The Packers won Superbowl because of their Belgian heritage

First of all, Randy just about fell from his chair when he had to hear this first from my Mom of all people, who knows nothing about American football. So of course he had to get on the internet and check it out. He couldn't stop laughing that Mom knows who Curly Lambeau is....and then again when he watched the video above from Belgian Television.


Super Bowl is known in Europe for the ads, the cheerleaders, the money spent, and usually not for the football itself. This time, some Belgian newspapers have discovered a story about the Green Bay Packers to explain the "importance" for Belgium to support the Packers... and it's a 19th century story.


In 1871, from Grez Doiceau, Belgium (which is just a few kilometers from where we live now), Victor Lambeau emigrates with his wife to the United States, as do thousands of Belgian farmers, steelers, glassworkers.

Arrived at Green Bay, Victor landed his family and had 8 children. The first of them was Marcel Lambeau, the father of Earl "Curly" Lambeau. I like this difference between European first names and Earl, the real American first name of this family. Earl, with his associates, will create, play for, and coach the Packers and the "Lambeau Field" sings for us like a home town...Some Belgian cities have the same name in the States and Belgium, like Charleroi, Namur, and Waterloo, there is even a Belgium, Wisconsin.


So all of us Belgians are very proud today that our Green Bay Packers have won the Super Bowl. I'm not so sure that Randy is coming along with me on this one.