A Niles man received a unique gift this Christmas when two of his grandchildren secretly entered him into a contest to become a member of the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame.

Seventy-eight-year-old Arnold Ruelle learned last week that he is a finalist in the contest thanks to the efforts of grandsons Jordan Ruelle, 18, and his brother Jacob, 16.

Jordan and Jacob said they saw the contest online at Packers.com. They submitted — without Arnold’s knowledge — a heartfelt essay explaining why their grandfather deserved to be entered into the Packers Fan Hall of Fame.

The grandkids said they were shocked when they received an email from the Packers saying their granddad was a finalist.

“We didn’t think the chances were very good,” said Jordan, a senior at Niles High School. “We are really happy for him because he is such a big fan and this would mean a lot to him.”

Arnold said he was equally as surprised to learn what his grandkids had done, especially after reading the essay.

“I was kind of shocked and proud and happy, but they are good grandkids,” he said. “When I saw the letter I told them, ‘Gosh. I didn’t know I was such a good guy.’”

Jordan and Jacob said it is the least they could do for “Poppy,” who has always been active in their lives.

“We love him a lot and we feel like he deserves it,” Jacob said. “He has done a lot for us.”

Arnold grew up about 35 miles away from Green Bay and remembers going to games at City Stadium, where the Packers played home games before Lambeau Field was built in the 1950s.

Arnold had never been to a Packers game at Lambeau until last year, when he took 11 members of his family, including Jacob and Jordan, to see the Packers play the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He described the experience as being on the same level as a Muslim making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

“If you are a Packer fan you have to go to Lambeau — it’s unbelievable,” he said.

Voting for the Packers Fan Hall of Fame will take place on Packers.com from Jan. 1 through Jan. 31. All finalist photos and essays will appear online and the winner will be chosen by fans, a Packers committee and past winners.

The winner will be announced sometime in February.

All finalists and their guests will be invited to a press conference at Lambeau Field for the announcement.

The winner will receive a trip for two to a 2015 away game, four club seats to a 2015 home game and a $500 Packer Pro Shop gift card.

Jordan and Jacob Ruelle wrote this essay about how much their grandfather, Arnold, loves the Green Bay Packers. They entered it into a contest with the hope of seeing their grandpa get entered into the Packer Fan Hall of Fame.

 

Biggest Packer Fan

As I walk into my grandfather’s house on a Sunday afternoon, I see him watching the Packer game with his “cheesehead” hat on in all his green and yellow clothes.

My grandpa, or “Poppy,” has been a fan his whole life and he has always wanted to go to a Green Bay Packers game (at Lambeau Field). Growing up in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, not far from Green Bay, he had never got the opportunity to go to a game there. His love for the Packers has been in his blood since the day he was born. It has rubbed off on anyone who has been around him. All of his five grandchildren and his three children are now Packer fans.

Before he had even got to go to a game, he wanted his grandkids to be “owners” of his favorite franchise. For Christmas he bought each one of us a stock of the Packers. He is a man that has always put everyone else before him. The most caring, generous person I have ever met wanted us to own part of the franchise before him.

One year we had finally made it to Lambeau Field when I was in town for a hockey tournament. Poppy did what he could to find time to go to the one and only, Lambeau Field. As we walked through the Hall of Fame and on a tour through the entire stadium I could hear the excitement in his voice and smile on his face. That was enough to know that he was having the time of his life just being at the field.

I knew we had to take him to a game when we walked through the tunnel the players walk through and onto the field. He wouldn’t stop saying how he wished he could get to a Packers game. That dream of his had finally come true.

At 78 years old, Poppy finally got to go to his first game, and it was something his entire family will never forget. He didn’t want to spend this amazing moment by himself, so he brought his entire family with. For 12 people, he paid for the tickets, food, gas and gave everyone spending money for the Packer Pro Shop. He wanted everyone to enjoy the moment he was going to spend while watching the team he loved in the freezing weather as the snow was falling.

A Packers game has been on his bucket list for a long time and now he can cross it off. He talks about the game to everyone just so he can remember the moment he spent at Lambeau Field.

Poppy had the best time of his life. I always hear him talk about how much it had meant to him. During the game my mom heard Poppy say, “If I died right now, I would be one happy man.”

He would do anything to spend another day at Lambeau watching the team he loves most.