GREEN BAY – Patrice Suplicki tried to hold back the tears, but there was no containing the pride pouring through her eyes as her father's name echoed through the Lambeau Field Atrium on Thursday.

It'd been six years since the first time Patrice nominated her dad, Patrick Suplicki, for the Packers FAN Hall of Fame, and a lot has changed in the family's lives since then, including a cancer battle that tested Patrick both mentally and physically.

For those reasons and so many more, the announcement that Suplicki had been chosen as the 28th Packers FAN Hall of Famer was met by a chorus of shouting, sobbing and jubilation from his loved ones.

"It's very emotional. We didn't think we had a shot, really, honestly," Patrice said. "He deserves the world in my mind and our family's mind. For him to finally get the recognition that we think he so deserves, it's just very special."

Patrice first nominated her dad for the honor at the suggestion of her mother, Brenda, who thought it would be a nice way to honor her Packers-loving husband. Patrick was named one of 10 finalists that first year but ultimately didn't win.

That was fine because it wasn't about winning to Patrick. It was about honoring the diehard Packers fandom he inherited from his father, Elgie, and then passed down to his own children.

A rabid fan since he was just three years old, Patrick grew up cheering for Bart Starr in the final years of the Lombardi era. Growing up in Stevens Point in the 1970s and '80s, Patrick had friends who jumped on the Vikings bandwagon but not him.

Elgie taught Patrick a lot of lessons whether it was the trade of carpentry or the importance of staying loyal to your team through the wins and the losses. When the turnaround finally happened, father and son together relished Green Bay's Super Bowl XXXI triumph.

"He made it known to me never stray from this team," said Suplicki while fighting back tears himself. "Be patient with it. Fortunately, he got to see (Brett) Favre. He never missed a game all the way through that. He was here at Lambeau every home game he could get. I was with him.

"I wish he was here now because I'd tell him, 'Hey, the kid did it.'"

Patrick built a house in 1996 and over the next decade turned the family's unfinished basement into a full-scale Packers shrine that's continued to expand throughout the years.

Elgie, who attended Super Bowl XXXII, was able to see the initial layout of Patrick's mancave before cancer took him in 2003.

Twenty years later, the disease also gave Patrick a run for his money, as he was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a rare form of cancer in his neck.

Patrice watched her dad endure 36 rounds of radiation over the next year. Yet, Patrick never lost his sparkle. He fought with everything he had while still cheering on his football team.

In 2024, Suplicki was declared cancer free. It gave him a new lease on life and reinforced his love of the Packers. Every week, the Suplickis gather in the basement to watch games and enjoy each other's company.

"When he beat cancer, when he was diagnosed, we were like OK, another challenge that we will get through," Patrice said. "It was such an amazing accomplishment to beat cancer and then be a finalist again. To win, if you asked him, he probably would say he's the luckiest man in the world right now."

When the family was informed late last year that Patrick was again selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Packers FAN Hall of Fame, Patrice wanted to come up with a fun way to surprise her father.

She connected with former Packers receiver Antonio Freeman, who filmed a video not only congratulating Patrick on advancing to the final stage again but also winning his cancer battle.

With the award, Suplicki will receive four club tickets to a 2026 Packers home game in addition to a slew other gifts and prizes. Perhaps most importantly, he'll forever have his name displayed in a place of honor within the Packers Hall of Fame.

"It tells a lot about the organization itself and about the team, that they care about us fans," Suplicki said. "We're not just a number. We're not just paying through the tickets and all that stuff.

"To be here at Lambeau and then be nominated and then put in, it'll be something for my grandkids and their kids to see. I'll be in there always; even when I'm dead and gone."

This year's other finalists included: Jeff Goldapske from Appleton, Wis., Patrick Hare from Moreno Valley, Calif., Jeff Lanier from Green Bay, Lorraine Mueller from Wittenberg, Wis., Mark Murphy from La Crosse, Wis., Dean Schmitz from Wausau, Wis., Daniel Schneider from Crystal Lake, Ill., Valerie Ann Smick from Yorkville, Ill., and Thomas Thrall from Durham, N.C.