Family, Fans Bid Farewell To Nitschke
Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Ray Nitschke was remembered Saturday as a fierce competitor, a loving father and a caring, generous man in an emotional memorial service punctuated by occasional laughter and applause.
About 1,000 people, including NFL luminaries, fans and family, paid respects at Bayside Christian Fellowship Church. The church is less than 15 miles from Lambeau Field, where Nitschke's bone-crushing tackles became a signature of the legendary Vince Lombardi teams that won five NFL titles in the 1960s.
"There will be a lot of people that will play middle linebacker for Green Bay and in the National Football League," said former Packers defensive end Willie Davis, who was a teammate of Nitschke.
"In my opinion, there will never be another Ray Nitschke."
Nitschke, the Hall of Fame middle linebacker who played for the Packers from 1958 to 1972, died in Florida last Sunday of a heart attack. He was 61.
Nitschke's daughter, Amy Klaas, tearfully spoke of her father's compassion and love for people, and asked the assembly to carry on those traits.
"I just pray ... that we all learn to be more like him," Ms. Klaas said, her voice breaking. "I'm going to miss him deeply."
Carroll Dale, who was Nitschke's roommate when the team traveled, got the crowd laughing with stories about life on the road.
"He was the reigning madman on the field and a teddy bear off the field," Dale said.
Several hundred people, including Gov. Tommy Thompson, gathered in the church's lobby before the service to pay their respects to Ms. Klaas, and her brothers, John and Richard.
"We just had to say goodbye to Ray," said Linda Robinson, 54, who lived near Nitschke in Oneida and came to the service with her 77-year-old mother.
The lobby resembled an exhibit in the Packers Hall of Fame, with six easels holding photo collages showing Nitschke's time with the team, his family and his work for charity.
About 10 flower arrangements, many of them green and gold, were spread throughout the lobby. Ms. Robinson and her mother, LaVerne Webster, placed a white rose wrapped with a Packers ribbon among the other flowers.
The crowd waiting to speak to Nitschke's family was a sea of green and gold, most of them sporting some type of Packers apparel, including jerseys with his No. 66.
One of Nitschke's former teammates, Bill "Red" Mack, came from South Bend, Ind., to pay his respects. The two played together in 1966, when Mack was a wide receiver for Green Bay.
"They'll be talking about Ray Nitschke long after I'm gone. He left a lot of memories," Mack said.
Other former teammates of Nitschke's in attendance included quarterback Bart Starr, running back Paul Hornung, lineman Jerry Kramer and end Max McGee.
Defensive end Reggie White was among the current Packer personnel in attendance, along with team presidet Bob Harlan and general manager Ron Wolf.
A film showing highlights of Nitschke's life was shown in the church before the service.
The clips included shots of Nitschke on the field and with his family as well as footage from the day he cleaned out his locker when he retired from the Packers in 1972.
The 15-minute film closed with the words, "Thank You Ray."
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