Packers Win Brings Bittersweet Memories

The Packers beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV to win their 4th Vince Lombardi trophy.
I couldn't make it to Dallas but I enjoyed the game surrounded by friends, beer and bratwurst.
It brought back memories of the big game I saw in 1998 when the Packers played the Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The great thing about going to a Super Bowl is the fact you will see a national champion crowned. I've been to the World Series, The Rose Bowl and NBA playoffs but until Super Bowl XXXII I'd never seen a title game in person. It was everything I thought it would be except for one little thing: the wrong team won!

I became a Packer fan in 1965 when Don Chandler kicked a game winning field goal to beat the Colts in a sudden-death playoff game.

I was eight years-old and I'd never heard of "sudden-death" before and I could only imagine the pressure felt by Chandler. Growing up in Orange County you would think I’d have rooted for the Rams, who held training camp at nearby Fullerton State College. I even have pictures of me posing with legends like Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones. That didn't keep me from worshiping Bart Starr and Jim Taylor who ended up leading the Packers to victory at the very first Super Bowl in 1967.
As a kid I always dreamed about seeing a game at legendary Lambeau Field, site of the famous "Ice Bowl" in 1967 where the Packers beat the Cowboys in below freezing temperatures. Sometimes those childhood dreams come true and in December 1990 I went to my first game in Green Bay. Unfortunately for me it was the second coldest game in Lambeau history with the wind chill dropping as low as minus-35. Being a California kid whose only experience with winter came from skiing at Mammoth Mountain I was ill-prepared for the elements. When my friends noticed my windbreaker and tennis shoes they thought I was nuts.

"When I go skiing I dress in layers like this," I explained. "Well you're not going to be working up a sweat like you do on a mountain," said my buddy Stuart. "You are going to be sitting on a metal bench for three hours and you are going to need the heaviest jacket and boots you can find."

They actually borrowed clothing from strangers in the parking lot which included a pair of lady's ear muffs and fur lined Sorel boots. It was so cold my beer froze by the time I made it back to my seat! To add to my misery the Packers lost to the Barry Sanders-led Lions but thanks to my friends I avoided getting frostbite.

I was able to go to that game because I was actually living in Wisconsin at the time. For some reason I still don't understand I left sunny SoCal and ended up living on the beautiful Door County peninsula for three years. In 1992 I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. Working for a small radio station I was assigned to cover the Packers for the upcoming season. That meant not only going to the games but actually getting access to the hallowed locker rooms at Lambeau. It turned out to be a quite a year which began with the hiring of coach Mike Holmgren and the acquisition of an unknown quarterback named Brett Favre.

The Packers missed the playoffs by one game but I knew great things were in store and I was right. They won the Super Bowl in 1997 and were huge favorites to beat the Broncos in 1998. By then I’d landed in Playa Del Rey and still had connections back in Green Bay, including a former girlfriend who scored me a precious ticket. I happily paid the $275, still the most I've ever spent for any event, and drove down to San Diego with high hopes. The night before the game my friends and I rode the trolley to various NFL sponsored parties and heard bands like Smash Mouth and Kool and the Gang. I was out late but still managed to get to the stadium by nine the next morning.
For the next six hours I treated my friends to bratwurst for breakfast and grilled chicken for lunch. (I remember it cost $10 to park back then, now its $100 just to stand in the parking lot!) Once inside I could feel the energy flowing throughout the stadium. The anticipation was nothing I’d felt before and by the time Jewel finished singing the national anthem I was ready to explode from the excitement. When the game finally began the action on the field had me riveted. Players always talk about the atmosphere at the Super Bowl. To call it “electric” would be an understatement.

Especially this game, a back and forth battle between quarterbacks Favre and John Elway, whose Broncos led at halftime 17-14. I hadn’t left my seat the entire time and was ready for a cold beer since it was an unusually hot day. Little did I know that the ushers would be stomping down the aisles, issuing instructions to everyone for the upcoming half time show.

I should have known it was coming since I’d been handed a seat cushion with a pocket full of goodies when I arrived. Now they were yelling at all of us to be prepared for the big production. I couldn’t believe how quickly a stage was set up and it looked liked hundreds of people had flooded the field. I was told to use a flashlight and then hold up a banner while Smokey Robinson and The Four Tops belted out a tribute to Motown. I loved the music and only later found out we were creating the illusion of a record album spinning around the stadium.

The second half action was even better than the first. John Elway scrambled for a first down and landed right in front of me after spinning around like a helicopter. Eventual game MVP Terrell Davis scored to make it 31-24 Broncos with 1:45 on the clock. The Packers made a desperate drive down the field but when time ran out the Broncos were Super Bowl champions.

I knew I’d just seen one of the greatest NFL games ever played. I knew I’d been part of history. There was just one problem. The wrong team won!