Lance Allan, sports anchor at Today's TMJ4 in Milwaukee, has been named emcee of the 44th Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held Saturday, July 19, in the Lambeau Field Atrium. Ahman Green and Ken Ruettgers will become the newest members of the Hall that evening.
One of the most recognizable sports broadcasters in the state of Wisconsin, Allan graduated from the University of Wisconsin and took his first job as a weatherman at WJFW-TV in Rhinelander. While the job was a great starting point for his career, his heart was in sports. So, in May 1994, Allan took an opening at the station to move into sports permanently, a position he held for a year until he grabbed an opportunity to become weekend sports anchor at Green Bay's WFRV-TV.
After a little more than a year at WFRV, Lance moved to Milwaukee to become a part of TODAY'S TMJ4's sports department. Today, he is the station's sports anchor, where he frequently covers the Packers. Allan is married, and the proud father of three children, including identical twin boys. He was named the Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year twice, in 2005 and 2012, by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Green, a running back who was obtained through a trade with Seattle in 2000, played eight seasons (2000-06, '09) with the Packers and finished as the club's all-time rushing leader with 8,322 yards. He also holds franchise records for most yards from scrimmage (11,048), 1,000-yard seasons (six), 100-yard games (33) and rushing attempts (1,851). From 2000-04, his total yards from scrimmage (9,036) and rushing yards (6,848) were an NFL high. In 2003, Green set the team's single-season rushing mark (1,883 yards), tied the NFL's second-longest run (98 yards) and set the franchise's single-season touchdown mark (20). Green also was a four-time Pro Bowl selection (2001-04).
Ruettgers, a first-round draft pick in 1985, played 12 years for the Packers (1985-96) and was a fixture at left tackle for more than a decade. Anchoring a line that helped establish a new championship era for the team, he was a dominant pass blocker for the likes of Don Majkowski and Brett Favre. Ruettgers authored a career that was among the longest for an offensive lineman in team history, appearing in 156 career games, with 140 starts. He earned team offensive MVP honors in 1989.
Tickets for the banquet, which begins with a cash bar at 4:30 p.m., with dinner and program to follow at 7 p.m., are $150 each. Tables of 10 also are available for $1,400 and are assigned in the order in which they are purchased. Early reservations are recommended. To purchase tickets, call Holly Borga at (920) 965-6986, or email her at hollyb@packershalloffame.com. No refunds are available 30 days prior to the event.
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. is a nonprofit corporation independent of the Green Bay Packers that guides the Hall as a historic national sports venue and educational resource to the Green Bay community and the state of Wisconsin. The Hall raises funds through its annual induction banquet, Golf Classic and other events to preserve the history of the Green Bay Packers and expand its archives. Historic memorabilia donated by individuals to the Hall may qualify as tax-deductible gifts.
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. Golf Classic is set for Monday, July 14, 2014, at The Bull in Sheboygan Falls, Wis.
Originally established in 1967 as a temporary display in the concourse of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, the Hall moved into its own facility in 1976 near Lambeau Field. In 2003, it relocated to the Lambeau Field Atrium. It is currently closed for the ongoing Atrium renovation project and will reopen in 2015. While the Packers Hall of Fame is closed, the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay will host a temporary exhibit with selected and additional never-seen-before items from the Hall's archives, which is scheduled to open on Saturday, April 5, 2014.
Fans may still experience Packers history though stadium tours and other youth programs. Additionally, groups interested in booking tours and those seeking additional information are asked to call 920-569-7512 or visit the Hall online at www.packers.com/hof.
