Patrick built a house in 1996 and over the next decade turned the family’s unfinished basement into a full-scale Packers shrine that’s continued to expand throughout the years.
Elgie, who attended Super Bowl XXXII, was able to see the initial layout of Patrick’s mancave before cancer took him in 2003.
Twenty years later, the disease also gave Patrick a run for his money, as he was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a rare form of cancer in his neck.
Patrice watched her dad endure 36 rounds of radiation over the next year. Yet, Patrick never lost his sparkle. He fought with everything he had while still cheering on his football team.
In 2024, Suplicki was declared cancer free. It gave him a new lease on life and reinforced his love of the Packers. Every week, the Suplickis gather in the basement to watch games and enjoy each other’s company.
“When he beat cancer, when he was diagnosed, we were like OK, another challenge that we will get through,” Patrice said. “It was such an amazing accomplishment to beat cancer and then be a finalist again. To win, if you asked him, he probably would say he’s the luckiest man in the world right now.”
When the family was informed late last year that Patrick was again selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Packers FAN Hall of Fame, Patrice wanted to come up with a fun way to surprise her father.
She connected with former Packers receiver Antonio Freeman, who filmed a video not only congratulating Patrick on advancing to the final stage again but also winning his cancer battle.
With the award, Suplicki will receive four club tickets to a 2026 Packers home game in addition to a slew other gifts and prizes. Perhaps most importantly, he’ll forever have his name displayed in a place of honor within the Packers Hall of Fame.
“It tells a lot about the organization itself and about the team, that they care about us fans,” Suplicki said. “We’re not just a number. We’re not just paying through the tickets and all that stuff.
“To be here at Lambeau and then be nominated and then put in, it’ll be something for my grandkids and their kids to see. I’ll be in there always; even when I’m dead and gone.”
This year’s other finalists included: Jeff Goldapske from Appleton, Wis., Patrick Hare from Moreno Valley, Calif., Jeff Lanier from Green Bay, Lorraine Mueller from Wittenberg, Wis., Mark Murphy from La Crosse, Wis., Dean Schmitz from Wausau, Wis., Daniel Schneider from Crystal Lake, Ill., Valerie Ann Smick from Yorkville, Ill., and Thomas Thrall from Durham, N.C.