Tuesday, March 04, 2008

The Legend Retires

I know this is not aviation related but now and then I stray from the world of flight to post on other passions that I have. I have been a Green Bay Packer fan longer then a fan of airplanes. I grew up in the days of Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor Ray Nitschke and Jerry Kramer. When kids play football at an early age I was always Starr tossing the key pass, ok at least in my own mind. At an early age one Christmas I opened up a box that held a football helmet, pads and a uniform. I immediately set out to paint it in Green Bay Packer colors. My folks were not happy but they lived with it.

Two of my most cherished autographs are a Superbowl 1 commemorative football signed by Len Dawson and Bart Starr and an autographed picture of Bart in action personalized for me. As much as I have been a Packer fan I have been a Vince Lombardi fan. I sure would have enjoyed seeing Favre play under Lombardi.
I wish the Packers could have taken the top prize this season, a Superbowl victory, but it was not to be. Brett Favre walks away from the game as one of the greatest QB's of all time. I will miss his passion for the game, his boyish approach and his toughness. Thanks Brett for 17 seasons of Packer football!

A quote from Vine Lombardi that fits Brett Favre's style of play and his heart. "Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second." (Vince Lombardi)

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