Donald Driver will make history on Sunday when he catches his first pass against the Detroit Lions.
He will become the all-time leading receiver in the 90-year history of the Green Bay Packers.
Accomplishments like that arent supposed to happen to a lowly seventh-round draft choice. No one coming from such humble roots has achieved more in a Packers uniform.
When he makes that historic 596th catch to surpass Sterling Sharpe, officials will give the ball to the Packers to save for Driver, and an announcement will be made over the public address system, but the game will not be stopped.
I dont want to make a big deal out of it, Driver said. My biggest thing is we have to win the game.
What Driver deserves is 70,000 fans giving him a standing ovation, fireworks going off, cannons sounding and a flyover above Lambeau Field.
The Packers couldnt find a better player to represent them. His combination of talent, heart and class is rare in the NFL.
Other more highly touted receivers have come and gone, but no one has stood the test of time like Driver in Packers lore.
Oh my gosh, I think anytime you say all-time in the history of the Green Bay Packers, regardless of the category, I think that speaks volumes, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of the significance of Drivers record.
The tradition and the history of the Green Bay Packers, the players that have played before, the players that are here, I think it speaks volumes about Donalds performance, and even more so as a person, the way he goes about his business.
McCarthy was the Packers quarterbacks coach in 1999 when Driver was drafted mostly as an afterthought with the 213th overall pick. He was buried on the depth chart behind players like Dee Miller, Zola Davis and Jahine Arnold. Who would have believed that someday he would catch more passes as a Packer than players like Don Hutson, James Lofton and Sharpe?
I would have never predicted it in a million years, Driver said. If someone had said youre going to make the team, youre going to be the all-time receiver for the Packers, you would have never thought that would happen.
In April 1999, then-General Manager Ron Wolf talked to Drivers agent about signing him as a free agent. When told by the agent that Driver was looking for a signing bonus of around $15,000, Wolf changed his strategy.
As Driver recalls: (Wolf) said, Shoot, we might as well draft the kid and give him draft pick money. So, thats the reason they drafted me.
It didnt matter to Driver how he arrived in Green Bay. He was thankful for a chance and determined to make the most of it.
I came in and remember talking to Ron Wolf and told him that I wasnt going to let him down, Driver said. Ron gave me the opportunity. I havent let him down yet.
Driver caught only 37 passes in his first three seasons combined, so there was no indication he would make a dent in the Packers record book. Whats remarkable about his career path is that when most NFL players start declining near age 30, Driver was only beginning to peak.
Over the past five seasons since turning 29, Driver has averaged 84 catches and 1,157 yards per year. He has remained a fixture in the starting lineup for the past eight years, even though the Packers have drafted five receivers in either the first or second rounds during that span.
Driver plays with a chip on his shoulder, which might help explain his success.
You go in every year and people tell you that you cant do this, you cant do that, said Driver, a three-time Pro Bowl participant and six-time 1,000-yard receiver. I love criticism. So when people tell me I cant do something, I come back and prove people wrong. Thats just kind of how I live my life on a day-to-day basis. If you tell me I cant do it, believe me, Ill find a way to do it.
No one will outwork Driver, who stays in tip-top shape year-round.
Hes a lot bigger, McCarthy said in describing Drivers development over the past decade. Thats what I remember, how light he was when he came in.
He was definitely undersized, but what hes done with his body
Besides his tremendous leaping ability he high jumped 7 feet, 6 inches in college and work ethic, Drivers humility sets him apart.
Asked about his secret to success, Driver replied: Keeping God first in my life, and my family. I play the game for them and God. Thats it. Every time I step on that field, he keeps me walking off. If you look at me, Ive taken a lot of big shots in my career and been able to get up and smile, go back home and give my wife and kids a hug.
Tonight, Drivers wife Betina, his son Cristian and daughter Christina will greet the most prolific pass catcher in Packers history. Only then, according to Driver, will it dawn on him what he has accomplished.
I think when I get home, it will probably hit me then, he said.