I am sharing this on behalf of Jim Cryns, who is working with McFarland Publishing on a book about the history of Milwaukee County Stadium:
This is a Packer fan’s chance to be in a book on Milwaukee County Stadium that I’m editing. The book will be academic in nature and be supplied to libraries nationwide. That’s the business model of McFarland Publishing. For many, County Stadium was a terrible place to watch a football game (Unless you disagree.) Nonetheless, the Packers played 4 games a year there for quite a long time. From my research I learned the Packers were using some of that as leverage to get a stadium refurbished in Green Bay. A threat to come to Milwaukee. (Unless you disagree.) https://mcfarlandbooks.com/shop/sport-leisure/baseball/ballparks/
This is the sixth book in a series on historic ballparks from McFarland Publishing. Previous parks include Forbes Field, Comiskey, Tiger Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Ebbetts Field. I need your memories of any Packer game you attended at the old yard (Or any other event.)
The book consists of several writers offering chapters from inception of park, construction, County funding, dimensions of the park through demolition. The book covers every event that took place there through its existence. The book also includes something you don’t see in a lot of publications—memories.
Memories from players, coaches, team management. Another section of memories from members of the media. And the reason for this post- memories from fans. We’re looking for humorous, touching, real events from the park. It doesn’t matter if your favorite player scored a touchdown or was ejected.
Bud Selig is writing the foreword. I’ve received memories from Hank Aaron, Gorman Thomas, Wendy Selig-Prieb and many more. The volume will only be as good as the memories we put into it so we need more fan memories. Below see photo of Max McGee scoring a touchdown at County Stadium.
Thanks for your memory. Please go to www.ourmilwaukeecountystadium.com to submit.
Jim Cryns
Editor
Courtesy of Miller/Coors Brewing
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I had read that County Stadium was built dual-purpose in 1953 to lure the Packers to Milwaukee. Once opened, NFL teams didn’t even want to come to Green Bay at all to play football. The Packers were very close to bankruptcy in the early 50s and didn’t regularly sell out then. It wasn’t until the new City Stadium (Lambeau Field) was opened in 1957 that the talk of moving to Milwaukee mostly ended.
Steve Odom ran the opening kickoff back for a TD against the Seahawks when I was kid in 1978. I didn’t know until years later that the win made the Packers 6-1. Then they finished the season… 8-7-1. Way to go David Whitehurst.
Your reply confused me for a moment, because my memory was a Steve Odom punt return for a TD. Turns out that one happened on Nov. 10, 1974 (week 9) vs the Bears. It was a rainy day, and Odom was standing in some part of the infield dirt. He muffed the punt, dropping it into the mud at his feet. After a bit of mucking around, he picked it up and ran for a TD. Interestingly, both the punt return and the KO return went for 95 yards.
I remember that 1978 season. I was just a young kid, but it was all the talk on the grade school playground!! They were 7-2 and then completely fell apart. By the end of the year it was the same old Packers.
Definitely Packers vs Falcons in 94 with Favre running and diving in for the game winner. What a way to go out.
I was home on leave after almost 2 years overseas. I was at the December 13th, 1987 game against the Vikings who were the favorites. The Vikings had guys like Wade Wilson, Tommy Kramer, Darrin Nelson, Joey Browner and Anthony Carter. The Packers were sporting studs such as Randy Wright, Kenneth Davis, Paul Ott Carruth, Walter Stanley, Mark Murphy, Max Zendejas, Ed West and Frankie Neal. The Packers won 16-10. It was a good day to be a Packer fan. The next year I was in Arizona at the Cardinal game where the Packers ended up winning. They lost the 1st overall pick in the ’89 draft to Dallas. Too bad the Packers didn’t draft Barry Sanders that year. The best running back I’ve ever seen that practically didn’t need an offensive line.