Time to Deliver on a Promise
By JohnRehor on Jun 05, 2011 with 8 Comments
Do you remember where you were on February 8, 2011?
I was sitting in the stands at Lambeau Field with my wife, taking in the Return to Titletown celebration with 50,000 other fans. We waited in the cold, just for a chance to see the Lombardi Trophy walked onto the field and up on stage, the culmination of a tremendous season and a thank you to the fans by the Packers organization.
One of the lasting moments I took away from that day was when Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt stood in front of the masses at Lambeau, holding up a street sign which said “McCarthy’s Way” and promised to honor the coach with a street permanently renamed in honor of the Super Bowl win he had delivered.
Flash forward to the present, four months later. No street has been renamed for McCarthy. In fact, the issue has been passed from one committee to another in the Green Bay government. Issues such as whether it is too costly to an inconvenience to local residents to not knowing what street to honor the coach with have been brought up as potential issues in this matter.
My question is why?
Every other coach who has brought a title to Green Bay has been honored in some way. Lambeau Field. Lombardi Avenue. Holmgren Way. Why would Mike McCarthy be any different than the men listed above? He won a championship, and should be honored regardless of any political bureaucracy which could get in the way.
In fairness, I am not a resident of the Green Bay area. I am not aware of the political make up of the area, other than knowing it is apparently an election year for mayor of Green Bay. As a fan, I would immediately cast my vote for yes if I was asked should a street be renamed in honor of McCarthy. As a resident, I would do the same. The “hassle” of changing one’s address is grossly exaggerated. The issue of being undecided on what street to rename, along with the so called hassle of an address change may be a possible cover for something which lies at the heart of why some do not want it to be done.
When Brett Favre Pass was named, it was to honor the quarterback who had brought a title back to Green Bay and helped re-establish the Packers as a power in the NFL. Was it wise to honor Favre with a street name, with his career being young at the time? Without reliving recent history, I would say yes. At the time, with the excitement of being champions, and Favre being the face of the franchise, it was the right thing to do. No one had any idea about the future, or where his career would head in the latter stages. Yet I have to believe that this is something which weighs on the minds of some of the decision makers in Green Bay.
Favre is not the only player or coach who has had a street named after him and ended up leaving the Packers. Vince Lombardi went to Washington after ending his coaching career in Green Bay with a one year stint as General Manager. Mike Holmgren left two years after winning the Super Bowl under less than celebratory fan fare. Reggie White retired, only to return to the Carolina Panthers a year later. Even Curly Lambeau, the man who founded the Packers and whom the Packers stadium is named after, resigned from the Packers only to reemerge with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins. Is anyone upset with anyone listed here and streets or stadiums being named after them? Should any of the streets be renamed? How about a new name for Lambeau Field?
When McCarthy was hired in 2006, one of the things he said was that he was committed to bringing a championship back to Green Bay. He has delivered on this promise, and if precedent is to be used, he deserves to have a street name in his honor. The Green Bay government needs to get this figured out. Find a street which is appropriate to honor a coach who delivered what he promised and get it done. Do not worry about the fact McCarthy is still coaching. Do not worry about the fact that he has won “only one” Super Bowl. Most importantly, do not allow the actions of others deviate from what is the right thing to do.
Not everyone’s career takes the path Brett Favre’s did. Honor the coach, and don’t be afraid of the “what if’s” that are out of your control. You owe it to him.
Filed Under: John Rehor
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They’re waiting for when MM ends his career. Why name a street now if they’re gonna have to rename an avenue with the number of Super Bowls he’s gonna bring to Titletown?
So you’re thinking something like McCarthy’s Third-o-fare or something like that?
Good post, John.
I will agree and disagree.
I agree that declaration was made, and now the GB councils are dragging their feet. In fact, Ashwaubenon is thinking about taking it up instead if GB doesn’t poop or get off the pot.
On the other hand, I’m not a fan of the whole “naming streets” after a player/coach who JUST WON and is still in the middle of his career. Lombardi Avenue was not named right after his first Championship, but after he left Green Bay. In fact, there’s a seeming rush to honor both new names as well as old names over the last twenty years or so.
You have no idea under what auspices a player/coach will leave the team. Holmgren didn’t leave under fantastic circumstances, hiring away half our front office staff to Seattle. Obviously, Favre’s street was the subject of ridicule this year when it was replaced with Aaron Rodgers‘ name.
Maybe they are considering this, and finally deciding to take their time. But, if that’s the case, they should have done it before they announced it.
Thanks C.D.
I agree that they should have perhaps waited to make the announcement. Schmitt may have made the announcement strictly for political gain. But the fact remains that said it, and now people are waiting for it to happen.
As long as this continues to be an outstanding issue, I will believe that at least part of the hesitation has to do with the manner in which certain people, in particular Favre, left the Packers and thus left the city of Green Bay a constant reminder of how they left town.
As for naming streets, I’m all for it. You have to remember I’m from Chicago, where every street has a name. I mean, who was Dan Ryan? How about Edens? At least I know who Stevenson was.
There are plenty of names we think of when we start thinking Packers history. However, ask my wife to “name six names from the Packers storied years” and she says “Favre, Lambeau, Lombardi, Driver, Rodgers, and Reggie White.” Then says.. “those are all Packers right?”
My point is that Packers fans and deeply intense NFL fans have a different view of The Pack historically than we do. Favre’s name comes up first for almost everybody abd not because of the circus of the last few years. He deserves all the awards.. ring of honor.. retored numbers.. renamed streets he got. He broke most every record in the business wearing our uniform.
To the original point: I sort of agree that Holmgren’s street was hasty but if he got one.. McCarthy should too.
Would you wait to give McCarthy a street named after him, considering your comment about Holmgren getting a street too quickly?
“Favre’s name comes up first for almost everybody abd not because of the circus of the last few years.”
Depends on who you ask. If you’re talking about people with the age of 30+ to -70, then yes.
If you talk to people over 70, I’ll bet the first names they’ll say are Lombardi and Starr.
And if you talk to teenagers, they’ll probably say Rodgers.
People saying Favre has more to do with the fact that most of the people alive either grew up in an era that the Packers had Favre or aren’t old enough to remember or to have seen Starr and Lombardi.
That age group has almost twice or triple the numbers of individuals that have come to understand about football only recently, or that only caught the last years of Favre, and the people that grew up in Lombardi’s era.
I’m a fan of waiting and not jumping the gun. The mayor got caught up in the excitement and probably wanted to be a part of it. Holmgren got a street so quicly because the team was terrible for 30 years. The standards have been increased and MM needs a couple more winning seasons under his belt