A trophy fit for Titletown

Robinson Metal’s tailgate house, which sits across the street from Lambeau Field, is a game-changer when it comes to pregame entertainment. But the centerpiece is the 10-ft.-tall replica of the Lombardi Trophy the company fabricated.

Green Bay Packer fans and tailgating go together like cheese curds and beer. Whether you love them, hate them, or envy them, you have to admit that these fans exist in a class by themselves. What other fan base willingly subjects their bodies to the subzero outdoor temperatures, sometimes paired with snow, freezing rain, or whipping winds—conditions typically fit only for Arctic creatures—all in the name of tailgating and watching football?

Hailed by Forbes as the best fans in the NFL, loyalists of the team wear their fandom as a badge of honor. While their bravado doesn’t always sit well with opposing fans, like it or not, being a Packer fan, especially on game day in Green Bay, is pretty freaking cool.

Game day tailgating is more than a pregame meal with beverages; it is an opportunity for the fans to come together, clink glasses (or cans, steins, or flasks) and celebrate their common allegiance to the green and gold. Case in point, Lambeau Field, this fan base’s version of the Sistine Chapel, sits cozily in a residential neighborhood where many of the houses have been purchased by devoted fans and converted into tailgate party crash pads for supporters who want to live it up on game day, avoid expensive hotels, or just bask in the glow of their favorite landmark.

De Pere, Wis.-based Robinson Metal is located in the heart of Packers country and employs a good number of Packers fans (as well as an occasional Bears fan). Eight years ago it purchased a home just outside of Lambeau Field; converted it into a tailgate-friendly space; and currently uses it to entertain customers and vendors and give employees a place to hang out with co-workers and their families before game time.

“We open our tailgate house four hours before kickoff. Down one full wall of the garage there’s a huge hot buffet of food and beverages. We fill the whole yard with picnic tables and everyone just dresses for whatever kind of weather it is. The whole party pretty much takes place outside. The house was converted and remodeled basically to be used for bathrooms and to allow people to change into their warm, heavy game gear. There’s still a small living room and kitchen where people can congregate and get warm during the colder days,” explained Steve Hartliep, sales and marketing manager at Robinson Metal.

It’s Not a Tailgate Without a Trophy

Being that it is located in “Titletown,” the tailgate location wouldn’t be complete without a giant replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The company had been commissioned by a couple of local groups to fabricate some monuments to commemorate Packers history for placement around town. It also fabricated a replica Lombardi Trophy for a local bar.

“We decided, why not make something for ourselves for our tailgate house? That’s how it spawned,” Hartliep said.

The base of the 10-foot structure is made of 3⁄16-inch stainless steel and mounted on a slab of concrete. The ball is made out of 12-ga. 304-2B stainless and has a DA finish on the exterior. The internal skeleton structure of the football is made out of bar stock.

“Fabricating the football was a real challenge because there’s curving, a circumference, and diameter that you have to hold to. Then you have a point-to-point longitudinal structure that you have to keep in place,” Hartliep said.

With iconic Lambeau Field in the background, fans at the Robinson tailgate house, as well as those congregating outside of the stadium, can enjoy the trophy before cheering on the Packers.

The football was made out of four sections that were spun and formed. Those four sections were blocked together on the skeletal structure, bolted to it, and then tack welded from the inside.

The finished product weighs roughly 600 lbs. and required approximately 40 hours of production labor. For the green and gold-loyal shop, it was certainly a labor of love that makes tailgating a lot of fun.

“The trophy is a major focal point for every one of our game day tailgate parties. Group after group goes up to the trophy to get their pictures taken. It has made an appearance in numerous Christmas cards for people that we know and families that have used it. In fact, my family goes every year and gets a new picture taken with the trophy, so it’s definitely a focal point.”

The only thing better than Robinson’s replica trophy would be for the Packers to bring home the real thing.

Robinson Metal Inc., 920-494-7411, www.robinsonmetal.com