Coaches wanted to coach him, player's dreamed of playing with him and kids just dream of being him. Mister endurance, the enigmatic professor of football, Brett Favre, this thanksgiving will begin the road to the NFL Hall of Fame by celebrating his nineteen year career in one of the toughest sports going, the National Football League.
The Green Bay Packers will retire Brett Favre's number during a special ceremony against the Bears on thanksgiving, the biggest day of the Football Calendar.
Favre was the longest serving player in the NFL and certainly the most sort after. His career spanned three decades with enough highs and lows to create a blockbuster Hollywood film. Originally Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round, 33rd overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf traded a first-round pick for Favre during the following offseason.
Favre plied his trade in Green Bay for sixteen seasons turning a small town team into one of the most successful franchises in U.S. sporting history. His ability to work under immense pressure with relative ease brought the best out of himself and his teammates.
In 1996 Favre delivered the Green Bay with the ultimate prize, a Super Bowl victory beating the seemingly unbeatable force that was the New England Patriots. Over the coming years Favre continually etched his name into the record books in all categories for Quarterbacks. All major sporting media outlets unanimously labelled him the greatest franchise player of all time.
In late 2007 the Green Bay Packers and the wider NFL community joined together to begin commemorating what was one of the greatest careers of all time. Favre, holding every single record in rushing and passing in the NFL quarterback position was deemed a definite Hall of Famer in waiting.
Favre, now a grandfather had one more twist left to his stellar career. Blindsiding all those around him by signing with Green Bay enemy number one, the New York Jets. The entire nation stood in shock at Favre's decision to continue at age 40 in one of the most brutal sports that is played.
Favre had another record setting season with the Jets before signing on with the Minnesota Vikings to have one more tilt at a Super Bowl Victory. This will surely be Brett Favre's final season in what is the most decorated career in NFL history.
Although most fans in general have a supreme healthy hate for the Minnesota Vikings, they will have a wide spread of closet fans dreaming of a glorious finishes to an illustrious career that can only be described as the "Brett Favre story." Brett's number being retired is the final step and a great one at that on the coveted road to a Hall of Fame nomination in 2016, for an athlete there is no greater accolade outside of team success than being sent to hall.
Josh Hinds is a school chaplain on the Gold Coast, a family man and PSI's IT professional. Josh is an experienced writer on international sport.
Josh Hinds' previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/joshua-hinds.html