Football is a hit on Broadway
UW-Madison alumni and friends got a sneak peak at the living embodiment of one of Wisconsin’s greatest traditions last October. Over 60 avid Green Bay Packers fans gathered at the Square Theater in New York for a special showing of Lombardi, a new Broadway play about former Packers head coach Vince Lombardi.
Before seeing the play, guests heard from former Badger athletic director Pat Richter and local author David Maraniss in an exclusive meet and greet cocktail reception. Maraniss, Memorial Union Building Association associate trustee and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, wrote the biography on which the play is based and is an expert on Lombardi’s life and work. Pat Richter, a former wide receiver for the Washington Redskins, played his final NFL season under Lombardi. He spoke about the man he remembered, a man that demanded commitment and respect, but who sometimes showed a gentler side. Richter also praised the play, calling actor Dan Lauria’s portrayal of Lombardi an “eerie” reminder of the man he once knew.
Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier and Wisconsin Union Directorate President Patrick Callan took the opportunity to thank attendees for their support of UW-Madison and the Wisconsin Union at the reception. The money from the tickets benefitted the Wisconsin Union building campaign and UW-Madison’s Great People Scholarship.
Wisconsin Union Development Director Glenda Noel-Ney called the event a great success. “It was a great way for us to connect with and reach out to a whole new audience about the Wisconsin Union building project and the Great People Scholarship,” she said. Noel-Ney and other board members worked with trustees and alumni from across the country to organize the event. This allowed alumni living far from the UW-Madison, especially in the New York area, a chance to reconnect with the Union and the university. Noel-Ney says she hopes the connections made during the event will help the attendees stay engaged with the university and the Union.
“Lombardi” opened on Broadway October 21 and stars Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) and Judith Light(Who’s the Boss)
