A schedule of major community events during NFL draft week
Outside of the NFL draft campus around Lambeau Field, the community is hosting a number of other big events to for locals and visitors to experience.
- The Green Bay Packers’ annual Tailgate Tour is underway, featuring current and former players visiting various Wisconsin communities.
- The tour includes fundraising events for nonprofits and surprise visits to schools, hospitals, and businesses.
- Packers President Mark Murphy, who is retiring in July, is participating in his final Tailgate Tour.
GREEN BAY – When Mark Murphy embarked on his first Packers Tailgate Tour in 2008, news broke that Brett Favre had decided to unretire, unleashing weeks of controversy. Now, 17 years later, as Murphy boarded the bus Tuesday for this year’s tour, he could look across the Lambeau Field parking lots and see construction for the NFL draft in 16 days. That’s quite an arc.
The 550-mile, five-day tour includes stops in Milwaukee, Madison, La Crosse, Wausau, Ashwaubenon and points in between. Tour participants will appear at nonprofit fundraising events each day and stop along the route at schools, hospitals, businesses, retirement homes and community centers to present donations and giveaway items, and visit with fans. There are a number of daily surprise stops along the way.
Joining Murphy on the bus this year are players Tucker Kraft, and Lukas Van Ness, and former players Ahman Green, Marco Rivera, John Michels, Tony Fisher and Bill Schroeder. The mix of current and former players is one of Murphy’s favorite things about the trip.
“They usually start off at completely opposite ends of the bus, but by the end of the trip, they are best friends. They realize they have a lot in common,” Murphy said.
Kraft and Van Ness are first-timers on the bus.
“We have a lot of stops that are important,” Kraft said. “Fans in the community wrap their arms around you. Being a Packer is more than just being on the team.”
Tight end Kraft had a breakout season in 2024, catching 50 passes for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. He was drafted after tight end Luke Musgrave, but Musgrave has been hampered by injuries. The two have worked out together and played a lot of pickle ball, which Kraft only recently started playing.
“I really want to take it upon myself this year to lead with my play style, like I may have been last year, but also with more words, not just headbutts,” Kraft said of his third-year goals. “We are going to want to find ways to spread the wealth around. In the tight end room we are going to be relied on more this year.
“I feel like people are ready for us to emerge as leaders of the (NFC) North again.”
It’s going to be a busy year for Kraft, who lives in Green Bay year-round. He and his wife are expecting their first child in early July and training camp opens in late July.
“Green Bay being the smallest city for a franchise to be in, it happens to be the largest city I’ve ever lived in. I’m very happy about that, ” said Kraft, who grew up in rural South Dakota and attended college at South Dakota State University, in the town of Brookings, population 24,000. “I landed right exactly where I needed to be.”
Defensive lineman Van Ness also is in his third year with the Packers. The defensive line has a new position coach in DeMarcus Covington, and the defense had a new coordinator last year in Jeff Hafley. Van Ness said those things have to be taken in stride. “Ultimately, it’s part of the game,” he said.
Like Kraft, Van Ness said much will be expected of his position group this year.
“I think we have a great group. We are going to work hard. I love the guys we have in our room,” Van Ness said.
He also had advice for college players looking to get picked in this year’s draft.
“To all the guys sitting at home … wondering if they made the right decision, I think this is a great point in your life,” Van Ness said. “You’ve put the work in. At this point, you have to trust the process. I’m sure a lot of guys are pretty anxious, but ultimately, you left it all out there and you’ve just got to hope it all works out on draft day.”
And sometimes, it works out anyway. Murphy, who played eight years for Washington, was not drafted. He was signed as a free agent, played in two Super Bowls and led the league in interceptions in 1983. He worked for the NFL Players Association, was a justice department attorney and a college athletic director before becoming the Packers president and CEO. He will retire in July.
Asked if he was savoring his last go-around, Murphy said he’s been savoring the last 17 years.
“This is one of my favorite weeks of the year,” he said of the tour. “I do think it’s something that sets us apart from other professional sports organizations.
“It personifies what’s special about the Packers. We’re a community-owned team. We have a stronger connection to our fans. There is nothing more exciting that pulling up to a school when we have a surprise visit, seeing the excitement on kids’ faces.”
“I know this will be my last Tailgate Tour. I’m just going to enjoy it,” Murphy said.
Scheduled fundraising events include:
- Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation, 6-10 p.m. April 8, Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Tickets, limited to 1,000, are $75 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at gbpackertour.givesmart.com.
- Dairyland Sports, 6-9 p.m. April 9, Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green, Madison. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Tickets, limited to 300, are $75 per person. To purchase tickets, visit dairylandsports.org/packertailgate.
- Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, 6-8 p.m. April 10, Stoney Creek Hotel, 3060 S. Kinney Coulee Road, Onalaska. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Limited to 325 general admission tickets at $75 per person. Tickets can be purchased at lacrossehtf.org.
- Patriot K9s of Wisconsin, 6-9:30 p.m. April 11, Crystal Training Institute, 880 S. View Drive, Mosinee. Doors open at 5 p.m. Limited to 1,000 tickets at $75 per person. To purchase tickets, visit patriotk9s.ejoinme.org/packerstailgatetours.
- Children’s Wisconsin, 1-2:30 p.m., April 12, EPIC Event Center, 2351 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon. Doors open at 11 a.m. Tickets are $75 per adult and $25 per child, limited to the first 500 fans. Tickets can be purchased online at support.childrenswi.org/packerstailgate.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG
