Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

On the eve of his induction into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and the ceremony to retire his number, a few random thoughts about #4. Feel free to add your own.

* I would call him the most important player in Packers history and maybe the third-most important figure of any kind in the team’s history, after Lambeau and Lombardi. Trading for him was one link in a chain of events that turned the Packers’ fortunes around in the early ‘90s, but it was the most crucial link. The Packers have been a model franchise for the two decades since, after spending a quarter-century in the NFL ghetto. Favre set that in motion.

* He is one of the most riveting figures ever to put on an NFL uniform. Good, bad or ugly, it was almost impossible to take one’s eyes off him when he went under center. Remember the clip of a miked Randy Moss getting up from the bench to watch Favre work during a Packers-Vikings game? “That’s Favre out there! That’s Favre!”

* Is he the most-discussed athlete in history? I'd say he is. It’s partly because of the Internet and the prevalence of sport-talk outlets, but I’d bet that Favre has been talked about more than Ruth, Ali, Jordan and Pele combined. He was a source of fascination and frustration like few others.

* Any Green Bay fan who continues to fume about Favre going to the Vikings needs to grow up. Any Green Bay fan who still tries to rewrite history to minimize Favre's importance and his contributions to the Packers is a dolt, plain and simple. In the words of official Packers historian Cliff Christl, “When fans turned on Favre, I thought it was the most disgraceful moment in Packers history. And I think fans who are still unwilling to accept his place in the Packers’ storied history – maybe as the greatest player ever – continue to cheapen it.”

Citizen wrote:* Is he the most-discussed athlete in history? I'd say he is. It’s partly because of the Internet and the prevalence of sport-talk outlets, but I’d bet that Favre has been talked about more than Ruth, Ali, Jordan and Pele combined. He was a source of fascination and frustration like few others.

I don't think he's even in the ballpark. And not just compared to the guys you mentioned, but many others, like DiMaggio, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and so on.

If he' remains a topic of conversation 25-30 years from now, MAYBE he's even in the neighborhood, but he's barely on the radar now.

Citizen wrote:
* Any Green Bay fan who continues to fume about Favre going to the Vikings needs to grow up. Any Green Bay fan who still tries to rewrite history to minimize Favre's importance and his contributions to the Packers is a dolt, plain and simple. In the words of official Packers historian Cliff Christl, “When fans turned on Favre, I thought it was the most disgraceful moment in Packers history. And I think fans who are still unwilling to accept his place in the Packers’ storied history – maybe as the greatest player ever – continue to cheapen it.”

I've been a Packer fan for longer than almost anybody (I saw my first game in 1945, though I can't say I remember much about it), and I agree with this entirely.

I watched Favre's "retirement" press conference and I knew, from his demeanor and body language, that he wasn't ready to retire. I said so to many people. Obviously, the Packers pretty much forced him to retire because they felt Rodgers was ready but, at the same time, they didn't want Favre going to another team.

I still feel that the right thing would have been simply to cut him, as the Colts cut Manning, to give him a chance to sign with any team that wanted him. Of course, they feared the thought that he'd go to another team in their division, but that happened anyway with the way they mishandled the situation.

Bob Gill wrote:

Citizen wrote:* Is he the most-discussed athlete in history? I'd say he is. It’s partly because of the Internet and the prevalence of sport-talk outlets, but I’d bet that Favre has been talked about more than Ruth, Ali, Jordan and Pele combined. He was a source of fascination and frustration like few others.

I don't think he's even in the ballpark. And not just compared to the guys you mentioned, but many others, like DiMaggio, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and so on.

And not to forget, for reasons not related to his football career, OJ Simpson.

Rupert Patrick wrote:

Bob Gill wrote:

Citizen wrote:* Is he the most-discussed athlete in history? I'd say he is. It’s partly because of the Internet and the prevalence of sport-talk outlets, but I’d bet that Favre has been talked about more than Ruth, Ali, Jordan and Pele combined. He was a source of fascination and frustration like few others.

I don't think he's even in the ballpark. And not just compared to the guys you mentioned, but many others, like DiMaggio, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and so on.

And not to forget, for reasons not related to his football career, OJ Simpson.

Yep, and he's been in the news or on TV for close to a half-century. By 2115, somebody will likely put him near the top of the list of most notorious athletes.

Brett Favre will be topical longer than Zeke Mowatt but, sooner or later, everything peters out.

Favre was/is my favorite QB of my lifetime. Probably always will be.

Seemed that everyone in my middle school got braces at the same time, and it was popular to get all sorts of different colors. I was the only one with the custom clear bands - because that's what Favre had.

My first time playing on astroturf was my Soph. year of high school in the state playoffs, naturally I needed turf shoes - I got Favre's shoes.

Imagine I wasn't the only youth/middle school/high school QB in the 90's who imitated Favre (even wore #4 for a few games one year, and had my chinstrap like he did, and so on ... )

Have had Sunday Ticket for forever and with 3 TV's, the main TV option in the morning was always Favre, and I'd put the other best games on the other TV's. So for over half of his career I saw every play of every game. Outside of the Seahawks (obviously) there's very few players I was ever emotionally invested in and Favre was at the top of the list. Again, not counting Seahawks games, I don't think I've got more excited about anything than I did when Favre made a great play (got pretty fired up on his TD pass to Greg Lewis in 2009, for a prime example.)

My house is filled with nothing but football related stuff, mostly Seahawks of course but there's a dedicated area to Favre memorabilia: starting lineups, cards, MVP wheaties box, signed mini-helmet, magazine covers, etc ...

So yup, he's a legend in my book.

BD Sullivan wrote:If he' remains a topic of conversation 25-30 years from now, MAYBE he's even in the neighborhood, but he's barely on the radar now.

I really expected Favre to remain in the public eye after retirement. I thought he would wind up in the booth of either the Sunday or Monday night football telecasts, or at the very least be on the CBS or Fox Sunday pregame shows, but he chose to go back home to his family.

Coaching could have been an option. After retirement he probably could have been handed a head coaching job of a team with a vacancy if he so desired it. I think Van Brocklin was the last player to go directly from player to head coach upon retirement, and Favre had enough respect around the league that somebody would have given him a shot. It wouldn't have been the Packers but it might have been Jacksonville or somebody like that.

In a way, you have to respect that, he made tons of money playing football and made enough to live very comfortably for the rest of his life and chose his family over chasing more fame and more money. I cannot think of the last star of his magnitude who chose to disappear pretty much from the limelight after leaving the game since Barry Sanders.

Rupert Patrick wrote:

BD Sullivan wrote:If he' remains a topic of conversation 25-30 years from now, MAYBE he's even in the neighborhood, but he's barely on the radar now.

I really expected Favre to remain in the public eye after retirement. I thought he would wind up in the booth of either the Sunday or Monday night football telecasts, or at the very least be on the CBS or Fox Sunday pregame shows, but he chose to go back home to his family.

Coaching could have been an option. After retirement he probably could have been handed a head coaching job of a team with a vacancy if he so desired it. I think Van Brocklin was the last player to go directly from player to head coach upon retirement, and Favre had enough respect around the league that somebody would have given him a shot. It wouldn't have been the Packers but it might have been Jacksonville or somebody like that.

In a way, you have to respect that, he made tons of money playing football and made enough to live very comfortably for the rest of his life and chose his family over chasing more fame and more money. I cannot think of the last star of his magnitude who chose to disappear pretty much from the limelight after leaving the game since Barry Sanders.

I saw/see him as one of the least likely ex-players to get into coaching. He never came across to me as a guy who would want to spend 20 hours a day doing coach activities with 15 of those hours spent on very mundane stuff.