The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. today announced that the entire Green Bay Packers team and tackle Bryan Bulaga will be honored with the Hall's awards for 'Most Valuable Player' and 'Rookie of the Year,' respectively, at the 41st Packers Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held the evening of July 23, 2011, in the Lambeau Field Atrium. William Henderson, Frank Jonet and Marco Rivera will become the newest members of the Hall that evening.
The Green Bay Packerscapped off an impressive postseason run with a victory in Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team's 13th world championship and fourth Super Bowl title. Overcoming a challenging season that saw 15 players land on injured reserve, the team remained resilient and became just the third 10-6 team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. With dominating playmakers on both sides of the ball, for the second straight year Green Bay was one of four teams in the NFL to have both the offense (No. 9) and defense (No. 5) rank among the league's top 10.
Bulaga, the team's first selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, became a significant contributor early in his rookie campaign, starting the final 12 games of the regular season and all four postseason contests. Bulaga assumed the starting right tackle post in place of veteran Mark Tauscher who suffered an injury in Week 4, and performed consistently the rest of the way, earning Pro Football Weekly/PFWA All-Rookie honors following the season. In the Packers showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, he became the youngest player to ever start in the Super Bowl according to STATS, Inc. (21 years, 322 days). During the 31-25 defeat of the Steelers, Bulaga was a part of an offensive line that allowed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns en route to earning MVP honors against a Pittsburgh defense that what was the NFL's No. 2-ranked unit at the end of the regular season.
Tickets for the banquet, which begins with the doors opening at 4:30 p.m. with a cash bar, and dinner and program to follow at 7 p.m., are $125 each. Tables of 10 also are available for $1,150 and are assigned in the order in which they are purchased. Early reservations are recommended. To purchase tickets, call Gwen Borga at 920/965-6984, or e-mail her at gwenb@packershalloffame.com. No refunds are available 30 days prior to the event.* *
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. is a non-profit corporation independent of the Green Bay Packers that guides the Hall as a historic national sports venue and educational resource to the Green Bay community and the state of Wisconsin. The Hall raises funds through its annual induction banquet, Golf Classic and other events to develop new exhibits and expand its archives. Historic memorabilia donated by individuals to the Hall may qualify as tax-deductible gifts. For more information visit the Hall online at http://www.packershalloffame.com/. The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Inc. Golf Classic is set for Monday, July 11, 2011, at The Bull in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. This event is also presently sold out.
Originally established in 1967 as a temporary display in the concourse of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, the Hall moved into its own facility in 1976 near Lambeau Field. In 2003, it was relocated to a spectacular new, 25,000-square foot facility in the Lambeau Field Atrium. The Hall of Fame is open on non-game days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours may vary on game days and holidays. For more information, contact the Hall of Fame at 920/569-7512.
