Ah, the 1990s.

Such innocence. Such a different time.

You’ll have to excuse us for looking back to those nostalgic days while we’re pinned inside our homes fighting off the anxiety of COVID-19 induced isolation.

Everything was different then. There wasn’t a cellphone in our hands every second of the day, social media wasn’t ripping society apart. You could list the differences forever. Even football was different. You could enjoy a big hit. Now, knowing the truth, we wince a bit more. You could celebrate instantly when your team scored a touchdown. There were no replay reviews or challenges!

Ah, the good old days.

Michael Jordan was king of the world. Presidential scandals seemed a lot sillier. Disposable cameras were a thing. So was Pauly Shore. Cassette tapes. Walkmans. Will Smith. Going to a store to rent a movie. Third Eye Blind. Keeping your Tamagotchi alive. The Simpsons. Freakin’ Beanie Babies. Just sitting around forced to think of something to do. The deafening screech of dial-up. Frosted tips, dear god. The (now quaint) panic of Y2K. Bob Saget!

Ah, simplicity.

Sure, not everything was perfect then, clearly, and we do tend to over simplify and glorify the past, but today we are ignoring that truth and looking back at the ’90s with nothing but pure joy.

And in honor of the ’90s, we’re exclusively using trading cards for the pictures in this piece. A nod back to the days of when we collected them religiously. The Packers’ uniform brand during these seasons, you ask? Starter. Because of course, it was the ’90s baby!

When most people think of the Green Bay Packers of the 1990s their minds immediately, and understandably, go to the back-to-back Super Bowl runs of 1996 and 1997. That 1996 team was one of the best in league history. They were No. 1 scoring offense and defense, the first team to accomplish that since the ’72 Miami Dolphins. Yeah. And the ’96 Packers are still the only team in the salary cap era to have done so. But the decade gave Packers fans far more than those memorable Super Bowl seasons.

We are zeroing in on two seasons specifically: 1993 and 1994.

To most younger fans those seasons don’t muster up too many thoughts, good or bad, but to the fans that lived them they represented a monumental shift for the franchise.

You could easily argue everything changed for the Packers when still-new General Manager Ron Wolf traded with the Atlanta Falcons for a talented but unpolished quarterback named Brett in February of 1992. Head Coach Mike Holmgren was also announced that year; the culture change from his hiring was apparent from day one.

But it should at least be mentioned that it took an injury to Don “Magic Man” Majkowski to clear the way for that young, unpolished quarterback. That injury came three weeks into the 1992 season and by 1993, when the “Magic Man” was out of Green Bay, the Packers began their magical ride that we’re here to talk about.

A fortuitous trade-off for the Packers faithful and one of the most consequential injuries in NFL history. The changes went far beyond quarterback though as nearly the entire roster was overhauled in just a few seasons.

Perhaps you can trace this renaissance all the way back to Team President Bob Harlan taking over in 1989 or him hiring the aforementioned Wolf in 1991 after the disaster that was drafting Tony Mandarich, among other shortcomings.

But in truth, everything for the Packers truly changed when Reggie White stunned the football world by kicking off the NFL’s Free Agency Era and choosing Green Bay in April of 1993. He had his own gravitational pull, an unmistakable aura about him.

It was the original “decision” and media circus, 17 years before Lebron took his talents to South Beach. Sure, it was done with a bit more humility, but the purpose was the same. To finally get that damn ring.

What followed was a whirlwind of success and memories to last us a lifetime.

Still, the late 1990s were a relative “letdown” for Packer Nation, following the success in the middle of the decade. The team’s quarterback had won three freaking AP MVP Awards — how could expectations not be sky-high? It’s funny coming out of the 1970s and ’80s that going 11-5, 8-8 and 9-7 in 1998, 1999 and 2000 could be seen as a “disappointment.” But hey, circumstances change, projections change and appetites change. Fans are gonna fan.

The early ’90s, specifically 1992, 1993 and 1994 saw a combined 27 wins and we’re looking back at those days with wonder and gratefulness. Ah, the simplicity of the days before Favre’s Super Bowl runs.

The late ’90s (1998-2000) saw a combined 28 wins and we look back at those years with regret. “How in the hell did we not win more in those years?” We all wonder.

You see, the early 1990s didn’t have to deal with the heartbreak that expectations bring, like the late ’90s. Even when looking back it’s quite obvious. I mean, the Packers hadn’t been to the playoffs in a decade before those two seasons in ’93 and ’94.

So, despite winning one less game, comparatively, it was a much more gratifying ride. It was the beginning of an incredibly special time in Green Bay and was also its own, unique, mini-era in Titletown that saw a plethora of individual success. We dive into those players later in this piece.

But just how transformative were 1993 and 1994?

Both the ’93 and ’94 seasons featured multiple three game winning streaks. The last time the Packers had two consecutive seasons with multiple three game winning streaks was in 1966 and 1967… otherwise known as when the teams went on to win Super Bowls I and II.

Yes, the Lean Years really were that lean.

The Packers celebrated their 75th season in 1993 and it seemed like that nod of history was the catalyst for the current team to finally build a little of their own. The following year the NFL celebrated its 75th season and White was the only current Packer to make the league’s 75th Anniversary Team, joining Packers alumni Don Hutson and Ray Nitschke.

Yes, White was a living legend; the appropriate counterweight to Favre’s rising stardom.

In 1993 and 1994 the Packers recorded their first two playoff wins of the Brett Favre Era and just their second and third since the days of Lombardi’s 1960s Packers.

Those seasons were the first consecutive playoff appearances for Green Bay since, you guessed it, 1966 and 1967. They, including 1992, were also the first back-to-back-to-back winning seasons since 1965-1967.

The glory of the next three year stretch (from 1995 through 1997) when the team won multiple playoff games each year, two NFC Championships, one Super Bowl title and three Division Championships wouldn’t have been possible without the subtle joys and hidden magic of the the 1992-94 seasons, specifically the latter two.

The team couldn’t win the division in ’93 and ’94 but they didn’t care. The fans didn’t care. It was clear a new era was underway in Green Bay.

And both of those seasons were oddly symmetrical far beyond the multiple three game winning streaks hidden in each.

By Chance or By Destiny?

The Packers finished 9-7 in both seasons (1993 and ’94) and went 1-1 in the playoffs both years. They’d go on to beat the Detroit Lions and then lose to the Dallas Cowboys in the postseason each time. How strange?

In both seasons the Packers led the division in points scored, but interestingly still failed to win the division. The Central Division winner went 10-6 in both years.

The first touchdown for the Packers in both seasons was a touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Sterling Sharpe. In the final regular season game of both seasons Edgar Bennett ran for a touchdown. Crazy? No. Interesting? We sure as hell think so.

Both Packers seasons started with 1-2 records, and eventually 2-3 records, but they obviously, impressively rallied in both years.

Sticking with the Lions theme, the Packers split both season series with Detroit and actually lost the second game to the Lions both years. But again, the Packers got their revenge in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

The team’s defense was actually quite consistent over these two seasons. In ’93 they allowed 282 points and in ’94 they allowed 287 points, just five more points. The offense was top six in the NFL, in terms of points scored, in both seasons. On both sides of the ball, things were trending in the right direction.

The Packers had nine draft picks in both seasons and used six draft picks on the defense in ’93 and six draft picks on the offense in ’94. All things balanced.

The list of weird or interesting little symmetrical tidbits about these two seasons is long. I mean, in ’93 the Packers averaged 3.6 yards per rush and gave up 3.7 yards per rush. In ’94 the Packers averaged 3.7 yards per rush and gave up 3.6 yards per rush.

In ’93 they gave up 88 total first downs on the ground. In ’94 they amassed 88 total first downs on the ground. In both seasons exactly 20 touchdowns were scored on the ground between themselves and their opponents. In ’93 the Packers averaged 4.7 yards per play and in ’94 they gave up 4.7 yards per play.

As a team they committed exactly 85 penalties in both seasons. I mean, come on!

They had two games with exactly five offensive turnovers in ’93 and two games with exactly five defensive turnovers in ’94.

In ’93 the Packers went 2-4 against the Bears, Vikings and Lions. In ’94 they went 4-2 against the Bears, Vikings and Lions. In ’93 they went 3-1 against the AFC, in ’94 they went 1-3 against the AFC.

Here we are, things inversely balancing out yet again.

Some strange force was at work with this team over this incredibly underrated two year stretch of Packers football. The Brett Favre Era had a lot of twists and turns over his 16 years in Green Bay, but these (being able to look back) were some of the most fascinating.

As far as the history of the Packers organization goes, that 1993 season saw the invention of the “Lambeau Leap” as one of sport’s greatest celebrations. The 1994 season was monumental because it would be the final year in which the team would play two games per year in Milwaukee at Milwaukee County Stadium (a baseball stadium that awkwardly fit a football field which forced both teams to occupy the same sideline).

It represented the end of an era in the state’s biggest metropolitan area. Unfortunate in some respects, yes, but undoubtably better for the health of the Green Bay region’s economy. Many fans now simply travel up I-43 from Milwaukee to Lambeau Field a couple times a year for the “Gold package” games.

Favre gave that stadium a proper football sendoff with a game-winning diving touchdown run with 14 seconds left in the final NFL game ever played there. That moment will live in in that stadium’s history alongside milestone performances by MLB legends such as Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan and Robin Young. You could say it was one of the most memorable dives, or even leaps, of Favre’s career. Unfortunately that game featured another memorable moment that’s less fun to think about, which we dive into later.

To recap what exactly happened: In 1993 the “Lambeau Leap” was invented, a celebration that bonds players to fans in Green Bay, and by the end of 1994, Lambeau Field was the team’s only home. Some things just fit together like puzzle pieces even if they’re random events controlled by nothing but happenstance. Or perhaps the “Ghost of Lombardi” had a hand in it — we won’t judge your subscription to either theory.

Those two seasons would be the last before Favre would forever be remembered as a league MVP, which is a big shift for a potential franchise quarterback. It was in those years he went from a potentially great quarterback to bonafide superstar.

For that 1994 season specifically, in that exact snapshot of time, the Packers arguably had the top overall quarterback, wide receiver and defensive end in the league on their team.

These three undeniable generational talents taught the Packers franchise how to win again, building a championship foundation. All Packers fans, longing to taste victory again, could feel that these players were special.

Of course, the San Francisco 49ers would raise some legitimate points disputing that claim with Steve Young and Jerry Rice on their squad, but they definitely didn’t have an argument at defensive end.

Even those great Packers teams in 1996 and ’97 couldn’t boast that trifecta. Sure, Favre was definitely the league’s top quarterback at that time and White was still right up there as the best defender, but at receiver Antonio Freeman wasn’t exactly Sterling Sharpe or Jerry Rice for that matter.

In 1993 Brett Favre began his streak of 17 consecutive seasons starting all 16 games. Quite possibly the game’s most unbreakable record and it had its roots in these transformative years.

However it was in 1994 when Brett Favre really became Brett Favre. After leading the NFL in interceptions in 1993 (24), with only 19 touchdown passes, he exploded in 1994. It was also the first time his career rating hit the 90.0 rating plateau for an entire season and the first time he’d top 30 touchdown passes in a single season.

He had his first vintage moment as the “Iron Man” in a game against the Bears on October 31, 1994. In that game he led the Packers to a 33-6 win in Chicago, despite playing with an injured hip. It was the first of 10 straight wins for the Packers over the Bears.

And thus, the greatest comeback in NFL history was underway as the Bears’ historical dominance in the rivalry was beginning to wane. He added to that legend nearly two months later in that final Milwaukee contest.

Sadly, 1994 was Favre’s final year throwing to Sterling Sharpe, the climactic but unfortunate conclusion to a Hall of Fame worthy career. Sharpe set his career high (and Packers record) 18 touchdown receptions that year, besting Don Hutson’s 17 in 1942. Sharpe set this all-time record despite “starting the season slow” as he recovered from turf toe surgery. He was that dynamic. In his only two playoff appearances, in 1993, he caught four touchdowns, including the late game-winner against the Lions.

In Sharpe’s second to last career game, he injured his neck attempting to run block. No one knew how serious it was at the time. It was the other monumental moment from the Packers’ final game in Milwaukee.

In the final game of his NFL career, the following week, Sharpe overcame the pain and caught three touchdowns from Favre. Oh what they would have done over the next five or so years. My god.

In that final game his neck was injured once more. He’d never play again.

Sharpe was in his prime and proving that he was going to be the best in the league for next 4-5 years with Favre throwing to him, no doubt in our mind. But that’s life.

Even so, it was in these seasons that the Packers announced themselves to the NFL and made it clear that a new team in the upper-Midwest was to be taken seriously. Eventually, they’d go on to shake up the entire NFL with a brand of fun, west coast offensive football.

Favre was such a confusing quarterback in those days, despite leading the team to new heights, because for every few gutsy, special plays he’d sprinkle in a boneheaded throw or decision. And could you imagine Favre trying to navigate the world, and his addiction problems, in a world with social media and constant online tabloid attention? Lucky for him, that all transpired in the ’90s.

People didn’t yet know that all of Favre’s good would dramatically outweigh the bad. He was, in those years, far better than anyone could have known even with his unprecedented arm strength.

Even so, it seemed like the Packers would never get over the hump because the team kept having to go up against the Cowboys in Dallas. The Packers’ signal caller couldn’t adjust to the dramatically crowned field, where the middle of the field was around two feet higher than the sidelines. Pass after pass would sail over his intended receivers’ heads.

In the two contests that ended the ’93 and ’94 seasons Favre completed just 46 of 80 passes (just 57%) to go along with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Still, the Packers kept getting better and finally won the Central Division in 1995. But, they ran into the Cowboys again, in Dallas again, with their star receiver Sharpe still unable to play. They lost while Favre completed just 53% of his passes.

But something felt different about the team after finally winning the division for the first time since 1972. They had a burgeoning momentum, forged in the last few seasons, that ultimately wouldn’t be stopped.

However, all of this team-wide success was set in motion by the man (and myth) that came from the Philadelphia Eagles via free agency.

In his first two season with the Packers, in 1993 and ’94, Reggie White recorded 21 sacks, five forced-fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 114 tackles. He was named to the Pro Bowl in each season. In fact, he was named to the Pro Bowl every season in Green Bay and every season of his 15 year career besides his first and last season.

White’s 13 sacks in 1993 were a godsend for this defense and team. He was as advertised. A man playing among amongst boys, it appeared at times.

That said, not many people would believe that Sean Jones had more sacks than White (10.5 on the season, leading the team) in 1994. The Packers had, by far, the best defensive end duo in football that year. Jones led the team with five combined forced-fumbles and fumble recoveries. He was taller and leaner than White, but obviously not as physically imposing. He’d be White’s sidekick for the next few seasons in pursuit of a ring.

This defense as whole was just different. They put their talents on display against the Lions in 1994 when they held Barry Sanders, a top-3 running back in league history, to -1 yards on 13 carries. It’s one of the most remarkable stat-lines in NFL history and his worst career game by a mile.

But what of the coaching staff made these squads so special?

Holmgren was at the helm, but this team’s coaching staff was uniquely stacked. Andy Reid, Jon Gruden, Steve Mariucci, Ray Rhodes and Dick Jauron were all assistant coaches on these teams in either ’93 or ’94, most on both. All five went on to swiftly become NFL head coaches, with Reid becoming one of the best offensive head coaches in league history.

It wasn’t just the interesting collection of players on this team, but the minds from top to bottom that helped them develop. It’s without doubt one of the most unique coaching staffs in NFL history. With what we believe to be at least two and possibly three future Hall of Fame inductees (Reid is a lock, Holmgren should get in since Bill Cowher got in and Gruden may get in if he finds more success with the Raiders). Yes, these were special seasons in Green Bay on many levels.

However it all comes down to what the players to out on that field.

In 1994, fullback Edgar Bennett put together one of his finest seasons with 1169 total yards and nine touchdowns. It’s arguable that he was one of the top dual-threat pass catching runners in the league that year. His 78 receptions in ’94 were his career high. His 10 total touchdowns in ’93 were also his career high. Despite 474 total touches in those years he fumbled just once. He just did his job, which is the ultimate compliment that can be bestowed on a fullback, even one that is treated more like a running back.

Those two years in Green Bay were more special than most realize.

Rookie running back Dorsey Levens came to Green Bay in 1994, too, eventually giving the Packers one of the most productive and diverse running duos in the league. This partnership obviously helped propel the Packers to contender status in the coming years. Levens was a more impressive athlete than most give him credit for.

It was in 1994 also that Robert Brooks became a legitimate receiving threat in Green Bay and one of the most feared return men in the league. That year he returned both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown and his targets and receptions tripled from the year prior. Just like that, Sharpe finally had the semblance of a peer on the other side of the field. Brooks was more of a deep-threat on an every down basis. Oh the force they would have been together in Green Bay had they not each suffered career-derailing injuries.

At least we have 1994, right?

Of course you simply cannot talk about the Packers of the 1990s and not bring up LeRoy Butler.

It was in 1993 that he first was named First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl (it wouldn’t be the last time). In ’93 and ’94 he amassed a total of nine interceptions, two sacks, three forced-fumbles, 137 tackles, one fumble recovery and one touchdown. He was all over the field, the best strong safety of his era without doubt.

That one touchdown, on January 26, 1993, was the score that led to the aforementioned invention of the “Lambeau Leap” celebration.

Butler, like we’ve stated many times on this site, helped revolutionize the safety position and to this day nationally doesn’t get a third of the credit he’s due. The fact that he and Sharpe aren’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a farce.

In the Packers’ championship run Favre was the team’s leader, the unsuspecting, unprepared, but fearless heir to Bart Starr’s long-vacant throne. White was the defense’s leader and vocal leader at times, despite never cursing his opponents. But Butler was right there with those two men as one of the definitive leaders that helped finally bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay. He just led by his play on the field and his ability to go above and beyond what his position demanded.

These two seasons, ’93 and ’94, were instrumental in Butler growing into that leader.

Sharpe, although unable to be with the Packers in their championship runs, was instrumental in helping the team learn how to win. His DNA is all over this team and Favre’s development.

In 1993 kicker Chris Jacke was named First Team All-Pro. This team really was kicking on all cylinders. Offense, defense, special teams and coaching. Something special was brewing, you could just tell. All of the pieces were in place.

The Packers even had a strong collection of role players to help bring that winning culture back to Green Bay. Some were more memorable than others…

Like, the Gravedigger!

Gilbert Brown’s first two seasons with the Packers were in 1993 and ’94. So, it was quite obvious that those seasons were always destined to be magical.

In ’94 the massive nose tackle recorded his career-high of three sacks (to be matched again in ’97). However, he was never in Green Bay to sack quarterbacks; he was there to clog the middle of the field and stuff the opponent’s running game. He did that as well as anyone has in team history.

Another player whose first two seasons in Green Bay were 1993 and ’94 is Doug Evans. He was the team’s biggest “playmaker” at cornerback for the upcoming Super Bowl runs. Evans wasn’t a standout talent, but he did have a knack for getting his hands on the ball. As a rookie in ’93 he wasn’t a starter, but would become one the following year.

He’d have his best season at the right time, in 1996, when the Packers boasted the best defense in the league. Were his elevated stats just a beneficiary of the defense around him? Maybe. But you can just as easily say he helped the team get where they were going by stepping his game up.

Two prominent offensive linemen from this era of Packers football had a big connection to the year 1993, too. That was Earl Dotson’s rookie season and was the year that Frank Winters became a bonafide starter for the offense. Both, interestingly, played in Green Bay through the 2002 season.

They’d both be fixtures on the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl runs.

At linebacker in those two seasons the Packers deepened primarily on George Koonce and Bryce Paup. We’ll dive into Paup more below as his case is a bit more interesting. Koonce was never a star, but he didn’t need to be. Green Bay’s defense was all about rushing the passer and timely interceptions in those days. The linebackers just had to make the tackles that came their way, nothing more. He had his two most productive seasons in ’93 and ’94 and remained with Green Bay throughout the entirety of the 1990s. Koonce was a versatile player that could play outside or inside linebacker.

Wayne Simmons was a starting linebacker for the entire 1996 Super Bowl season and he got his start, like many other players we’ve mentioned, as a rookie in 1993.

The same can be said of tight end Mark Chmura, the three-time Pro Bowl player that was also instrumental in the Packers’ championship run. He’d be known as Favre’s “safety blanket” and a sure-handed option on crucial third downs.

It’s definitely true that the foundation of the Super Bowl XXXI Champion team came together in these fateful seasons.

How interesting were these teams? Even the backup quarterback situation was compelling. Both Mark Brunell and Ty Detmer were Favre’s backup in these years and both went on to start numerous games in the NFL (Brunell a whopping 151). It’s very rare for one backup to go on to become a starter elsewhere in the NFL, much less two.

Not to be outdone, Kurt Warner was on the team as an undrafted rookie free agent quarterback in 1994, too. He was released before the regular season began, but he’d go on to start 116 games, win two AP MVPs and one Super Bowl in his Hall of Fame career.

Speaking of players that left the Packers before their get championship runs in 1996 and ’97, like these quarterbacks… Here are a few notable ’93 and ’94 Packers players that left the team before the team climbed the football mountain:

Despite Terrell Buckley’s tenure in Green Bay leaving much to be desired, he did have his best season as a Packer in 1994 with five interceptions and three forced-fumbles. Can you believe he amassed 50 interceptions in his NFL career? Some people call him a “bust” but 50 interceptions is no joke, especially with him being relatively under-sized. And he never made a single Pro Bowl or All-Pro team. It’s just interesting. He’d go on to add four postseason interceptions and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.

Bryce Paup would put together a pretty dynamic season in 1994, also his last season in Green Bay. His seven and a half sacks, three forced-fumbles, two forced and two recovered fumbles and touchdown landed him in the Pro Bowl. Of course, the very next season in Buffalo he recorded a career-high, and eye-popping, 17.5 sacks. That 1994 season was his first of four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances for the speedy linebacker. But as his final three teams were Buffalo, Jacksonville and Minnesota we can all come to the conclusion that he never got that illusive ring.

Obviously in this section we have to bring up Sterling Sharpe again. He didn’t leave in free agency or via a trade. A neck injury took away a surefire Hall of Fame career and more memories than we could imagine. It’s still sad to think about and we’d bet there’d be another Lombardi Trophy at Lambeau Field had he not been forced to retire.

Sharpe never got his ring. Well, fate had something to say about that actually.

When the Packers lost Super Bowl XXXII to the Denver Broncos, something touching happened. Shannon Sharpe, Sterling’s little brother, gave him his Super Bowl ring from that game. Which was a promise Shannon made to him before he won it. Shannon would go on to win another and be able to keep a ring for himself. So Sterling did get a Super Bowl ring from a game involving the Packers — just not the way we would have drawn it up.

Some forces in life not be stopped, I suppose.

This team changed a bit from those 1993 and 1994 seasons to the back-to-back Super Bowl runs. A few players were added to the team, mostly via free agency, such as tight end Keith Jackson, safety Eugene Robinson, punt returner Desmond Howard, defensive tackle Santana Dotson and wide receiver Andre Rison.

Over this period Robert Brooks took Butler’s “Lambeau Leap” celebration and turned it into a national phenomenon. The Packers were cool again and one of the teams at the center of the football universe again. Just as it should be.

We all know what came next. The Packers won the Super Bowl in 1996 over the New England Patriots and Favre’s legendary status was confirmed at the age of 27. But without doubt, that championship was born in those crucial, and arduous, ’93 and ’94 seasons.

The team nearly won two straight Super Bowl’s but Terrell Davis’ migraine got better at halftime of Super Bowl XXXII, John Elway didn’t fumble on his ‘helicopter hit’ and the Packers came up just short. Yuck. I didn’t like anything about typing those words.

At least the Hall of Fame inductee Shannon gave his older brother, and superior talent, that ring. All three of those generational talents on those ’93 and ’94 teams, finally, had one.

In 1998, the team seemed like it was going to make another run, but then Jerry Rice fumbled (it was a missed call that helped the league institute replay; the simplicity of no replay be damned). Steve Young nearly fell down on the last play of the game, but caught himself and then Terrell Owens somehow caught the ball between two Packers defenders for a walk-off touchdown in the Wildcard Round. “The Catch: 2” they call it in San Fran. Yuck, again.

Man, guys named Terrell had a good calendar year against the Packers didn’t they? If you’re masochist and, for some reason, want to relive some of the toughest losses in Packers history, check this out. But only if you’re okay with your mood getting ruined!

The decade ended in lackluster fashion and the new millennium ushered in the second half of quarterback Brett Favre’s career.

Looking back, the 1990s were incredibly good to the Packers organization. The franchise was finally financially healthy again after the devastation that was the Lean Years. Green Bay was the winningest team of the ’90s, so you’d imagine their games were more packed than ever, right? Wrong. Lambeau Field has been sold out for every game since 1960, even through all those losing seasons in the ’70s and ’80s.

So what, when quickly looking back, seems like just a couple of relatively successful seasons in the early 1990s were actually a windfall for the Packers faithful. An unexpected return to the normalcy that is a winning culture in Green Bay.

Those years, specifically 1993 and 1994, were majestic and should be treated as such. They helped kick off over 30 years of sustained success and back-to-back Hall of Fame quarterback play, as Favre’s era bled into the Aaron Rodgers era. That is something the Packers had never experienced before, despite all of their World Championships.

What is your favorite memory from these two underrated seasons of Packers history?

We can’t go and relive the ’90s people, for better or worse, but we surely can look back with joy. And maybe a bit more understanding.

Ah, if only Y2K was our biggest worry right now…

No one knows if the 2020 NFL season will start on time. Right now that doesn’t even feel like an important thing to worry about, because it’s not. But hey, this too, like frosted tips, shall pass.

Stay safe everyone. Stay inside. Hope this stroll back into the 1990s brought you some temporary joy.

And as always, Go Pack Go.