Frank Lamping, of Union Grove, Wis., was named the 19th member of the Green Bay Packers FAN Hall of Fame Tuesday at Lambeau Field.
A lifelong Wisconsin resident and Packers fan, Lamping was selected by fans from 10 finalists during a voting period that ran from Jan. 1 to Jan. 30 on Packers.com. More than 60,000 votes were cast from throughout the United States and countries around the world.
Lamping was nominated by his friend, Don Schauf, whose nomination essay described how Lamping postponed his own cancer surgery in order to maintain his perfect attendance record at Lambeau Field. A fixture in the south end of the field where he dutifully corrals pregame field goals, Lamping's nickname among his Union Grove friends is "Jumbotron" to honor his frequent appearances on the Lambeau Field video boards.
Schauf explained in the nomination how Lamping and his wife, Andrea, willed themselves through an Oklahoma blizzard on their way to Dallas for Super Bowl XLV, despite the fact that they didn't have tickets to the game. He also shared how Lamping continues to trim by hand his tiny plot of replanted Lambeau Field turf in his backyard. An excerpt of the nomination letter from Schauf reads:
"Beyond his devotion to the team, what qualifies Frank as the ultimate ambassador for the Packers is the way he embodies the Packers Way. Frank continues to battle cancer, but at the same time has not wavered in his devotion to his community just as he has not wavered in his devotion to the Packers. He has not slowed in his volunteering or enthusiasm for life. Frank truly embodies all that is good about the Green Bay Packers and is unquestionably deserving of a position in the Fan Hall of Fame."
This year's other finalists included: John Powers, from Savage, Minn.; Rosemary Scheible, from Wauwatosa, Wis.; Kay Kuester Doran, from Antigo, Wis.; Karen Troyanek, from LaCrosse, Wis.; Carol Postulka, from Pierre, S.D.; LaNore Anderson, from Thorp, Wis.; Mike Sledz, from Grayslake, Ill.; George Oudhuis, from Rolling Prairie, Ind.; Terry Schwefel, from Watertown, Wis.
Lamping will receive four club seats to a 2017 Packers home game; a $500 Packers Pro Shop gift certificate; a road trip for two to a 2017 Packers away game, including game tickets, air fare and hotel accommodations; and a one-year subscription to Packers Plus. Lamping also will have his name permanently displayed in a place of honor in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
The Green Bay Packers established the Packers FAN Hall of Fame in 1998 for the purpose of annually honoring a devout and longtime Packers fan.
The 18 prior honorees include Mel Knoke, Appleton, Wis.; Louis Gardipee, Black River Falls, Wis.; Ed Jablonski, Wausau, Wis.; Paul Mazzoleni, Green Bay; Wanda Boggs, Brookfield, Wis.; Sister Isaac Jogues Rousseau, Milwaukee; Dorothy Hanke, Milwaukee; Kathy Lazzaro, Milwaukee; Rich Barbera, River Vale, N.J.; Richard 'Ike' Eisenhauer, Wauwatosa, Wis.; Allan Hale, Green Bay; Jim Becker, Racine, Wis.; Tom Little, Mount Sterling, Ill; Rick Steele, Greensburg, Pa; Edward Fritsch, Sheboygan, Wis.; Vivian Scherf-Laabs, Cedarburg, Wis., Steve Schumer, Gillette, N.J. and Pat Nevala, from Menomonie, Wis.
Packers FAN Hall of Fame sponsors are Great Clips, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Associated Bank.
