Hallowed ground

Packers dedicate new Hall of Fame at renovated Lambeau Field

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr and Green Bay Packers executives dedicated the team's new Hall of Fame Thursday, calling it the best facility of its kind in pro sports.

"Every person in this country who's a football fan would literally die to come here and see this," Starr said. "This is the greatest Hall of Fame around, you bet your life it is."

The team opened the hall to the public for a sneak preview after the ceremony before a crowd of about 400 people. The hall's formal opening is next Monday -- the day after the team opens the season against the Minnesota Vikings at the renovated Lambeau Field.

Inside the hall, fans watched videos, read plaques and took pictures in front of some of the exhibits.

Dan Wellens, 40, of Green Bay, said the new hall is an improvement over the old one. "I think this is more modern and much better," he said.

Herb Liptow, 72, of Green Bay, said he's glad the museum is now in Lambeau Field, even though he originally thought the move might be a mistake.

"At first, I thought, 'Why waste a good building?' But I'm sure they'll find some use for it," he said.

The hall's former location was across the street from the stadium. The hall was moved to the new mall-like atrium at Lambeau as part of the $295 million renovation project.

The old hall closed Dec. 31 and artifacts were moved to Lambeau Field's upgraded complex.

The Packers are the only NFL team with a Hall of Fame devoted to publicly showcasing its history and honoring players, coaches and fans.

Michael Gage, a member of the Packer Hall of Fame board of directors, said at Thursday's dedication that the hall has come a long way since its "spartan beginning 36 years ago."

"It was a great facility, but we were always a couple of blocks from where we belonged," Gage said.

Also among the executives on hand were Packer president Bob Harlan and former general manager Ron Wolf. Wayne Larribee, play-by-play voice of Packers, was master of ceremonies.

The old hall, which first opened in 1967 in the concourse of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, had more than 2 million visitors in the last 27 years, including a record 259,000 in 1997.

The new hall, just below the renovated stadium's atrium, has about the same amount of exhibition space -- 18,000 square feet -- but has more items on display.

The old hall had only a case of Vince Lombardi history, but the new one has a replica of his office, a wall of Lombardi's trophies and other personal items, including his baby picture, telegrams from legislators and copies of several books he wrote.

Also new to the hall is "Titletown's Finest," an exhibit of fan memorabilia, including license plates with Packer sayings, Ray Nitschke's cigar butt and a Packers quilt.