The details are still a little hazy, but I have fond memories of the first Packers NFC Championship during my lifetime, a 30-13 rout of Carolina Jan. 12, 1997 at Lambeau Field.
At the time, I was living with my friend Mike, out in Waukesha in my first-ever apartment.
As it was our first apartment and the majority of our income was spent on rent, (fruit juice and diet soda) and groceries, there wasn't much left in the budget for decoration so, as classy as this sounds, newspaper clippings of Packers coverage graced our living room walls.
We invited our group of friends over, along with my brother and some of his friends and spent the day drinking (fruit juice and diet soda, of course) and watched in glee as Brett Favre and Dorsey Levens tore up the Panthers' defense on a bitterly cold day in Wisconsin.
Within minutes of the victory, we ran up the street to a nearby store and purchased some of the first commemorative t-shirts to come off the presses and, if I recall correctly, we partied hard into the night.
Listening to the buzz leading up to the Bears game this week got me thinking about that time and the interesting contrast between that team -- which was the first Packers squad to reach the Super Bowl in 29 years -- and the present-day squad.
Sure, the Packers were picked to win the big game by many this year, but getting to this point was far from a given. Injuries, close calls and tough losses put the Packers in "must win" mode just to qualify for the postseason.
There was little doubt 14 years ago.
The Super Bowl that year seemed more like a coronation than anything else. From the moment Mike Holmgren took over in 1992, you knew that eventually, it was going to happen. Three straight playoff defeats at Dallas were deflating, but after losing the '95 NFC Championship game, you know that a return to the Super Bowl was inevitable.
From Brett Favre's famous "bet against me" claim after returning from rehab, to the weekly beat-downs issued by Fritz Shurmur's defense, every week just seemed like another step towards the Lombardi Trophy.
Back-to-back losses at Kansas City and Dallas were discouraging but even then, there was little doubt. And when the playoffs rolled around, we watched with glee as the Packers beat the 49ers (again), setting the stage for that memorable afternoon against Carolina.
For any number of reasons, I don't see the excitement being the same this time around – that's not a bad thing, by the way. The next two weeks will still be fun, the buzz will still be high and people everywhere will be supporting their team.
But looking back on 1996 (well, 1997, actually, but the 1996 season) for me brings a smile to my face. It was the high-water mark of my formative years and while I don't wear my Packers jersey, hat or T-shirts anymore, the excitement of that winter, those two weeks in January, will always have a special place in my heart.
