GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Packers final home game of the 2024-2025 season is an end of an era around Lambeau Field.
For more than 15 seasons, Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy has taken a walk around the stadium district just hours before kickoff, of every home game. The morning of the week against game against the Bears was his final lap.
It was hard to get Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy out of The Turn in Titletown on Sunday morning.
Fan after fan, wanting to stand by his side.
“Would you take a picture with us?” aske a fan. Murphy agreeing.
Everyone bending his ear.
“Congratulations on your retirement,” said another fan. Adding, “But I’m also selfishly sad to see you go because you’ve been good for our Packers.”
It’s interactions like that Murphy envisioned when he started taking these pre-game walks through the crowds — years before he even joined the Green Bay Packers.
He said, “It really started when I became the athletic director at Colgate University. And I just wanted to get a feel for what the game experience was like. It’s a good way to get to know what your fans are experiencing not just in the stadium, around the stadium. I’ll be honest with you, when I got here it was mostly bars.”
During his tenure with the organization, that will come to an end this summer when he retires, Murphy helped to orchestrate the development of Titletown.
His pre-game walk through the area, a chance for him to appreciate the organization’s accomplishment in developing the attraction, enjoying how it’s being embraced by the community and visitors not just on game days but every day.
“Seeing the skating and the tubing. I was surprised, they’ve got a lot of different kinds of games kids can play and so it’s really kind of nice to see how the fans have really taken to Titletown,” said Murphy.
As he crossed Ridge Road for one last time, stopping at more traditional tailgates, Murphy is a like rockstar. Many star struck a man of his stature would be out amongst the crowd.
It’s a tradition Murphy is happy to have started, calling it a pretty special experience. One he will cherish as he knows walks like this will be different in the future.
He said he was feeling, “A little nostalgic, to be honest. I’ll still come to Packers game but it’s not going to be the same -not working. But our fans have been great. And I just think we’re very fortunate as an organization.”
And the organization, which is owned by the community, thinks it’s been fortunate to have Mark Murphy too.
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