Backing the Pack: Being Green Bay fanatics a family tradition Publication Date: January 12, 1996 Page: 01 Section: Waukesha Edition: Metro By JOHN G. SCHUMACHER Journal Sentinel staff

Say you're watching a Green Bay Packers game in the family room of Glenn and Eugenia Wollenziehn's house.

Brett Favre messes up. Fumbles the snap. Throws an interception. You yell and scream. You look heavenward for inspiration . . . And there it is, painted on the ceiling ­­ The Sweep. A diagram of the famed

Green Bay Packers sweep. The holy of holies, the bread and butter play of the Packers' glory years.

"When they're not doing well," says Eugenia, 54, "I'll look up and say, `The Sweep, The Sweep!'"

"I was inspired by the Sistine Chapel," Glenn, 57, said with a chuckle. The family room ­­ or Packermania Room, as Eugenia calls it ­­ is a shrine to

the Green Bay Packers. The room is jammed full of Packers memorabilia, from The Sweep to the football­turf­green carpeting.

There is a display of rings from Super Bowls I and II, plus two NFL championship rings and a championship watch. There are Packers helmets from the 1960s and older leather helmets from the 1920s and 1930s.

There are signed footballs from 1955, 1976, 1983 and other years. There are shoulder pads and uniforms and coaches' jackets, plus Edgar Bennett's shoes and John Jurkovic's helmet.

There's the football remote control next to the two Packers chairs, all parked in front of the big TV.

Oh, and then there's stuff on the walls, too. That's assuming there are walls behind all the Packers goodies.

There are buttons (Luv Ya Bart and Pack) and bumper stickers (Stick With Starr; The Cardiac Pack).

There are programs and media guides going back to the 1920s. There is a wall hanging that hung for 20­plus years in the Packers administration office. There's one framed share of Green Bay Packers stock. "That way we can say it's our team," Glenn said.

There are two 1960 paychecks signed by Vince Lombardi, made out to Willie Wood and Gerald L. Kramer.

There is a plaque with a photo of fans tearing down a goal post after the Ice Bowl, mounted next to a piece of the goal post. A separate display holds a ticket stub from the game, although Glenn may be the only rabid Packer fan candid enough to admit he was not at the game.

"I know a guy who has a corner of that goal post," Glenn said. "He wouldn't give that up for nothing."

Of course, there's also the other Packers collection room. A former children's bedroom, it's full of uniforms, Packers­painted fans and a vacuum cleaner, a Packers flag that flew over Lambeau Field and other items.

And the garage door? Ray Nitschke is painted on that, bursting through the door.

Glenn and Eugenia say they are not serious collectors. They don't buy things in order to sell them later and make a profit. It all started with a few banners and pennants that they bought for the kids in the 1950s.

"We just started hanging things on the walls and never stopped," Eugenia said. Over the years, they have befriended many of the Packers players and coaches. Eugenia, in fact, knew Fuzzy Thurston when he was a kid growing up in Altoona. Back then, Eugenia was a little girl and her cousin was dating Thurston. He used to give her a quarter to "get out of his face."

Eugenia and Glenn grew up in families that were fans, but not fanatics. Their interest grew after they were married.

Glenn, a retired New Berlin police officer who grew up in Milwaukee, went to a few fantasy football camps and befriended a few players and coaches. Every Sunday, the whole family would gather to watch the Packers. It became a family tradition, and the Packers became part of the family lifestyle. Years later, that remains true, even though the kids have grown and moved out of the house.

The whole family ­­ which includes their four adult children, their spouses and 10 grandchildren ­­ comes back home and piles into the 12­by­17­foot room. A feast is prepared. Football talk begins, with referrals to reference material if necessary. During the game, Eugenia paces. Glenn stays planted in his chair. A son­in­law tosses around a football.

High up on the wall, Vince Lombardi peers down upon it all. "The Packers have become part of our family life," Eugenia said. "If nothing

else, we've got that in common." "When they're not doing well, I'll look up and say, `The Sweep, The Sweep!'

"