Dover packed with Packers fans, thanks to John Kuhn 

On Sunday afternoon, John Kuhn will emerge from the stadium tunnel at Soldier Field in Chicago with the temperature hovering around 20 degrees.

Back in Dover, where Kuhn, the Green Bay Packers' fullback, is from, his friends and family will settle down in front of their televisions to watch him go to work. [img_r]http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/John+Kuhn+Dallas+Cowboys+v+Green+Bay+Packers+8D40oc2tWlBl.jpg[/img_r]

Without question, they will stop and consider just how surreal this moment will be. Kuhn, 28, a Dover High School graduate, will appear in the NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears in his fifth year in the NFL. The kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

It is the ultimate example of what hard work can do, according to Bill Miller, Kuhn's football coach at Dover. Undrafted out of NCAA Division II Shippensburg University, Kuhn fought for a job as a free agent in his early years in the NFL.

Now entrenched as a big piece of Green Bay's offense, Kuhn is an unquestioned success as a professional athlete.

"If you look at it percentage-wise, there's a very low percentage of kids who play high school football -- even those who play it well -- that make it to this point," Miller said. "It's even more of a credit to John, to be a part of that small percentage."

Gifted athlete: For Miller, Kuhn was one of the most gifted athletes he coached. The running back/linebacker hardly ever came off the field for the Eagles, according to Miller. He rushed for a school-record 2,245 yards for Dover from 1997 through 1999.

He then landed at Shippensburg University, located about 45 miles from his hometown.

In college, Kuhn ran for 4,685 yards and 53 touchdowns, setting 27 school and four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference records. While becoming the Red Raiders' force in the ground game, he also earned a chemistry degree.

This created an obvious fallback option for Kuhn as he went back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers for two seasons. Nonetheless, his father, also named John Kuhn, said there was little question that Kuhn would keep at it.

Ultimately, Kuhn was claimed on waivers by the Packers in 2007 and became a blocking specialist. Once Green Bay's starting running back, Ryan Grant, sustained a season-ending injury in Week 1 of this season, Kuhn was turned to as more of a running back.

The 6-foot, 250-pounder finished the regular season rushing for 281 yards and four touchdowns on 84 carries (3.3 yards per attempt). In two wins for the Packers in the playoffs, he has added another receiving and rushing touchdown.

'Could do anything': According to a recent New York Times story, Kuhn's teammates and coaches hold a high opinion of him. In the Times story, Joe Philbin, the Packers' offensive coordinator, spoke of Kuhn's instincts, saying "if you were in your backyard playing ball when you were a kid, you might be picking this guy early. John is kind of like that."

Bill Rickard, who coached Kuhn and is now Dover High's assistant principal, shares a similar sentiment.

"John could do anything. If we would have needed him to play tight end, or if we would have needed him to play quarterback, he could have done it," Rickard said. "He had the athletic ability to do what he wanted to do."

Green Bay's public relations department denied an interview request with Kuhn through e-mail. In the Times story, Kuhn explained his state of mind during his early years in the NFL.

"I always had confidence, always had faith, and stuck with it," Kuhn said. "I wouldn't say I ever really truly didn't believe."

Hometown support: Those in Dover didn't give up on him either -- and they still spend time supporting Kuhn.

Miller purchased DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket in order to watch Kuhn every week.

Kuhn's father, John, said he'll be sitting in his "man cave" on Sunday, watching the son who always "wanted to be one step better" in everything he did.

On Wednesday, Zack Lunsford, Kuhn's best friend, said he spoke to five friends on the phone, discussing where they'll all watch the game on Sunday.

And somehow Kuhn, now a fan favorite in Green Bay, has not lost sight of where he came from, Lunsford said. During Green Bay's bye in Week 10, Kuhn made a last-minute visit home, surprising Lunsford, a Dover Township resident, and his two daughters, Alexi, 9, and Cameryn, 4.

"He wasn't sure if he would make it home, but he came to surprise the girls," said Lunsford, 28. "He means a lot to me as a friend."