The media interviews Frank shortly after the announcement of his selection into the FAN Hall of Fame.  Green Bay Packers photo

Frank Lamping is latest inductee into distinguished group

Kelly O’Day
Packerland Titletown USA editor

First the Jumbotron, and now the Packers FAN Hall of Fame.

Frank Lamping is the 2017 inductee into the Green Bay Packers FAN Hall of Fan, a distinct tribute alongside the all-time great players, coaches and administrators in the Packers Hall of Fame.

“It’s the greatest honor in the world; to be chosen out of thousands and thousands, it just blows me away,” Frank gushed. “I was just overwhelmed and overjoyed.

“It’s like I’m dreaming and don’t want anyone to wake me up. I still don’t feel it’s real or true yet, but I guess it is. I’m ready for the season.”

Frank broke down at the announcement of his selection by Packers president Mark Murphy.

“I apologize. I can’t talk, which is unusual. I enjoy going; I get goosebumps just walking into Lambeau Field. It’s heaven to me. I love seeing it, I love being… I can’t believe this honor.

Balloons fly as Frank Lamping is named the 19th inductee to the Packers FAN Hall of Fame on Valentines Day.

“I have so many people to thank. I want to thank everybody! You guys are so good. To be honored with all the greatest fans in the world, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, … I want to thank, especially on Valentine’s Day, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Andrea. My family and all my friends. I’ve got so many friends, I’ve made so many new friends with this ‘Go, Frank, Go’ (campaign), and I’ve rekindled so many friendships.

“This is the biggest honor in the world, so I appreciate it very much.”

From Andrea’s point of view, “I was thrilled for him. It’s something he’s always wanted. I’ve been along for the whole ride.”

“People come up to Frank and say, ‘Hey, you’re that guy I’ve seen on TV. What did you do?’ or, ‘You’re that guy, can I take a picture with you?’ One girl took a picture with him and said, ‘I’m really star struck!’ I never thought of it that way. (Frank) must be a celebrity of some sort.”

Frank will likely run through Round 2 of his celebrity phase when the season starts, when he’s reunited with his second family at Lambeau. There’s sure to be a festive atmosphere surrounding one of their favorite fans being inducted into the rarified echelon of the Packers FAN Hall of Fame.

He felt part of that on selection day, when he was accompanied by a crowd, hoping he would be picked as the 19th inductee.

“I knew I could only have nine and myself go into the media room,” Lamping explained. “We loaded a bus with over 50 people, probably to go into the Atrium and watch it on Facebook Live. When we got there, I gave them a list of names with 13 on it, since I had sisters and brothers-in-law coming from out of town. Walking down, I hear a ruckus. Here the whole busload was behind us and they ushered them into the media room, which isn’t that big. All the chairs were taken, so they were standing all around. It was jammed.”

Andrea added, “It’s been a wild ride. There was so much support from our community, all our friends coming together. This is the most fun we’ve had in a long, long time. All our friends wanted to come along and be a part of it. I just can’t explain how much fun it was.”

Murphy noticed, too. As he surveyed the crowd that attended the unveiling of the newest name, he said, “This is unbelievable. This is by far the biggest… well, give yourselves a round of applause.”

While the support was heartwarming, it brought a sort of pressure to Frank.

“They took a day off just to be at Lambeau with me,” he stated. “If I didn’t get it I would have felt so let down.

“When Mark Murphy read my name, all the weight came right off my shoulders. All that time and effort was not for naught. Everyone was cheering and so excited. It was a beautiful moment; probably the greatest day of my life other than my wedding day.”

Don Schauf, the friend whose nomination was accepted by the Packers, discussed that bus ride.

“On the bus ride up, there was a lot of joyous anticipation, a lot of confidence,” he said. “It was as if we were going to a sporting event and we were going up there to win.

“On the way home, there was a lot of adult celebration. Everybody did a lot of work down in the Grove and we were feeling good for all the work we had done, yet realizing it was all about Frank.”

Of course, Frank has an extensive fan cave.   Jennifer Eisenbart/Southern Lakes Newspapers photo

His friends felt a portion of the thrill.

“I’ve been to the Ice Bowl and been to a lot of Packer events, but I don’t think anything made me feel better than that day,” his brother-in-law Doug Nelson said. “He’s just deserving. It would have been a shame if he hadn’t been picked, with all due respect to the other great candidates. I’ve been a season-ticket holder (Green Package) for a long time and I’ve never seen anybody that’s as much of a fan as Frank. He has left a lot of good tailgating parties early to get into the game. It’s just part of who he is. If there’s an autograph signing a two-hour drive away, Frank will go. He’ll go anywhere, anytime, to be with any Packers.”

“There is really nothing like that event,” Schauf said. “Well, I had two kids, so … I saw it coming, but there was still a flood of emotions to see the reactions of all his friends.”

Frank had no idea how all-encompassing the award would be, with the side perks and responsibilities.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” he stated. “It’s just crazy. I went to the state capitol and the state representatives gave me the Hometown Hero Award.

“I’ve been talking to kids at the elementary schools. One teacher was kind enough to give me the reports they wrote after my message to follow their dreams. This whole experience has been wild. I’m going to be the Grand Marshall of the Union Grove 4th of July parade, and they had some thank-you rallies in Union Grove. It’s just a crazy, overwhelming experience. To be in the hall of fame was my dream, and all this extra is just a blessing. It’s neat if I can be an influence in (kids’) lives. It’s just heartwarming.”

One of Frank’s biggest thrills was reading the reports written up by second-grade students after his appearance at their school. Their teacher put them up on the Go Frank Go Facebook page.
His message to them is to follow their dreams – since he knows first-hand dreams can come true – to make lots of friends and stay close to your family. Nothing earth-shattering, but an important, yet winsome, message just the same.

“The community is behind Frank,” Schauf said. “Just the pep rally at the bank had more than 300 people show up in the middle of the day. When I created the Facebook page, within two weeks we were up to 800 people and within three weeks we were up to 1,000. Now there are 1,800. Now, with Frank going to the schools, he’s having an impact on the next generation of kids. It’s just overwhelming.”

Frank was presented with a Wisconsin Hometown Hero Award by the Wisconsin assembly and Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) on March 7. Vos is on the right and State Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) is on the left.   Greg Anderson/State Capitol photo

Wait, what?

The honor came as a surprise to 60-year-old Frank, although he had hoped one day to be inducted. As far back as the late ‘90s he wondered if he would have a chance, but felt the competition was too stiff with living fans who had attended the Ice Bowl in the running.

“I didn’t even know I was (nominated),” Frank stated. “A friend of mine (Schauf) and my niece (Dana Bower) both nominated me. On Dec. 15, my buddy said, ‘The Packers have contacted me and you’re a top-10 finalist.’ I started crying.

“The whole community got behind (the) Go Frank Go (campaign). The community I live in is just a wonderful place. Out of 60,000 votes, I got 40,000 of them. The community voted. The schools voted. People from all over the world voted! And especially from the state of Wisconsin and around home. It was just a whirlwind.

“It turned out fantastic.”

The following should be in a sidebar next to this section

Don Schauf told the back story behind his relationship with Frank and his nomination, the one accepted by the Packers for top-10 voting.

“I’ve known Frank since high school. My dad was a teacher, football coach and athletic director. I grew up at the school, and Frank was six years older. On varsity football, Frank was a high-motor guy. On my dad’s track team, he was the Player of the Year, not because he was a great athlete, just because of his attitude.

“He’s always been a friend of mine. You can’t miss his affection for the Packers. All of us got caught up in the Super Bowl run in ‘94-’96. We had been thinking about Frank being in the FAN Hall of Fame from the beginning because he’s the biggest fan we know. The only bigger fan than Frank was (first inductee) Mel Knoke.

“At the Union Grove Lions Clubs barbecue in June of ‘16, people said, ‘We’ve really got to nominate Frank this year.’

“I made a calendar reminder, and when I got the reminder I found the nominations hadn’t opened yet. I went back the next day, and they still hadn’t opened. At the time I was relocating my company (Catch-22 Creative) from Racine to Milwaukee, and completely forgot about it.

“A month later, I got a text from my daughter (Lizz Tyler): ‘Dad, have you nominated Frank?’ I texted back, ‘Have they opened nominations, yet?’ She said, ‘Dad, they close tomorrow.’ I stopped what I was doing and wrote a nomination on the spot.

“It came down to one text message or none of this would have happened.”
Voting was held on Packers.com for the month of January. Nearly 350 nominations were tendered, Packers staff narrowed it down to 10 finalists, and opened it up to voting.

Coincidentally, Frank’s birthday is Aug. 14, the day long pointed to as the founding day of the Packers back in 1919. Early books mention it as the birth day – the day they organized and the day Curly Lambeau was selected as team captain – although Aug. 11 is now being recognized by the Packers through historian Cliff Christl.

Frank Lamping hangs out in the front row with his little buddy, Aaron Rodgers. Lamping was selected the 19th member of the Packers FAN Hall of Fame this year.

What’s up, Doc?

One of the wildest stories to come out of the whole deal is how Frank postponed a serious surgery to make sure he could keep his perfect streak alive of attending games at Lambeau.

Frank was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, and needed surgery.

“The doctor told me he scheduled it for a Monday and I didn’t think much of it at the time,” Frank explained. “My wife was reading the schedule and said ‘They’ve got you scheduled for prep at 11 (a.m.) on Sunday.’ I said, ‘Doc, I’ve got to postpone.’ He said, ‘I don’t think we should do that.’ I told him I’m not going to miss it. I can’t wreck my record of going to games because of a goofy surgery.”

So what’s the truth behind that statement? Frank has never missed a home game? Since he’s been born?

“It’s been kind of blown out of proportion,” he noted, saying he wanted to explain previously, but most of the stories were quick hits and sound bites that didn’t allow the full story he told here. “I’ve never missed a game of the Milwaukee package (created when the Packers left Milwaukee’s County Stadium after 1994). I’ve only missed a couple (home) games over the years. I’ve been to over 200-plus games, not consecutively, but it’s pretty close. In 22 years, I’ve only missed a few. If someone has a wedding planned for a day the Packers play at Lambeau, I tell them not to count on us. My whole life is scheduled around Packers games.

“For my Milwaukee package, I’ve never missed a game ever! For the Green Bay package, I’m all over the place. For the Milwaukee package, I call them our neighbors, our friends. It’s a little family group. We send Christmas cards to some of them. It’s a blast, not kind of fun.”

Even after all those years and games, it’s hardly boring.

“I have to go to Lambeau,” Frank said. “I get goose bumps. I get excited tears of joy every time I take the walkway down from the concourse into the stadium. It takes my mind off my cancer. It’s a great getaway, for sure.”
With that type of home record, you could imagine Frank has been to many road contests. You’d be wrong, but his reasoning fits right in with the Frank many have come to know and love, rooted in courtesy.

“I’ve never been to an away game,” he noted. “It bothers me seeing opposing colors in our stadium, and I don’t want to subject other teams’ fans to me being there.”

Frank poses beside a Packers helmet snow sculpture he constructed in January of 1996.   Racine Journal Times photo

Positive in the face of trials

So what has Frank endured due to his cancer diagnosis?

“I had surgery and had my prostate out, had a bunch of other stuff out, including lymph nodes,” Lamping mentioned.

“We went with radiation, then chemotherapy. The cancer then moved into my bones. There were two spots on my ribs, but they’re down to almost nothing. This is my last chemotherapy for some time.

“I take it day-by-day. I thank God every day I keep it on the green side of the grass. I want to stay on the green side. I thank God I’m still here to enjoy my wife, family and friends.”

In fact, Frank was receiving that chemotherapy treatment throughout the entire lengthy interview, and never descended into a blue or down mood. Just the opposite, he was excited and his good spirits were infectious.

“He’s a very positive person,” Andrea said. “Even the doctor just said that. He’s always in a good mood, always pleasant. I don’t see him crabby ever. He’s down once in a awhile, but not really. Life throws you a curve ball, you just keep going.”

Nelson backs that up.

“The cancer is just a tiny road block for Frank and he just drives through it,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone so upbeat, 24 hours a day. His cancer takes a back seat to anything else. For him, from my perspective, he doesn’t even have cancer because anything else in his family is paramount to his cancer.”

Schauf noted, “You hate to think you go through life taking for granted what people do for you. With Frank, everyone knows all the things he does, from being Lions Club president, from slinging spaghetti, to flipping pancakes to serving as the blacksmith, Frank was always the champion for so many things. We call him the pillar of the community. But you can take pillars for granted. The thing about Frank’s cancer is people started to appreciate all he does for the community. This campaign was a small way to repay Frank for all he had done for 40 years.

“He always considers others before himself. It makes you look at yourself. He doesn’t ever complain about this cancer stuff.

“I actually just talked to him (Apr. 3) and he seemed to have a lot of energy. But you never know with cancer; it’s sneaky. I don’t think Frank takes for granted one day of living. His cancer appears to be shrinking and his oncologist gives a lot of credit for that to Frank’s attitude.”

My conversation with Frank was interrupted a couple of times by other cancer patients wishing him well.

“It’s heartwarming, each and every time,’’ Frank noted.

As you can imagine, cancer treatments can be devastatingly expensive, and the kind of friends and community surrounding Frank would want to help.

“My nephew and niece, Kevin and Dana Bower, got the Go Frank Go shirts done and raised $2,500,” Frank said.

“Everyone wanted to donate to my hospital bills, which was nice, but I said, ‘Let’s give it to Relay For Life.’ We raised over $7,000 all together.”

Schauf joked, “It means one of two things. Either he has a huge heart or he’s filthy rich. No, it’s his huge heart.”
Included in the monies raised was an expensive cheesecake, made by Cary Thompson, a Racine County Sheriff. It was auctioned off at the Thank You To The Community Party on February 26 at the Ironwood Chop House in Union Grove. The party raised $3,700 for Relay For Life.

“The cheesecake went for $2,000.00. Everyone who had a piece said that it was worth every penny!” Frank joked.

This cheesecake was purchased for $2,000 at the Thank You To The Community Party on Feb. 26. From left, are: Bower Design & Construction owner Eugene Bower, Frank Lamping, Cary Thompson and Flowers At The Inn owner Julie Moyer. Bower and Moyer chipped in for the dessert.   Dana Bower photo

Lambeau Field South?

Or how about the transplanted patch of Lambeau grass Frank tends by hand in his own backyard, a full 4 feet by 16 feet?

“I have one section of Lambeau Field from the sale of Frozen Tundra in 1997 between the 49er game and the Carolina game,” he noted. “I bought about 20 total pieces.

“After a while, they put down Sports Grass I. I think it was in 1997. It was sod interwoven with nylon cords. This was very slippery when wet. They took this off of Lambeau and put it in the parking lot. I drove up to Lambeau and put a very large piece in my van and drove home.

“Then they installed Sports Grass II. I think it was in 1998. This was not supposed to be slippery, but it was! They tore that out and put it in the parking lot. I drove up to Lambeau and put a very large piece in my van and drove home.

“I have to cut the grass with a scissors/clippers. The reason is that there is a nylon weave in Sports Turf I and Sports Turf II. The first time that I mowed it, the blades of my push mower got tangled up with the nylon weave. I don’t want to ruin Lambeau Field South, so I cut it by hand.”

This still was pulled from a Channel 12 WISN TV video of Frank tending his backyard Lambeau sod strip by hand.

Frank heard about the turf being discarded on TV or radio, but it was enough to make him jump into his van and try to procure some. It paid off.

Jumbotron

Lamping was nicknamed “Jumbotron” by his buddies from Union Grove, Wis., – where he hails – due to his frequent appearances on the big boards of Lambeau Field.

“It came from a good friend of Don Schauf and myself, Dave Moyer – he has the Milwaukee package, too,” Frank said. “Every game it seemed I ended up on the Jumbotron sometime.”

His unique visage in the front row with a Packers hard hat, Ty Detmer size 11 game-worn shoes and omnipresent winning smile, along a small Packer figurine taped to the railing of his front-row seat in the southwest portion of the stadium, led to those big-screen showings.

He even caught my attention at a game, as much for his happy demeanor as his figurine, and his photo appeared among the Packer fan photos in the Sept. 2016 issue of Packerland Titletown USA.

“When it’s game time, I put on my hard hat, and bring along my Packers Title Towel from 1996, when we won the Super Bowl,” Frank said. “A lot of people don’t know about the towel. It’s different from the ones they have now. It’s been through snow, rain, mud. I have my Aaron Rodgers figurine. He comes to every game. I had a Brett Favre. Brett’s gone, so I got an Aaron Rodgers.

“A camera man once asked if he could borrow him, put my man on the ground, with the huddle in the background with the real Aaron Rodgers. My Aaron Rodgers’ figure was on TV, so now he’s famous, too.”
A fan this dedicated is likely to pick up more than one nickname.

“A lot of fans call me Hard-Hat Frank,” Frank said. “My sister (Peggy Czerniak) went to a game and couldn’t find me, and described me to a guy. He said, ‘You mean Hard-Hat Frank? He’s right over there.’ This guy was about 30 rows away.”

A student of the game

So did Andrea Lamping, Frank’s wife of 34 years, follow the Packers before she hooked up with this super fan?

“No, I‘ll be honest,” Andrea said. “I didn’t know anything about football. I really learned when our nephews were in youth football league. They play kind of slow, so I was able ask questions and figure it out. Once I understood it, I really liked it. Growing up there were four girls in our house, so luckily we didn’t have to watch sports.

“When I met Frank, it was all about Frank. He’s just got one of those personalities. People gravitate to him.”

Helping out

A portion of Schauf’s nomination papers attested:

“Beyond his devotion to the team, what qualifies Frank as the ultimate ambassador for the Packers is the way he embodies the Packers Way. Frank continues to battle cancer, but at the same time has not wavered in his devotion to his community just as he has not wavered in his devotion to the Packers. He has not slowed in his volunteering or enthusiasm for life. Frank truly embodies all that is good about the Green Bay Packers and is unquestionably deserving of a position in the Fan Hall of Fame.”

The volunteering Don refers to is varied and extensive. Frank is president of the Lion’s Club he has been a member of for 28 years and runs the Pun, Pass and Kick competition. He’s part of Union Grove’s History Seekers, along with two genealogy groups.

His Relay For Life team – from the American Roller Company where he works as accounts manager – raised more than $25,000 last year, and Frank estimates he has been a part of that team for 15-17 years. He’s the resident blacksmith for a throwback village, and helps out with clean up days and adopt-a-highway.

“It’s all good stuff,” Frank said. “My wife says I have sap written on my forehead. I volunteer whenever somebody needs me.”

Some might say Frank is the one who needs a volunteer, but that’s not how Frank sees it.

“I just lead a blessed life,” he says. “I’m happy to do it. The people I help feel good, but I feel so much joy from helping them.”

Nelson adds, “Frank is so bubbly and energetic. He always want to help everyone. A perfect example is when we were at the Ask Vic Day golf outing, playing a best ball, Frank is the one riding around picking up everyone’s golf balls.

“He’s one of the most fun people I’ve ever met. When we go to Lambeau, he knows all the ushers, security, the media people. Now that he knows Mark Murphy, I asked him how many times he’s called him. ‘Only twice,’ he said.

“I’ve never seen any community that’s pulled behind him the way Union Grove did. There’s a local historian named Jerry Karwowski, who was on the show American Pickers. That would have made him the hero of Union Grove for years. Instead he took a back seat to Frank. When the Union Grove Chamber of Commerce asked Frank to be the Grand Marshall of the 4th of July parade, Frank was talking about how Jerry is being overlooked. I think he asked if Jerry can be the co-Grand Marshall. He’s always looking out for somebody else. How do you not vote for him?”

Best of times, worst of times

Fans like the Lampings have favorite games and Frank’s no exception. His best choices boil down to some of the following.

“The last game at (Milwaukee’s) County Stadium, where Favre dove over the goal line to beat Atlanta,” is one, according to Frank. “I’m going to see Donald Driver (March 23). The game with his signature catch against the 49ers.

Every 49er on the team was jumping on his back. I got to be there for that.

“One of the luckier games of all time, against Minnesota in the rain, when Antonio Freeman caught the ball on his back. That play was right in front of us. That was so exciting. We knew something was up when he jumped up and seemed so sure as he ran into the end zone. We went to the playoff game against Detroit when they held Barry (Sanders) to -1 yard. That was unbelievable.

“We are so fortunate to have two MVP quarterbacks back-to-back. There was Montana-Young, but that was only for a couple of years. We’ve been spoiled, but we can’t waste it. We need to win another Super Bowl.”

It’s not hard to figure the most-hated contests.

“I hate (the Seattle NFC Championship game in 2014) and Super Bowl 32,” Frank said disgustedly. “Those are the two. I can’t stand to see Denver at all.

“The only good thing about the Super Bowl when Seattle played in it instead of us was the one-yard pass that got intercepted. It was a little bit of revenge. I hate to say it, but it made me feel better.”

The Big D

Frank not only makes it a point to be in Green Bay on Game Day, he also felt it necessary to travel all the way to Dallas for Super Bowl XV – even though he and Andrea didn’t have tickets. Oh, and there was that little issue with a massive rain/sleet/ice storm that crippled a large portion of Oklahoma with conditions that are generally a complete unknown for southern residents, especially their drivers.

“I’m so glad we did it,” Frank said. “We had airline tickets, but no ticket to get into the game. I knew there was a slim chance we could get into the game.

“Then we had that great big Groundhog Day snow. I’m plowing the driveway the day we’re supposed to fly out, Feb. 2, 2011. My wife came out and said, ‘They cancelled our flight.’ It turns out we can’t fly out until Saturday night; that’s too late. I made up my mind. I’m going to drive. I told my wife, ‘You’re more than welcome to come with, honey, or stay home.’

“I drove right straight through and it was terrible. There was only one lane and it wasn’t just the right lane or left lane, it went back and forth from one side to the other. All over there were trucks, cars, in the ditch. We got to Oklahoma, it was our worst state. It was so bad with ice and they didn’t have any salters. They had only two trucks for salting and they were in the ditch on their side. The road was like going over a plowed field. The top speed was 15 mile per hour across Oklahoma. It took six hours longer than it should have.

“But once we got there, it was so much fun. We went to all the events in the NFL experience and went to a couple of Packer bars where they had Dorsey Levens and Santana Dotson. I had one-on-one contact with them.
“Dave Robinson was supposed to be at this bar and it was 11 o’clock and it was jammed. We asked, ‘Is Dave still here?’ “Yeah, in the back.’

“We go back there and nobody is around him. We talked to him for well over half an hour. Such an intelligent, engaging guy.

“For the actual game we went over to (Andrea’s) cousin’s house. We’re watching the game and I’m getting nervous. It’s the fourth quarter and the Steelers are only down by six, I’m scared to death. On that fourth-down play, the pass is blocked and I’m bawling my eyes out. There was an 8-year-old at the party and he’s asking, ‘Why is he crying?’

“My wife and hopped in the van and went over to the hotel, thinking maybe we would see some Packers. It was cold, in the 30’s and we didn’t have warm enough clothes. We waited and waited, but didn’t see anyone. We scheduled a tour of Dallas stadium for Monday morning. I grabbed a lot of confetti and streamers that they shot off.”

With an experience like that, was Frank repeating one from Super Bowl XXXI?

“No, I wish I would have,” he offered. “It would have been a blast. That team was a wilder bunch than our current team and it was held in New Orleans, which is a wilder city than Dallas.

“Now that I went to 45, I’m never going to miss going to the city of a Super Bowl the Packers play in. Every Packer fan should experience that. Thirty-one kind of bothered me. I kicked myself in the butt for not going.”

A healthy Bart Starr tells Frank he will be back in a moment to autograph Frank’s Bart Starr jersey, back in 2008.

Bart is best

Out of all his experiences, the one that means the most to Frank was the time a healthy Bart Starr, nearly signed his childhood jersey, just before an early-season game the alumni attended.
Run Bart Starr photo near this section.

“I was hanging over the railing calling to him and he walks over,” Frank remembered of that day, Sept. 21, 2008. “I said Hi, Bart, handed my Sharpie to him. He was about to sign when a security guard came over, said ‘Bart, we’ve got to get going,’ and ushered him off. It was still such a thrill, talking to him and Bart had the pen in his hand. It was so close. It was heaven. He was my childhood hero.

“He is such a leader. To me he is the best quarterback ever. I may be biased, but (Tom) Brady has five championships in 16 years and Bart had five in seven years.”

Recalling the near-signing took Frank back to those boyhood days.

“I’ve still got this jersey I had when I was 7-8 years old. I wore it all the time – Bart Starr, number 15. My mom would say, ‘I’ve got to wash it, it stinks.’ She would wash it, hang it on the line and I’d run over and wear it wet,” he recalled.
Game Day

So what can you expect from the Lampings on a typical game day?

“It’s an all-day affair. We leave at six in the morning (for a noon game),” Lamping laid out. “We get up there about 8:30 and park on the lawn of a resident where we’ve been parking for 18 years, right on the south side of Lambeau. I put on my Ty Detmer shoes. If it’s a cold game, I dress for that. I get out my hard hat and my towel. I even get out a magaphone now, for yelling ‘Defense!’ all game.

“I have four tickets, and when we get there I tell whoever’s with us. I’m not going to tailgate. You’re welcome to do so. I’m going inside 2-1/2 hours before the game. I have a routine.

“The gates open at 10, and I get in line at 9:15 so I’m first in line. I talk to security and the police and the people around me. Slowly, but surely, it’s 10 o’clock. They zap my ticket, I grab a roster sheet and run down to my south end zone. I’m the first one in the stadium. I know most of the guys down there, again it’s a family affair. The Packers come out, the other team comes out.

“I catch footballs off the net and find little girls or boys and tell them I’m going to get you a ball. You can’t keep it, but

I tell their parents to get ready with the camera. I probably get 7-10 footballs a game and the kids just love it. I can only imagine a 5-,10-, 11-year-old kid, going to one of their first games, getting to touch a real NFL football.

“I’ll even do it for kids rooting for the other team. I ask them, ‘Do they do this at your stadium?’ They say, ‘No way!’ I tell them, ‘That’s why you should become a packer fan!’ ”

Frank isn’t on the field for this, he’s in the front row and pulls the kicking net a bit to the side to accomplish his altruistic feat.

He did get on the field pre-game as an ambassador for the Brett Favre retirement ceremony.

“The great part of that was I hear a golf cart and Bart and Cherry Starr are in it,” Frank said. “Bart was paralyzed a little bit. I called out, ‘Hey, Bart!’ but I couldn’t leave my spot and go over there. It was great having my boyhood hero 30 feet away from me.”
This year’s finalists

The other finalists for induction this year were: John Powers, from Savage, Minn.; Rosemary Scheible, from Wauwatosa, Wis.; Kay Kuester Doran, from Antigo, Wis.; Karen Troyanek, from LaCrosse, Wis.; Carol Postulka, from Pierre, S.D.; LaNore Anderson, from Thorp, Wis.; Mike Sledz, from Grayslake, Ill.; George Oudhuis, from Rolling Prairie, Ind.; and Terry Schwefel, from Watertown, Wis.

Past inductees

The previous 18 honorees, in order of induction, include: Mel Knoke, Appleton, Wis.; Louis Gardipee, Black River Falls, Wis.; Ed Jablonski, Wausau, Wis.; Paul Mazzoleni, Green Bay; Wanda Boggs, Brookfield, Wis.; Sister Isaac Jogues Rousseau, Milwaukee; Dorothy Hanke, Milwaukee; Kathy Lazzaro, Milwaukee; Rich Barbera, River Vale, N.J.; Richard ‘Ike’ Eisenhauer, Wauwatosa, Wis.; Allan Hale, Green Bay; Jim Becker, Racine, Wis.; Tom Little, Mount Sterling, Ill; Rick Steele, Greensburg, Pa; Edward Fritsch, Sheboygan, Wis.; Vivian Scherf-Laabs, Cedarburg, Wis., Steve Schumer, Gillette, N.J. and Pat Nevala, from Menomonie, Wis.
Your prize package

The prize package for Lamping features four club seats to a 2017 Packers home game; a $500 Packers Pro Shop gift certificate; a road trip for two to a 2017 Packers away game (including game tickets, air fare and hotel accommodations); and a one-year subscription to Packers Plus. Lamping also will have his name permanently displayed in a place of honor in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

The Green Bay Packers established the Packers FAN Hall of Fame in 1998 for the purpose of annually honoring a devout and longtime Packers fan.
Video link
The link to the video on the Packers web site for the selection of the 19th member of the Packers FAN Hall of Fame was posted on on packers.com on Valentine’s Day and can be found here:

www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-announce-19th-member-of-Packers-FAN-HOF/1ad01090-0663-4bde-bc70-d5fd7aae54a2