As a 22-year-old fan from the small town of Clute, Texas, I am nominating myself for the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame. I can recall the first time I ever saw the Packers play on December 13th, 1992. I was 12 years old and attending the Oilers game with my parents who were season ticket holders. Being a young fan, I wasn't really a fan of any particular team, but I enjoyed watching the sport with my dad and went to every local game I could at the Astrodome. I recall the confusion surrounding all of the Oilers fans when Brett Favre was announced that day. He was unheard of here in Texas and they figured since he was a rookie quarterback that there was no trouble defeating the Packers. He threw a little shy of 200 yards that day, defeated the Oilers 16-14, and I was forever made a fan by the amazing game that the Packers performed that day.
I started to follow them from that day forth and tried to watch every game I could. This has always been a challenge due to the area I am located in. I have always rounded up all the supportive friends I could to root them on. In 1994, me and about 40 of my friends booked a local pool hall with the biggest TV I could find and had our first local Texas Packer fan party. We arrange this every year and over the years my turnout has increased to well over 150 people.
In 1996 when I turned 16, I started working part-time during my busy high school schedule and saved money to attend my first Packers game in Detroit, Michigan where they went on to crush the Lions 31-3. Since that first live game, I save money every year to attend at least one of their road games. This usually has required a 16-hour drive to see them play in Tampa Bay because this is the closest to Texas that they have been in past years. I was however very fortunate that they played in New Orleans this year, a 6 hour drive from my house.
Since 1992, I have acquired over 120 different fan memorabilia items which ranges from the basic fan items like a cheesehead to items like shower curtain hooks with Packers football helmets on them. I search often online for auctions on eBay or look in different stores to add something new to my collection. Even though I am now a season ticket holder for the Texans, there hasn't been a home game yet this year that I have attended where I wasn't showing my Packers pride. Local fans have given me hell due to my Packers jersey and cheesehead get-up but this does not fade my loyalty to the Packers. The Packers have an awesome legacy spanning over 80 years and I am proud to be a dedicated fan all the way from Texas.
Self nomination
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