Football
Jubilant Packer fans give hero's welcome to Poole
the associated press
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.04.2004
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The man who made the Packers' playoff berth possible, Cardinals wide receiver Nathan Poole, got a hero's welcome Saturday when he arrived in Green Bay as the mayor's weekend guest.
"Thanks for the catch!" shouted dozens of fans who greeted Poole and his wife, Neville, at Austin Straubel International Airport.
Poole caught the game-winning touchdown pass as time ran out in Tempe on Sunday to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 18-17. The Vikings' loss gave the Packers the NFC North title and eliminated Minnesota from the playoffs.
The Pooles will attend today's wild-card game between the Packers and Seattle Seahawks with Mayor Jim Schmitt and his wife, Dona.
"The Packers deserve to be in the playoffs. But they couldn't have done it without the help of the Cardinals, particularly the miraculous catch of Nathan Poole," Schmitt said.
"I was asked as mayor what would I do for him, and I said I can't name a bridge or a boulevard after him, but I do have four tickets to the game."
Poole got a key to the city.
Never has an opponent received such royal treatment in Titletown.
"I heard these fans were great, but this is unbelievable," Poole said. "I can't put what's happening to me into words."
Poole, decked out in a designer suit and a Cardinals cap, signed autographs at the airport before heading to lunch with Schmitt.
Today, they'll go to Brett Favre's steakhouse before tailgating. Their seats are on the 50-yard line 35 rows up, although a friend of the mayor has offered to bring them into a luxury box at halftime if it snows.
But Poole said he was "looking forward to soaking up some of this cold weather. The fans e-mailed me and showed me a lot of love. So, I'm looking forward to coming out and helping cheer their team on."
Poole was cut four times by the Cardinals, so he knows about perseverance.
"My heart goes out to them," Poole said of Packers fans. "And me making that catch and putting them in the playoffs is a great feeling."