This past week, Mark Tauscher, the consummate Wisconsin farm boy, made a point to thank his fans – his Wisconsin fans who have loved him from his days as a Future Farmer of America in Auburndale, his days of toiling on a monster offensive line that cleared the way for Ron Dayne at the University of Wisconsin, and of course his long and illustrious career with the Green Bay Packers.

The paid ad that he had published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said it all and said it from his heart. He loves the state of Wisconsin and what a charmed life he has had. Who else has been selected honorable mention All-State in high school, walked on at UW, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and played more than a decade as an offensive lineman while suffering injuries and continually coming back as an anchor who

protected the likes of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

Who else can say that he was a member of teams that won both the Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl in his home state – the state where he was born and bred and never left through his entire career? Nobody that I know.

He’s a rare one – needless to say, Wisconsin won’t see another like him for quite some time.

So, here’s to Mark Tauscher – one of a kind – a champions, a fighter, a true class act.