West Bend man a finalist for Packers FAN Hall of Fame

WEST BEND, Wis. - A Green Bay Packers fan from West Bend is a finalist to be inducted into the Packers FAN Hall of Fame.

Leo DeGroot has no doubts when it comes to the Packers and a Super Bowl championship. The 89-year-old bleeds Green & Gold.

"They’re going to win," DeGroot said.

DeGroot is a finalist for the second year in a row to be inducted into the FAN Hall of Fame.

"Thousands that could sit here with the same experiences I’ve had and followed the Packers throughout the years – maybe I might have more years on most of them," said DeGroot.

DeGroot is honored to be nominated again. He's followed the team since he was 12 through radio. Then in high school, he'd hitchhike from West Bend to Green Bay just to cheer on the team. When the packers moved to Lambeau Field in 1957, he's been a season ticket holder ever since.

"Before the game, it’s very nice because before the game you see them up close practicing," DeGroot said.

His Packers pride -- contagious to those around him -- is passing on the tradition to his family.

"He embodies the true spirit of Green Bay and the Green Bay Packers fans. He is everything that they preach and everything that they do," Ron DeGroot, Leo's son, said.

And while Leo DeGroot has witnessed some historic moments at Lambeau Field, it's the family of fans that scores a place in his heart.

"The closeness of the Packers to the fans is just great," DeGroot said.

DeGroot will find out if he’ll be indicted FAN Hall of Fame in mid-February.

You can still vote for DeGroot to be inducted into the Packers FAN Hall of Fame at packers.com/fans/fan-hall-of-fame.

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