I Am Remembering Ray Nitschke Today

My favorite football player passed away 7 years ago today. I am a huge Packer fan, and Ray was my favorite. He and his wife gave back to the commuinity, and were very involved in the CP telethon for years. His wife Jackie passed away a few years before he did, and he was not the same after that, but at least he got to see his beloved Packers win a Super Bowl. Here's to you Ray. Thanks for the memories:)

Nitschke before the start of the Fox Cities Marathon about 15 years ago. He still looked imposing, but was a true gentleman in person.

Great football player, great man, 'nuff said.

Ray had his Super Bowl ring stolen shortly before he died? Someone, apparently from the Milwaukee area, took it, but said Ray gave it to them. Ray would have preferred cutting his arms & legs off to giving away his ring. He did have a habit of letting his fans try on the ring, and I suspect that this is how the person got the ring. Here's a related story:

I had a student (4th grade)a few years back. His older brother had recently committed suicide. Ray made an appearance at a local casino, and this boy got up early to go there and meet Ray. He came and told me all about it the next day. He said he was nice, but had a "big gravelly voice." He told me that Ray signed several items for the kid and let him try on his ring. This boy was in 7th heaven. It made his day. I regret that I never wrote and told Ray what this meant to this boy. Late that year, this boy had his bike stolen, and I bought one of his autographs (with mom's permission) for an amount that was far beyond the $ value, so he could get a bike, which he did.

Thought I'd share that with you.:)

Thanks for posting that.

Go stand in the corner, Mike.

He was a very fan-friendly person, always open to folks at America's Pack events. He was very devoted to his wife and devastated by her death

in Green Bay called Skips where Ray used to go for breakfast. He had a favorite stool at the counter and after he died, the management took the stool out so that the place on the counter would never be used. On the wall near the stool there's a Niztke jersey with his signature on it.

I can't remember the name of the road it's on, but it's on the same road as The Stadium View, Bret Farve's Steakhouse, the Day's Inn, and the Midway Motor Lodge

That used to be my stomping grounds durign the Green Bay Farm Show which was one of the biggest sales events of the year for me.....