Mazzoleni, an 88-year-old Green Bay resident, first followed the Packers at their afternoon practices at the city's Joannes Park in 1919, often helping out the players as a water boy. He attended games at City Stadium as a fan and later sold programs for the contests.
Mazzoleni's game attendance was briefly interrupted in 1936 while he attended UW-Madison, and again during WWII while he served overseas. He kept abreast of his team while away by reading letters and newspapers from home as well as GI newspapers while in the service.
Over the years, Mazzoleni's support of the Packers included his participation in the 1949 stock sale. He encouraged many of his customers at Paul's Standard Service gas station to do the same. He also was a leading member of the West Side Businessmen's Association that spearheaded season ticket sales for the building of the new City Stadium in the late 1950s and was a charter member of Martha's Coffee Club.
In 1973 Mazzoleni received the George W. Calhoun Award as "Packer Fan of the Year" in recognition of his 50 years of loyalty to the team.
In recognition of being selected to represent all fans as the Packers FAN Hall of Fame's fourth honorary fan, Mazzoleni will be saluted on the Lambeau Field JumboTron board during the Packers' final home game of the season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 30. He also will receive a $500 Packers Pro Shop gift certificate and a road trip for two to a 2002 Packers away game (including tickets, air fare and hotel accommodations). In addition, he will attend and be recognized at the Packer Hall of Fame Dinner in July and be permanently recognized in the Packer Hall of Fame.
In the election process, Packers fans were asked to vote on the ten finalists - chosen by the Packers FAN Hall of Fame selection committee - whose stories best represented all Packers fans. Mazzoleni received 18 percent of the total votes cast.
The finalists, in addition to Mazzoleni, included Alvin Baeten, De Pere, Wis.; JoAnne DeFere, Shawano, Wis.; Chuck Enders, Hagerstown, Md.; Michael Hayes, Cottage Grove, Minn.; Rodney Horikawa, Madison, Wis.; Randy Kunsch, Phillips, Wis.; John Sheridan, Grafton, Wis.; Ray Sloan, Green Bay, Wis.; and Jerry Van Sistine, Ashwaubenon, Wis.
International in scope, balloting for the FAN Hall of Fame produced thousands of votes from throughout the United States and countries around the world.
The Packers FAN Hall of Fame, established by the Green Bay Packers and the Packer Hall of Fame, is exclusively sponsored by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Shopko Stores, Stein Gardens and Gifts, RE/MAX and Best Buy.
