GREEN BAY (NBC26) — College football fans descended on Lambeau Field Sunday, turning the iconic Green Bay stadium into a sea of Badger red and Fighting Irish blue for a matchup that meant far more to many attendees than just the final score.
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For Preston Ver Steeg, a Wisconsin fan who made the roughly 7-hour drive from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the game was a chance to watch his brother play on a professional stage.
"I'm rooting for Wisconsin, Roll Badgers let's go baby," Ver Steeg said.
His brother, Thomas Heiberger, is a linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers.
"I have not been to Lambeau, so it's so exciting to be in something different than a college stadium and having a college game at an NFL stadium should be super excited," Ver Steeg said.
For Notre Dame fan Ken Murphy, the trip from South Carolina carried a deeper personal meaning.
"My father was a Bart Starr fan, he loved Green Bay, we never got a chance to come here, so I'm here for him more than anything," Murphy said.
Murphy made the 14-hour drive to Green Bay for his first visit to Lambeau Field, where he also reunited with friends he sees once a year through Notre Dame's fantasy football camp.
"We drove 14 hours to come up here, it's awesome, the energy, everything about Wisconsin, I love it," Murphy said.
"It's a small reunion, we have the fantasy camp here, we have quite a showing," Murphy said.
Badger and Irish fans filled the stands side by side, kicking off what both fan bases hope will be a long and memorable football season.
