserving 2018 inductee. Voting is now open and runs through Jan. 31, with the winner to be announced in February. According to the team, voters will be entered into a random drawing to win Green Bay merchandise.
The process started with Packers fans being able to nominate themselves or a friend for the honor with an essay of 500 words or less, accompanied by a photo, explaining why he or she should be considered. From the nominations, the Packers FAN Hall of Fame selection committee chose 10 finalists. This year, the field includes a few Milwaukee-area nominees.
The 2018 finalists are:
Felicia Reed, Milwaukee
Lloyd Wettstein, Appleton
Sue "Stolty" Stoltenberg, Wausaukee
Michael Sledz, Grayslake, Ill.
Mike Seavert, Greenfield
John Kuziej, Burnsville, Minn.
Robert Retzlaff, Necedah
Dave Lucero, Green Bay
Marguerite "Mugs" Bachhuber, Green Bay
Allie Healy, Franklin
Voters can read the finalists’ profiles and essays and cast their ballot online here, or vote with a paper ballot by visiting the guest relations desk in the Lambeau Field Atrium. The honoree will be selected by three different groups – fans and previous honoree votes (50 percent) and the Packers’ committee (50 percent).
The winner receives four club seats to a 2018 Packers home game; a road trip for two to a 2018 Packers away game, including game tickets, air fare and hotel accommodations; a $500 Packers Pro Shop gift certificate; and a one-year subscription to Packer Plus. The honoree also will have his or her name added to the list of FAN Hall of Fame inductees recognized in the Packers Hall of Fame.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
