Not surprisingly, many in the national media are having fun at Brett Favre's expense now that he is the offensive coordinator at Oak Grove High, just west of Hattiesburg.
They don't get it. They certainly don't get Brett Favre.
He is the son of a high school football coach, the late Big Irv Favre. Brett's passion for football comes from those early days, going to his dad's practices, being around the players and the coaches, being around the game.
It is that passion that enabled Favre to play 20 years in the NFL, to play more consecutive games than any player in NFL history, to play through injury after injury and to become the league's all-time leading passer. Nobody ever made playing such a rough sport look like so much fun.
It was that passion, first instilled by his father, that caused that memorable game back on Dec. 22, 2003. Remember?
One day after his father died of a heart attack, Favre decided to play in a December 22, 2003, Monday Night Football game against the Oakland Raiders. Favre passed for four touchdowns in the first half and 399 total yards in a 41–7 Green Bay victory over Oakland. He finished the game with a passer rating of 154.9– the highest of Favre's career and just 3.4 points shy of perfect.
Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family. . ."
Favre honored Big Irv that night.
You ask me, he still honors him today as a volunteer offensive coordinator, who could do anything with his time but chooses to spend it teaching teenagers how to play the game he loves.
Well said, Rick. If anybody knows Brett Favre, it would be you. -- Greg from Denver
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