Virginia Beach man owns a piece of Packers

VIRGINIA BEACH

Hal Breedlove will have a vested interest in tonight's game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, and not just because he bought into a football pool.

Breedlove, a 54-year-old optometrist, has been a Packers stockholder since 1997. His love for the team, though, goes back to Green Bay's first Super Bowl.

Actually, it dates to the year before that.

"It was 1965, and I was looking for a team to root for," said Breedlove, who was 9. "So I wrote to four teams - the Redskins, Eagles, Giants and Packers - explaining that I needed a favorite team and asking why I should root for their team."

A few weeks later, Breedlove came home to Linkhorn Point after school to find his mom, arms folded with a manila envelope in her hand, waiting for him.

"She asked, 'What's this? What have you done now?'

"The letter was from Green Bay Packers Inc., and it started, 'Welcome to the worldwide network of Packers fans,' " He'd just become a Packer Backer - for life.

The Packers won the first two Super Bowls - before the game was even called the Super Bowl - and left an impression on a young boy.

"I still have the letter, buried somewhere in my mom's attic. I'd have to go on a 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' search to find it. But it's there."

What's better than the letter, though, is the certificate Breedlove has for his share of stock, purchased in 1997 when the Packers raised capital for upgrades to Lambeau Field, home of the team since 1957.

The Packers, who have been around since 1919, have been publicly owned since the early days of the franchise and have had four stock sales: 1923, 1935, 1950 and 1997. There are 4,750,937 shares owned by 112,158 stockholders worldwide, and no one is allowed to own more than 200,000 shares, eliminating the chance of an individual taking control.

Breedlove paid $200 for his share and put his name on the team's wait list for season tickets.

"I'm on a list with 20,000 others and will probably never get a season ticket, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen a game at Lambeau."

Breedlove made the pilgrimage in 1998.

"I saw the Monday Night Football game against the Vikings that was the coming out party for Randy Moss.

"Needless to say, we lost.

"But I had my Packers stockholder hat on and walked around the parking lots before the game. I had a bunch of guys stop me and say, 'Hey, I don't recognize you. Where are you from?' When I told them, I was an immediate member of their family, and I was not want for any kind of refreshment."

This evening, Breedlove will watch the Super Bowl in the comfort of his home.

"I decided to have an owner's-box party at my house."