Packers.com

Love-Hate Relationship: Bears-Packers Rivalry Always Bittersweet

Brian Peterson, for NFL Insider — Thu, 28 Sep 2000 11:09:01 CST

The rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers began innocently on a mild November Sunday afternoon at Chicago's Wrigley Field (then called Cubs Park) in 1921.

The Bears, then named the Staleys and one of the league's founding teams, were ready to show the ropes to the Packers, who were in their inaugural NFL season (although they had existed as a pro football club since 1919).

Chicago pounded the Packers 20-0, and, for extra measure, Staleys guard John (Tarzan) Taylor threw a sucker punch that broke the nose of Packers tackle Howard (Cub) Buck. It was the opening bell in the start of a beautiful relationship.

For the past 80 years, the Bears-Packers series has had all the bitterness, intensity, and animosity normally associated with rivalries.

Along the way, however, the teams have also developed a deep admiration and appreciation for each other, and that is what makes the Bears-Packers rivalry special. Maybe it's the kinder, gentler ..

Brett Favre Feature

Fri, 22 Sep 2000 11:10:50 CST

Brett Favre's life is not complicated.

The 30-year-old native of tiny Kiln, Mississippi, insists that he can be found at any moment in one of three places: the football field, home or the golf course. That's it.

It's been over eight years since the Packers acquired Favre from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a first-round draft selection. In that time, he has been selected to five Pro Bowls, won an unprecedented three league MVP awards and led Green Bay to two Super Bowls. His leadership in the huddle has been immeasurable, his confidence contagious.

Yet for all of his successes, Favre needed the stability of his wife, Deanna, and two daughters, Brittany and Breleigh, to give his legendary accomplishments personal meaning. After years of late nights and fast living, he credits those three with simplifying his priorities and providing perspective where it was previously lacking.

"I'm older and wiser," Favre reveals before a recent mid-week mornin..

Nitschke's Dual Personality - Hard-hitting HOF linebacker was a gentleman off the field

Pro Football Hall of Fame — Thu, 14 Sep 2000 11:12:50 CST

Ray Nitschke, according to Hall of Fame quarterback and former teammate Bart Starr, was "a classic example of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Off the field, he was a thoughtful, caring person. On the field, he was a ferocious middle linebacker who at times seemed to truly enjoy hitting people. A fierce competitor, Ray was the heart of the great Green Bay Packers defense of the 1960s. The 6-3, 235-pound defensive terror epitomized the hard-hitting tenacity and cool professionalism of the Packers during that period.

Born in 1936, in Elmwood Park, Ill., Ray had to overcome a great deal of personal adversity at an early age. His father was killed when he was three and his mother died when he was 13. He was adopted and reared by a brother who was just eight years his senior. It was his brother who convinced him to turn down a $3,000 baseball contract from the St. Louis Browns in favor of attending the University of Illinois. "It was the smartest thing I ever did," Ray later admitted. <..

Preserving Lambeau Field

Sat, 09 Sep 2000 11:14:56 CST

Seven months have passed since Packers President Bob Harlan announced plans to renovate 43-year-old Lambeau Field. After many long days and sleepless nights, the front office leader is bracing for the September 12 Brown County referendum, when the future of the historic stadium will be decided by the residents closest to the hometown team.

Should the referendum pass, thus funding the redevelopment through a 0.5% sales tax increase in Brown County, Wisconsin, the Packers will be playing in one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in the NFL by 2003.

Construction will begin after the conclusion of the 2000 season and continue through the following two seasons. The Packers will continue to play at Lambeau Field during that time, with construction taking place on the complex's exterior during football months.

In addition to addressing safety and convenience issues throughout the stadium's concourse, Harlan believes revenue from the new stadium would allow th..