Walk of Legends

Somewhere in the city of Green Bay lies a brick honoring Ron and Peggy Kostelnik.

We know it’s there because one day someone posted a picture of it on my Facebook wall. If you have seen this brick, or can provide me with its longitudinal coordinates, for the love of Lombardi, please send me a very specific description.

My sister Kathy, my mom and I spent a windy afternoon scouring the city for this brick, asked multiple official-looking people and came up with zilch.

We did, however, enjoy a lovely visit to a city that always makes us smile. On game day, Green Bay teems with life, smells like perfectly grilled brats and sounds like a party.

It’s so much quieter every other day of the year, but the spirit of that glorious team permeates it and you don’t have to work very hard to imagine its history and the bigger-than-life men who put it on the map.

Wander into Wally’s Spot Supper Club and order the prime rib, just like the players did back in the sixties after a big win. Listen carefully and Max McGee or Fuzzy Thurston will tell you a story you’ve heard a thousand times before. But, the way they tell it will make you laugh every time. Or, head over to Bay Family Restaurant for breakfast and order pancakes like the Kostelnik and Jordan families did on Monday mornings after weigh-in.

For a less ethereal stroll through Packer history, take the Walk of Legends. We did that too. Stretching mainly along Lombardi Avenue, the Walk of Legends offers 27 reasons Green Bay is the greatest franchise in NFL history.

It starts with PRIDE and rolls through DRIVE, POWER, TALENT, VALOR, VISION, GLORY, HONOR, FAITH, ESTEEM and SPIRIT and honors legendary players like Brett Favre, Paul Hornung, Johnny “Blood” McNally, Don Hutson and Bart Starr.

Of course, we stopped for photos when we spotted good ole number 77.

We’re heading up to Lambeau tomorrow for last pre-season game, where we intend to whoop it up with each other and all of the Packer faithful.

We’ll join the mighty throng of current fans gleefully cheering and we’ll listen carefully to the echo of all the memorable voices of those that have gone before.

Go Pack Go!