Many people say that when it comes to the National Football League, the Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team”. While this monicor is simply a matter of opinion and was orignally a nickname given by fans and media members alike, fans of the game depending on what team a fan calls theirs will differ. While I try to stay unbiased make an effort to showcase peices of sports memorbilia from all sports and teams, the Green Bay Packers will always be my favorite team and in my opinion, “America’s Team”.
If you don’t already know, the Packers have had three window’s in their history of unprecedented dominance and success and with each one. A unique and special story can be told about the teams that dominated the rest of the NFL during their respective era’s. For each era, there are sports collectibles that symbolize and can be associated with the teams that between the three era’s, compiled 7 world championships and 8 championship game appearances. Of all of the collectibles and memorabilia that has been associated with these Packer teams, their is one from each of Green Bay’s “eras of dominance” that I and many sports fans could see best represent the Packers three modern football era’s of greatness.
In 1967, The Green Bay Packers were world champions of football after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in Super Bowl l. At the time, the game was known as the NFL-AFL Championship game and would later be renamed the Super Bowl. At the time, the win in Super Bowl l by the Packers was history as no team in professional football had ever won three consecutive championships. The Packers accomplished this feat with the determination and relentlessness of head coach Vince Lombardi and 11 players who would later be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the 11 hall of famers the Packers had throughout the 1960’s in which they won 5 world championships, the MVP of Super Bowl l was their quarterback, Bryan Bartlett Starr.
In Super Bowl l Bart Starr finished the game by completing 16 passes in 23 attempts for 250 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 116.2. While other players that could call themselves world champions that day, there were other deserving candidates for the Super Bowl MVP award such as Max McGee, who caught 7 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was their 17th round pick from The University of Alabama in 1956 that showed the NFL that he wasn’t just a game manager and that he had thew ability to rise up for the occasion on the game’s biggest stage. For winning the Super Bowl MVP, Starr was awarded a Green 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible which later became a tradition for winners of the Super Bowl MVP award. Starr was always a team first man and only kept his MVP vehicle for a short time before selling the Vehicle. In may of 2018, the Corvette Starr had sold nearly 50 years prior was displayed in Green Bay by the current owner of the vehicle, Micheal Anderson of Thunder Valley Classic Cars in Minnesota. This car symbolizes the efforts of Bart Starr during Super Bowl l and how determination, leadership, and heart are what make a team not just talented and a winner, but a dynasty.
After nearly 30 years removed from their last Super Bowl win, the Green Bay Packers led by quarterback Brett Favre and head coach Mike Holmgren returned to glory when they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 31 by a score of 35-21. The 1996 season was Green Bay’s best season since 1967 and Brett Favre is famously known for bring the pack back to NFL prominence and a team that could once again be known as dominant. This collectible is a blue unused ticket stub with a New Orleans themed ticket stub due to the game being hosted in the Mercedes Benz Super Dome. This venue had significant importance to Brett Favre as he grew up an hour away from the stadium which allowed many of his family members to come to the game and support the packers quarterback in one of the shining moments in Green Bay history. This ticket reminds people of New Orleans and the culture of music, joy, and celebration all being showcased on the ticket stub. The Packers were back, and for the majority of time moving forward, the Packers have continued to find ways to stick around as a relevant postseason contender. After Favre left Green Bay at the conclusion of the 2007 season, their was a new quarterback into town that the organization felt would help continue the Packers prideful legacy and eventually return them back to the Super Bowl. His name is Aaron Rodgers and during their 2010 championship run, a certain celebration created a piece of memorabilia that will forever be associated with the 2010 team and the perseverance and relentlessness they showed.
Aaron Rodgers was always slighted by the fact that people always thought that he wasn’t very athletic. So, during the 2010 season on their way tho their 4th Super Bowl win in franchise history, whenever Aaron ran for a big gain or a touchdown, he broke out the now famous, “Aaron Rodgers belt celebration. This celebration stemmed from Aaron’s doubted athleticism and his love for WWE. In honor of their victory in Super Bowl XLV, linebacker Clay Matthews presented Aaron with a championship belt of his own which is now a symbol of the 2010 season and the way in which Green Bay proved doubters wrong and became only the 6th wild card team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl. This belt has been replicated and signed by Rodgers by himself and can be found online for sale at $1,199.99. The belt is a WWE heavyweight champion belt and in the year of 2010, the Green Bay Packers showed thew entire world they were true and deserving heavyweight champions.
The G.O.A.T. 