DALLAS -- Maybe it's the history, the tradition and the nostalgia. Perhaps it's the small-town family atmosphere. Or it might be the fact the fans are the owners.
No matter why, when someone joins the Green Bay Packers, he becomes permanently attached to the franchise for life. That certainly is true for four former players who competed Wednesday night in the sixth annual National Football League Charities Super Bowl Celebrity Bowling Classic at 300 Bowl in the Dallas suburb of Addison.
Jim Taylor, Dave Robinson, Ted Hendricks and Willie Buchanon were among more than 30 current and former NFL players and hall of famers who competed with nearly 100 people who paid for the privilege. Their donations will help charities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with a second event held Thursday night in Fort Worth.
As devoted Packers followers, the former players have taken a keen interest in the run to Super Bowl XLV this Sunday in Arlington, Texas. Taylor, Robinson and Hendricks know what it takes to make the big game, each having won at least one Super Bowl title. And all like what they've seen from the current team.
"They are deserving to be here, especially winning their last three games on the road," said the 75-year-old Taylor, who will be at Cowboys Stadium for the game. "They are playing tough.
"(Quarterback Aaron) Rodgers and the defense have been solid. They just need a little running game to go with the passing."
Taylor knows all about running in Super Bowls as his 14-yard touchdown in Super Bowl I in 1967 was the first rushing touchdown in the classic's history. He finished his 10-year pro career, the first nine with the Packers, with 8,207 rushing yards.
The Baton Rouge, La., resident still attends two or three Packers games a year between his many charity golf events. Last September, his biography "The Fire Within" was published and he's been spending time promoting that, too. He plans to bring his book tour to Wisconsin this spring.
Robinson, 69, was a linebacker on the Packers' Super Bowl I and II champions in 1967 and 1968. He was with the Packers from 1963-72 with 21 interceptions in 127 games. He too will be at the Super Bowl.
"I didn't come all this way and not see them," said Robinson, who has lived in Akron, Ohio, for more than 25 years. "They are my boys. I have to watch them win.
"I don't know how they did it this year with 15 players on injured reserve. And it was key personnel like (linebacker) Nick Barnett, (tight end Jermichael) Finley and (running back Ryan) Grant. Yet they stuck guys in there and they did the job. They have a great defense. I think the defense will carry the day."
Robinson, who recently retired after selling his beer distribution company, attends the Packers' annual game in Detroit, plus some games in Green Bay. He professed to being better at golf than bowling, competing in 15-20 charity links events each year.
"I don't know why I volunteered for this," he said. "My knee is shot but I'll give it a try. I haven't bowled in 10 years."
Hendricks was with the Packers only in the 1974 season but his 15-year overall career including being part of winning teams in Super Bowls V, XI, XV and XVIII. The player known as "The Mad Stork" was a member of the Baltimore Colts when they won in 1971, the Oakland Raiders in 1977 and 1981 and the Los Angeles Raiders in his final game in 1984.
"They've been great this year. It's too bad they didn't do this last season," the 63-year-old Hendricks said of the current Packers. "Being an old linebacker, I look at other linebackers and the one the Packers have (Clay Matthews) is pretty good."
Living in Chicago for the past 17 years, Hendricks has had to listen to the rants of the Bears fans so he was overjoyed when the Packers beat their rivals in the National Football Conference Championship game two weeks ago. Living in Northern Illinois also helped him rekindle a relationship with Mark Murphy, the current Packers' president/chief executive officer and former Northwestern University athletic director. The two first met when Hendricks' Colts annually faced Murphy's Washington Redskins.
While Buchanon didn't play in any Super Bowls with either the Packers or his hometown San Diego Chargers, his seven years in Green Bay were memorable with 21 interceptions. Nine pickoffs came in 1978 as did one of his two career touchdowns.
"I think it's great," the 60-year-old Oceanside, Calif., resident said of the current Packers. "It's good for the team. It's good for the town. It's good for the fans."
Living in California means Buchanon only is able to see the Packers at their annual alumni weekend. But he's seen enough this year to be impressed.
"I'm going to keep my eye to see how well the defense is playing," he said. "(cornerback Charles) Woodson has taken it to another level. I love the way he plays. And Rodgers has come into his own. He's leading the team well."
When not home dabbling in real estate, Buchanon is in Wisconsin organizing a charity golf event for the Fox Valley Children's Hospital. It happens in June around the time of the Vince Lombardi Golf Classic in the Milwaukee area.
While Buchanon truly enjoys golfing and bowling for charity, he's overjoyed to participate in North Texas with the Packers in the Super Bowl.
"I just love seeing Packers fans get to come here," he said. "And we now have bragging rights on the Bears."
