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Wednesday April 24, 2024
Green Bay Packers Bring Tailgate Tour To Escanaba

ESCANABA---The Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour rolled into Escanaba Tuesday night as the team kicked off its community outreach program for the year.

The Packers appeared at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in an event to raise money for Escanaba's Lakestate Industries, which provides job opportunities for people with disabilities in Delta County.

Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby.
The team rolled in on a large bus that literally made its way into the Ruth Butler Building, where a sellout crowd of more than 1,000 was waiting. Three current players, three former Packers, and President/CEO Mark Murphy were on hand for the event.

"It's cool," Packer kicker Mason Crosby said about the turnout. "It's awesome how many people come out to support us and come down to our games.

"It's great to be able to come up here and show our appreciation and to see all of these faces."

"I believe that 85-to-90 percent of the Upper Peninsula's football fans cheer for us," Murphy said. "It's great to see. It's an important area for us."

It was an event for the whole family, with kids games set up, including a large inflatible Packer House. There was a small football field, complete with goalposts.


Packers team bus arrives at the U.P. tailgate party
And there was plenty of brats and hot dogs for dinner, and the Radio Results Network's T.J. Ryan was the emcee for the four-hour-long event.

The current players were kicker Mason Crosby, cornerback Jarrett Bush, and linebacker Brad Jones. Packer alumni included Hall of Fame quarterback Lynn Dickey, tight end Paul Coffman, and wide receiver James Lofton.

Packers players throw footballs to UP fans.
There was a short "question and answer" period, where fans could ask questions of the players. One fan asked about the health of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who sat out nearly half of last season with a collarbone injury.

"He is 100 percent. He's fine," Murphy said to a loud cheer from the crowd. "He healed completely and he should not have any problems with his collarbone."

One fan asked about comparing players from different eras of NFL football. Coffman, who played for the Packers from 1978 to 1985, said there's a big difference.

"The whole offensive line, the whole defensive line is 300 (pounds), and everyone has that one 350 pound guy," Coffman said. "If you had one receiver who ran a 4-3 '40', which we did, you were blessed.


Alternative content

Former Packer Paul Coffman Compares Football Eras
"Now, you have almost all of your receivers who run 4-3, 4-4 '40s'. I think the players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster."

Another fan asked whether the Packers will retire the uniform number of Brett Favre, who was the team's quarterback from 1992 to 2007.

"It's really just a question of timing," Murphy said. "We will retire his number. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 2016. So we hope to retire his number prior to that."

Packers fans cheer and wait for footballs.
So, what about the upcoming football season? The team will report to spring practice and mini-camps next week? Crosby is confident.

"We have to start developing our team and see what our chemistry is going to be for another year, those kind of things," Crosby said. "I think we're gonna be good. We've been building something for a long time, and we have a good core of players."

The NFL Draft is coming up shortly. Murphy says that the Packers are still weighing their options to see which positions they might be targeting.

"It's a long process," Murphy said. "We start when the season ends, and our scouts go out and evaluate talent. I guess the way I look at it, we want the draft to come to us, rather than us 'drafting to need'."

All of the Packers thought the event was a success, and a priviledge to be a part of.


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Packer Kicker Mason Crosby Interview
"I just like to come back and say thanks," Crosby said. "Thanks for supporting me these past seven years. It's an opportunity to see the people that come to our games.

"It's a fun event, a fun tour. I got to spend time with a lot of really good guys."

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to listen to comments from Murphy, Crosby, and Coffman...and to see photos and videos from Tuesday night's Tailgate event in Escanaba.

The Green Bay Packers Tai;gate Tour bus arrives inside Escanaba's Ruth Butler Building Tuesday night.








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