How do fans of losing teams do it?

[Poppa San]

What happened?

Chosen in 1999 by ESPN as the Greatest Game in the History of MNF.

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And when were the Gory Years?

Ah yes, the "Gory Years". From 1968 to 1994 we made the playoffs twice, after the 1972 and 1982 seasons. In 1982 we finally got our first playoff win since the second SB. 2 playoffs in 26 years. Still sold out the stadium every year and I still watched every game I could. But 26 years.

 

[GreenBaySlacker]

They make YouTube videos..

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Browns fan did this a while back I thought it was hilarious and hope to the high heavens I will never find myself in that same position.

You know it's statistically harder to be this bad, than to occasionally, accidentally win every once in a while. ... just wasting tax dollars, and using up prime lake frontage for this factory of sadness. Lol. Poor browns.

 

[Packer96]

What happened? And when were the Gory Years?

the 70's-80's, we were bad, but when we had ****ey we could score! just couldn't stop anybody from scoring on us though. We didn't get on Monday night much but those of us from that era remember the game, it was about all we had for about 10 years.

 

[swhitset]

Chosen in 1999 by ESPN as the Greatest Game in the History of MNF.

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I remember sitting in the basement at 12 years old watching that game. My parents were out and I was supposed to be in bed (school night). There was no way I wasn't going to watch that game to the end. Neither team could stop the other, but it was one hell of an offensive show.

 

[G0P4ckG0]

How do fans of losing teams do it? Easy....they are passionate about their team. It really is that simple. It's like having that family member who constantly lets you down but you KNOW the time will come when they turn their life around. It will be a rough path with lots of barriers, but seeing them overcome all the obstacles will be well worth the wait.

This is especially true for Packers fans and really any fans of Wisconsin sports teams. We typically have the smallest (or one of the smallest) markets in every sport and never get the national attention that other teams do. It really is a family atmosphere all-around and since there is nothing much to do in Wisconsin compared to most other states, we have a special bond with our sports teams unlike anyone else. Win or lose, our teams truly are family and we will support them no matter what. Anyone who did not grow up in Wisconsin will never understand.

 

[ARPackFan]

I think as Half Empty pointed out in a previous post that your expectations change. In a strange way it was easier because I accepted the team for what it was. Every victory was cause for celebration and I didn't stress over losses as much. There also wasn't an internet with fan sites to fuel your irritations into full blown rage and despair.

 

[Candidate for Deletion]

I'm just old enough to remember the games of the late 80s and early 90s. My dad, who had been present in person for the first two superbowls (and, obviously, the previous National Championship games), was a tried and true, born and bred Packers fan. He watched every game he could during the Gory Years, and the way he made it through was by turning into a community event. Before even being old enough to remember the games (I was born in early 82), I can remember going over to his friend's houses or having them come over to ours, and all of us kids either pretending to understand what was happening on screen or jetting off to play, while the husbands all watched, and the wives variously emulated the kids or actually took part in watching. My earliest memories of being a Packers fan come from the very beginning of the Majik Man years, when I was given "mute the commercial" duties, and rather than rooting for the team to win as much - even though those late 80s years had more hope than the majority of the dark ages - I would focus on learning how on Earth the dads seemed to know what penalties or yards-to-gain would be before the announcers or refs actually called it. This led me to learning the rules of the game before actually liking watching the football itself, weirdly. I remember being enamored with Don, and wanting to be able to grow my hair like him. I remember how the tone of these meetings changed subtly after 1992, and drastically after 1995. Oddly enough, once Green Bay started winning for real, these community game events died off. People were having fun actually watching the Packers play, and seemingly no longer needed each other to enjoy them.

I'm not so sure that I'd mind terribly if the Packers got bad again for a while (not TOO long, of course). I miss those days, if that makes any sense.

 

[TouchdownPackers]

CFD, I always had questions for my dad. What do the different hand signals mean? What is a personal foul? What is the red zone? One question always made me laugh . . .

Me:"Who's playing?"
Dad: "Everyone except the two teams that play Monday night."

 

[TouchdownPackers]

I think as Half Empty pointed out in a previous post that your expectations change. In a strange way it was easier because I accepted the team for what it was. Every victory was cause for celebration and I didn't stress over losses as much. There also wasn't an internet with fan sites to fuel your irritations into full blown rage and despair.

The bold part reminds me of a short video that shows how good coaches and players on a bad team feel about finally ending a long losing streak.

http://www.jaguars.com/media-galler...e-Speech/ad387eb8-ff5d-4b20-8f3e-a091a9564e4e

 

[lambeaulambo]

Yeah, but you never had anyone like Les Steckel.

Did he get Tommy Kramer to quit drinking? LOL

 

[OldSchool101]

Ah yes, the "Gory Years". From 1968 to 1994 we made the playoffs twice, after the 1972 and 1982 seasons. In 1982 we finally got our first playoff win since the second SB. 2 playoffs in 26 years. Still sold out the stadium every year and I still watched every game I could. But 26 years.

I grew up in the gory years and I don't quite remember the '72 season and only saw a couple of games at Milwaukee County, but I do remember very well listening to many of those games on the am car radio while deer hunting. Not to mention I collected almost the entire years NFL Tops football cards in 1978 and 1979.
I guess I realized we weren't that good but it never occurred to me to complain much.

 

[Packer Fan in SD]

I grew up in the gory years and I don't quite remember the '72 season and only saw a couple of games at Milwaukee County, but I do remember very well listening to many of those games on the am car radio while deer hunting. Not to mention I collected almost the entire years NFL Tops football cards in 1978 and 1979.
I guess I realized we weren't that good but it never occurred to me to complain much.

My favorite player was John Brockington. He was pretty much our offense then. First player to gain 1000 yards as a rb his first three years. After that though, he broke down and only lasted a couple of more years. When ever we played backyard football I wore his jersey. We didn't have another 1000 yard RB until Terdell Middleton in I believe 78.

Unlike the last few years when we didn't have 1000 yard RB's ( Lacy excepted) we didn't have a QB either.

 

[Raptorman]

Did he get Tommy Kramer to quit drinking? LOL

I think he's the reason Tommy started drinking.

 

[Raptorman]

I grew up in the gory years and I don't quite remember the '72 season and only saw a couple of games at Milwaukee County, but I do remember very well listening to many of those games on the am car radio while deer hunting. Not to mention I collected almost the entire years NFL Tops football cards in 1978 and 1979.
I guess I realized we weren't that good but it never occurred to me to complain much.

These young'uns don't have a clue about what it was like for the Packer fans back in the 70's and 80's. Maybe this will put in perspective for them. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the league in 1976. The Packers played them at least twice a year until 2001 because they were in the same division. Between 1976 and 1991 the last year of Lindy Infante, the Bucs and Packers played 26 games. The Packers led the series 14-11-1. The Bucs winning percentage during that time was .291. They had 2 winning seasons during that time. And any other year the Bucs never won more that 7 games.

 

[OldSchool101]

We didn't have another 1000 yard RB until Terdell Middleton in I believe 78

Ahhh. Yes! It also started the memory banks going. Willie Buchanan, Barty Smith, Philip Epps and a Paul Coffman are all coming into focus now. Somehow the name “zipper” comes to mind for Lynn ****ey. We called him that because they said that’s what his body looked like from his many surgeries

 

[swhitset]

Ahhh. Yes! It also started the memory banks going. Willie Buchanan, Barty Smith, Philip Epps and a Paul Coffman are all coming into focus now. Somehow the name “zipper” comes to mind for Lynn ****ey. We called him that because they said that’s what his body looked like from his many surgeries

I had a Terell Middleton Jersey lol.

 

[Packer96]

Barty Smith! Man I'm old!

 

[Poppa San]

I remember a game in like 1980 against the Rams. We were winning 28-0 at halftime. They won 31-28!
Ahhhhhhh!! To be a Packer fan

Is that the game they had two KR touchdowns?

 

[OldSchool101]

Is that the game they had two KR touchdowns?

I’m possibly suffering from PTSD because I can’t find any Rams score even close to that! It might be some sorta long term stress thing. Lol
Although, In searching I did come across a game around that time that the Bears put up 61 pts on us! My Goodness

 

[TouchdownPackers]

I’m possibly suffering from PTSD because I can’t find any Rams score even close to that! It might be some sorta long term stress thing. Lol
Although, In searching I did come across a game around that time that the Bears put up 61 pts on us! My Goodness

Not sure what this means, but it reminds me earlier this season the Rams did have kickoff and punt return TDs in the same game.

 

[rmontro]

I remember the 70s and 80s, but I don't think that's entirely the same as being a fan of a losing team. I was a Packer fan, and Green Bay had a rich history and tradition, plus they had the greatest run ever in the 60s under Lombardi, winning the NFL Championship five times in nine years. But by then, times had changed and it was all about the Raiders, the Cowboys, the Steelers, etc. And there was no salary cap then so when things changed, they changed slowly. We were on the bottom, and I honestly did not think the team would ever be good again.

When they won the NFC Championship to get into the Super Bowl under Holmgren, that was really all I wanted, just to be in the Super Bowl, to have the team in the spotlight again. To now have four Super Bowl championships (in addition to the other nine NFL championships) is great, and beyond hope really. But the other thing I have always wanted is to see the Packers have another dynasty. Don't know if I'll be lucky enough to see that happen, the way things are going.

But I guess if you are a fan of a real losing team, I guess somewhere buried deep inside you probably have some sort of hope that someday they will have their day.

 

[yooperpackfan]

Is that the game they had two KR touchdowns?

I seem to recall Travis Williams having two kick return touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns .

 

[Half Empty]

My favorite player was John Brockington. He was pretty much our offense then. First player to gain 1000 yards as a rb his first three years. After that though, he broke down and only lasted a couple of more years. When ever we played backyard football I wore his jersey. We didn't have another 1000 yard RB until Terdell Middleton in I believe 78.

Unlike the last few years when we didn't have 1000 yard RB's ( Lacy excepted) we didn't have a QB either.

The only thing that really rubbed me the wrong way in that era was when we did have an outstanding player, and he was saddled with the rest of the team. Always wanted to see those guys traded to a contender at some point.

 

[Candidate for Deletion]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the league in 1976. The Packers played them at least twice a year until 2001 because they were in the same division.

I still have my 1995 NFC Central Champions shirt - the first year they won the central since 72. It's been passed around my family several times as a good luck charm.

 

[Raptorman]

Just a hint of what the Packers had to deal with for the young guys. 2nd quarter scoring. Packer at Rams, Sep. 21, 1980. And yes, that is 37 points by the Rams in 15 minutes.

2 Rams Frank Corral 29 yard field goal 0 10
Rams Cullen Bryant 4 yard rush (Frank Corral kick) 0 17
Packers Eddie Lee Ivery 46 yard pass from Lynn ****ey (Chester Marcol kick) 7 17
Rams Johnnie Johnson 99 yard interception return (Frank Corral kick) 7 24
Rams Elvis Peacock 1 yard rush (Frank Corral kick) 7 31
Rams Willie Miller 29 yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick) 7 38
Rams Rod Perry 83 yard interception return 7 44

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198009210ram.htm