(GREEN BAY PACKERS) – Patrick Suplicki, of Stevens Point, Wis., was named the 28th member of the Green Bay Packers FAN Hall of Fame on Thursday.
Suplicki was selected by fans from among 10 finalists during a voting period that ran from Jan. 1-31 on packers.com. More than 56,000 total votes were cast from around the world.
A Packers fan since childhood, Suplicki’s fondest memories as a boy were enjoying Packers games with his father, Elgie, who always emphasized the ritual and tradition of cheering on the Packers every Sunday. Despite seeing his dreams of playing for the Packers end due to an injury in high school, Suplicki’s connection to the Packers only grew throughout his life.
One of his proudest accomplishments is converting his unfinished basement into the ultimate Packers shrine for family and friends to gather. Though he paused the project when he lost his father to cancer in 2003, he resolved to complete it as a tribute to his father’s love for the Packers. The basement, completed after five years of work, is filled with Packers memorabilia and photos and covered in green and gold. The family gathers there each week to cheer on the Packers with the passion that was instilled in Suplicki by his father, and Suplicki passes that passion on to his children and grandchildren.
Suplicki was also honored as a finalist for the FAN Hall of Fame in 2020; that year, he said that being nominated was “one of the greatest ways I can honor my father, Elgie, who introduced me to the Packers at age three, and all the fans in my family—those who came before me and those who will carry on the tradition after I’m gone.”
Diagnosed with a rare cancer himself in 2023, Suplicki fought the illness, hoping to see the birth of his third grandchild that November. After battling through 36 rounds of radiation, he was declared cancer free in 2024.
Suplicki’s nomination essay, authored by his daughter, Patrice, illustrates his devotion to the Packers. “Now a grandfather himself, he shares his love for the Packers with his grandson and two granddaughters, passing the torch of fandom to the next generation. The joy of watching the games together has become a cherished tradition, one that unites his family and strengthens their bond through the Green and Gold. Pat’s dedication to the Packers is lifelong. His battle with cancer only strengthened his resolve and appreciation for life, for family and for the Green Bay Packers.”
This year’s other finalists included: Jeff Goldapske from Appleton, Wis., Patrick Hare from Moreno Valley, Calif., Jeff Lanier from Green Bay, Lorraine Mueller from Wittenberg, Wis., Mark Murphy from La Crosse, Wis., Dean Schmitz from Wausau, Wis., Daniel Schneider from Crystal Lake, Ill., Valerie Ann Smick from Yorkville, Ill., and Thomas Thrall from Durham, N.C.
In honor of Suplicki’s selection, he will receive four club seats to a 2026 Packers home game, along with four pre-game sideline passes; four passes to the Packers Hall of Fame; a custom Packers jersey; a $500 Packers Pro Shop gift certificate; and a one-year subscription to PackersNews.com. Suplicki’s name will also be 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 26 prior honorees include Mel Knoke, Appleton; Louis Gardipee, Black River Falls; Ed Jablonski, Wausau; Paul Mazzoleni, Green Bay; Wanda Boggs, Brookfield; Sister Isaac Jogues Rousseau, Milwaukee; Dorothy Hanke, Milwaukee; Kathy Lazzaro, Milwaukee; Rich Barbera, River Vale, New Jersey; Richard ‘Ike’ Eisenhauer, Wauwatosa; Allan Hale, Green Bay; Jim Becker, Racine; Tom Little, Mount Sterling, Illinois; Rick Steele, Greensburg, Pennsylvania; Edward Fritsch, Sheboygan; Vivian Scherf-Laabs, Cedarburg; Steve Schumer, Gillette, New Jersey, Pat Nevala, Menomonie; Frank Lamping, Union Grove; Marguerite “Mugs” Bachhuber, Green Bay; Amy Nelson, Fence, Wis; Kari Bernier, Dyersburg, Tenn.; George Oudhuis, Rolling Prairie, Ind.; Jeff Yasick, Mazomanie, Wis.; John Breske, Elderon, Wis.; Dan “Bogie” Bogenschuetz, Sheboygan, Wis.; John Brosig, Pound, Wis.
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