Grew up in Detroit but the Lions mostly sucked.
The first game I ever sat down in front of the tv and watched in its entirety was when I was 12 and it was the notorious ice bowl where I became a big fan of the Packers and especially Bart Starr after his quarterback sneak on an icy 13 degrees below zero field to win the game and the championship.
He instantly became my childhood hero, I followed and cheered for Green Bay for years after that.
40 years later I found myself living in Hoover Alabama and I owned a retail store where Cherry Starr, his wife, happened to be one of my customers for a few years.
Together with her husband these were two of the most nicest, humble, unselfish giving people that ever walked on this planet.
One day they were both visiting another store in my small strip mall buying a ton of birdseed that they used to feed all the birds on their property and I saw him with her and froze.
I gathered up my nerve and walked over to them to say hello...something I had never done to any other celebrity before in my life.
I was shaking, it is rare when you actually get a chance to meet a childhood hero and I stammered hello, told him my name and stuck out my hand and said to him I had been a huge fan of his since the day I saw him score on that cold day in 1967.
He smiled, warmly greeted me and shook my hand and thanked me for being a fan.
I can still remember that moment to this day like it just happened.
He said he didn't have any with him at the moment but would I like an autographed picture of him and of course I was shocked and said sure.
A few days later a beautiful 8X10 pic showed up in my mail that was signed personally to me.
I almost cried when I saw and held it.
I have had and owned some cool things in my life but nothing comes close to this precious posession...nothing ever will.
Probably worth a few bucks, more so after he passed away, but I will own it until the day that I die.
You just never give up things that represent one of the greatest experiences and memories in your life.