When Did You Become a Packers Fan?

The Packers are well known for their deeply devoted fans. Nobody really thinks about the time before they were fans, though. It’s just something that you become, and you don’t think about the before.

Today, we’re thinking about that moment when each of us became a fan for the first time. What did it for you?

When Jon became a Packers fan

I became a fan of the Packers during the 1995 playoffs. That’s the first season I can distinctly remember any games.

I can remember snippets of games throughout that year, but one is burned into my brain: the 1995 NFC Championship. The game itself is forgettable for Packers fans, and like many younger supporters (and probably some older ones), I was full-on Northwestern Crying Kid by the end. It was so unfair and the Cowboys got all the calls and Troy Aikman had a stupid annoying face.

To top it all off, my six-year-old self was devastated when I was told that this was it: there were no more Packers games.

But then my dad made an important clarification: there were no more Packers games this year, but that didn’t mean football was gone forever. Then, as now, there was an entirely new season to look forward to; new hope, new players, and new games to remember.

And I was hooked.

When Gary became a Packers fan

I’m more prone to routines than most. Each weekday morning as a kid, I would eat my breakfast and watch cartoons before I had to go to school. Around third grade, I woke up one morning and the television remote took me from channel 35, Nickelodeon, to channel 16, ESPN. Sportscenter replays with Stuart Scott and Dan Patrick introduced me to football, and I was hooked.

Not long after, my dad took me to my first Packers game at Lambeau Field. It was a hot Saturday night, and the visiting New Orleans Saints were no match for the mighty Packers. Green Bay won, 31-7, and I remember staying to the very last second. I had my dad take my picture with the scoreboard behind me to commemorate the moment.

And I was hooked.

Do you remember when you became a fan of the Packers for the first time? Tell us about it in the comments on this article or on Facebook or Twitter. Your responses could be included in an upcoming episode of Blue 58.