W. Curt Vincent
Editor
Christmas has come early.
At exactly 3:02 p.m. on Monday, I became a professional sports team owner.
It’s a dream and an effort that has taken me more than 20 years to accomplish, but now I can put my name on the list along with the likes of Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter.
My slice of ownership is with the Green Bay Packers, and I am now one of only 361,300 stakeholders. Mine is No. PACK093119.
I have one share, and to me, it’s worth the weight of Gilbert Brown in gold.
I’ve always been a Packers fan as far back as I can remember. Despite being a youngster living in Upstate New York, I was all about Jerry Kramer, Paul Hornung, Boyd Dowler, Don Hutson, Donnie Anderson, Max McGee, Forest Gregg, Bart Starr and, of course, Vince Lombardi. I even learned about Tony Canadeo, who played for the Packers from 1941 t0 1952 before covering Packers games for CBS. Plus, no Green Bay fan worth his weight in Wisconsin brats doesn’t also know the story about Earl “Curly” Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun.
And even during the lean years following the Packers wins in the first two Super Bowls, I stayed a loyal fan during the David Whitehurst, Eddie Lee Ivory, James Lofton, Zeke Bratkowski, Don Majkowski, and John Brockington eras.
Thankfully, after 24 years of struggles, things began to turn around when the Packers traded with Atlanta to get quarterback Brett Favre. Reggie White and Sterling Sharpe and Darren Sharper and Dorsey Levens and Robert Brooks and Antonio Freeman and Donald Driver and Leroy Butler (inventor of the Lambeau Leap) and Ahman Green and Greg Jennings and Edgar Bennett followed.
But my dream to become an owner of the Green Bay Packers didn’t bubble up until 1997, shortly after the team beat the New England Patriots 35-21 for the Super Bowl title. That same year the team sold stock in order to make renovations at the iconic Lambeau Field in Titletown. When things opened up, I utilized a telephone and computer blitz — for hours. All to no avail.
The price of a share of Packers stock then was $200, which I had gathered in the form of rolled change. When I missed out on that effort, I think that change was used for things like fast food, beer and laundry.
Fourteen long years later, the Packers sold more stock, this time at $250 a share.
This time, I had real paper money and a much-better telephone and computer.
I’m not gonna lie … a tear fell when I was once again shut out.
When the Packers put 300,000 shares of stock up for sale last month, I was on the fence. I wasn’t ready to go through the process a third time and fail. But when my wife said, “just do it,” well … I did it.
Using just a computer, a sent in my request on Nov. 16 for one share along with my credit card number. Apparently those numbers mean more to those in charge than rolled change or paper money. Perhaps the Packers are in the same boat as places like Walmart and Dollar General and just about every other retail place that insists on debit or credit cards because there is a change shortage.
Who actually HAS all that change?
Anyway, two weeks after my request, I received an email telling me it was received and I would be notified if there were any processing issues. I knew the money was there, so I just assumed they were checking to see if I were previously a hated Bears fan or had any kind of DNA link with the replacement referees who worked the Green Bay vs. Seattle game in September 2012.
The answers? Never and no.
On Monday, the team notified me that my Green Bay Packers, Inc. common stock certificate order was processing and would be on its way shortly. It arrived Thursday.
“You have joined the NFL’s most storied organization, world champions a record 13 times,” Mark H. Murphy, president and CEO of the Packers, wrote to me. “… the Packers are the greatest story in sports.”
I agree wholeheartedly, Mark.
My dollars, just a mere drop in the bucket of the $90 million being raised by the sale of 300,000 shares, will help the Packers continue to enhance Lambeau Field with things like new video boards and stadium concourse upgrades.
Mark had one more message for me.
“I look forward to seeing you at Lambeau Field in July 2022 at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders,” he wrote.
There was no mention about a limo picking me up.
Guess I’d better get my vacation request in.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincent@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.