Yochen, the Vikings fan, in the early 1940s while stationed in California.

Editor’s Note: My Dad has been gone for more than a decade, but there isn’t a day that goes by where something doesn’t remind me of him. I think of my father often. He was a Renaissance man, a philosopher, a comedian, a dad. He made me do things that I didn’t want to do. He always encouraged me to follow my instincts and dreams. He died way too early.

Today I reprise a column I wrote about him last year. I do so because it is Father’s Day – a time to remember, reflect and honor all those fathers who have tried their best to give their sons and daughters a better place in which to live.

As you read this, I hope you, too, understand the importance of all the fathers in this world.

Happy Father’s Day to you, Yochen. I miss you and will see you soon.

Yochen, the Vikings fan

My Dad, Richard Rivard, was affectionately known by family and friends as Yochen (pronounced yo-chin) … Don’t ask me how or why … That’s just the way it was.

His love of the Minnesota Vikings could be viewed the same way … Nobody was really sure how or why. Living in western Wisconsin, his most ready explanation was through a question: Why should he support a team that was 200-plus miles away when he could jump in the car and be at a game in Minnesota in no time?

He had a logistical point there, but in my mind one constructed through convenience, not time-honored loyalty.
“Green Bush” is what he called the Packers with a smile.

You see, to me, I always felt he became a Vikings fan in the early 1960s because he wanted to be different. Everyone else was a Packers fan.

Fran Tarkenton

Though he would only ascribe his loyalties to the purple and gold, we all knew he had a soft spot for the Packers, especially when they won. He was not only around when the Packers were winning championships in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but he of course was pleased to see them win under Vince Lombardi in the 1960s (after all, the Vikings were a fledgling franchise at that point).

When the Pack came roaring back in the mid-1990s, he no doubt could see the greatness of those teams as well.

But he did have good reason to be a fan of the division rival to the west. He was always a big fan of Fran Tarkenton … Even cheering for him when he played those years in New York. I remember well 1969 when we attended a preseason game at the old Metropolitan Stadium and Tarkenton, then with the Giants, threw the ball all over the yard, mostly to Homer Jones … Much to the pleasure of Yochen.

When Tarkenton came back to Minnesota and led them to all those NFC championships in the mid-1970s, Yochen was ecstatic … And heartbroken when the team could never win a Super Bowl.

Nevertheless, he was a fan because … well, frankly, the Vikings were one of the best-run franchises for many years. Yochen knew excellence and appreciated it when he saw it. Clearly, the Packers could have learned a lot from the Vikings during the 1970s and 1980s. Year-in year-out the Vikings were contenders. For the Packers, winning was a distant memory.

Yochen died in May 1999, but it was on an early fall day just a few months after he left us that I felt his smile and laugh the strongest.

It was one of those clear, cool and crisp fall days – the type that Yochen would spend puttering around the yard on some needed project awaiting the start of the ball game.

This particular day also happened to be one when the Vikings invaded Lambeau Field.

Corey Bradford

The Packers, a shadow of their championship stature of just a couple of years prior, were still a threat to win … You see, the Packers had this guy named Brett Favre … One of those Packers players Yochen had come to appreciate.

It was one of those back and forth epic struggles between two teams that knew one another so well … It came down to the final minute. It was one of those games you knew Yochen would have loved … One of those that no matter the outcome, he would have greeted it with a “Wow! Holy cow! Can you believe that?!?”

I could hear his spirit yelling just as the Vikings went ahead with just seconds left in the game.
But the Packers had Brett Favre.

And in true fashion, the future hall of famer led the Pack downfield. As the clock wound down inside 20 seconds Favre hit Corey Bradford on a seam route for the winning score … Maybe you remember that game.

It was one that Yochen certainly would have appreciated.

I could hear and see him:  ”sonofabitch,” he would have said. Not out of disgust or anger … He more than likely would have been wearing that smile … Incredulous.

That’s who he was … Yes, he was an admitted Vikings fan, but more than anything he was just a fan … Happy to have been there and to have witnessed it.

Don’t ask me how or why … That’s just the way it was.

Donald Driver, who will formally announce his retirement next week after 14 years in a Green Bay Packers uniform, breaks a tackle after one of his patented catch and runs.

From his humbled beginnings living in a U-Haul trailer, his adolescent dalliance with drug dealing, and the transformation which turned him into the Green Bay Packers all-time leading receiver, Donald Driver’s life story has been well chronicled. His incredible tale has been woven into the fabric of Packers’ history. Even the most casual fans know Driver’s narrative much as they do the pledge of allegiance. Yet somehow the full account of Driver’s rise to prominence manages to be even more remarkable still.

In commemoration of Donald Driver’s illustrious career, let us return to 2002; the year a legend was born.

The 2002 offseason began with a mandate: revamp the receiving corps. The previous year had ended with the debacle in St. Louis, a game which saw Brett Favre throw 6 interceptions while regular season leading receiver Bill Schroeder managed only 2 catches and 39 yards. Mike Sherman, in his first year as general manager, let Schroeder leave along with longtime Packer and fan favorite Antonio Freeman. Sherman also left Corey Bradford unprotected in the Houston Texans expansion draft, and he was promptly scooped up. With running back Ahman Green’s 594 yards the highest remaining receiving total, the Packers’ offense was set to feature a very different look in 2002.

Sherman’s first move was the high profile acquisition of disgruntled wide receiver Terry Glenn. Glenn brought with him the pedigree of a decorated collegiate career, rookie of the year honors, and an All-Pro season just a few years prior. Sherman felt Glenn provided the vertical threat that the Packers lacked. To further bolster the group, Sherman used a first round draft pick on receiver Javon Walker.

Everyone expected that these two moves, coupled with anticipated development from second year wide-out Robert Ferguson and red zone specialist Bubba Franks, would return the Packers’ offense to its mid-90s dominance.

In his Chicago Sun-Times feature “Helping Hands for Favre,” reporter Dan Pompei chronicled how strongly the Packers coaching staff felt about the new look receiving corps. Photos of Glenn were prominently displayed, as well as quotes and scouting reports for Franks, Ferguson, and the new additions. Not until the very last paragraph did Pompei include a word about fourth year receiver Donald Driver.

And why should he have? Driver had only 13 receptions the previous year and just 37 in his three years in the league and appeared mostly on special teams. The coaches viewed Driver as a backup kick returner who might, if  they were lucky, develop into a fourth or fifth receiver. With Glenn, Walker, Ferguson and Franks ahead of him, no one expected that by the end of the season Driver would become the Packers number one target.

Driver spent training camp and the preseason outworking and outsmarting the inexperienced Walker and Ferguson. Driver, now famous for his offseason workout regimen, had put on 10 pounds of muscle. His newfound strength along with having the most exposure to Sherman’s offense gave Driver a head start over the other wideouts.

While he remained below the others on the depth chart, the coaches took notice. By the start of the regular season, Driver had gone from a possible roster cutdown casualty to being guaranteed some snaps in games. Now all Driver needed was an opportunity in the regular season.

As fate would have it, that opportunity came right away. Ferguson was hurt before the season opener. With the rookie Walker still learning the playbook, Driver was thrust into the starter’s role. He responded, leading all receivers that day with 7 catches for 78 yards.

Driver scored his first touchdown of the season the next week while catching 4 passes for 51 yards. The now healthy Ferguson had officially been displaced on the depth chart. While most observers were impressed with Driver’s early season production, he was still thought of as merely an overachieving role player. That perception changed over the next three weeks.

In a must-have game in Detroit, Driver wasted little time in demonstrating his abilities. His first quarter consisted of receptions of 25, 8, 19, and 21 yards, the last of which was for a touchdown. He would have another 21-yard catch later on, establishing himself as the missing vertical threat in the Packers’ offense.

The following week brought Driver’s first multi-touchdown performance, along with the first Lambeau Field chant of “Double-D.” Finally, as if to leave no doubt that he had arrived, Driver produced one of the all-time great performances in the Packers-Bears rivalry. In the much chronicled Monday Night Football matchup, Driver burned the Chicago secondary for the now infamous 85-yard touchdown. Driver’s score gave the Packers a lead they would never relinquish. From that point on, no one questioned if the Packers’ offense could stretch the field. Neither did anyone question who their go-to receiver was.

By the end of the year, Donald Driver had accumulated 70 receptions for 1,064 yards and 9 touchdowns, all team bests. The tumultuous offseason which led to the much-ballyhooed additions of Terry Glenn and Javon Walker had culminated in the first of Driver’s many Pro-Bowl selections. The vertical element missing from the Packers’ passing game had been there all along, waiting for his opportunity.

In a mere season, Driver had straddled both ends of the roster. He had gone from the outhouse to the penthouse. Through his hard work and persistence, Driver had made himself into a team leader and star performer. Most importantly, he had set himself on the path to becoming one of the all-time greats in Green Bay Packers’ history.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Lombardiave.com. He has previously written for Hail to the Orange, College Hoops Net, Mocking the Draft, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JBHirschhorn.

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