35 years of fantasy football

GREEN BAY - If you're not in a fantasy football league, chances are pretty good you know someone who is. Estimates say as many as 20 million American are part of a fantasy football league, a phenomenon that is quite different than what was created in 1962 by employees and reporters of the Oakland Raiders.

Every Wednesday night during football season, a group of friends turns into managers and tends to their fantasy football teams. This year's weekly meeting place is Cool Daddy's in downtown Green Bay. The league started up 35 years ago. You might say the guys were ahead of their time back then.

"Way before the Internet, obviously, you had to wait for the Monday paper to come out," explained participant Bob Seering. "And everybody would get their Monday papers and find out how many points they had won and you would look at your players."

While fantasy football has grown in popularity and progressed with technology, this league hasn't changed all that much.

"We meet here, and as you may have seen, you can't make another change until the following Wednesday once the meeting is over," said Harry Morgan.

The draft, the trades, the scoring are all done just like they were back in the day: on paper.

It's the Don Mellberg Memorial League, named for a founding member who passed away about 10 years ago. Now just one of the founding members is an active participant: Harry Morgan.

"This bunch is the most fun group that I have ever been in . Because we can cuss at one another, we can tease one another," said Morgan.

Morgan believes this league may be the oldest one in the state.

"Wisconsin perhaps. At least this part of Wisconsin. I'll say Brown County for sure," said Morgan. When asked how he knew, Morgan replied: "Well, we just know it. Look at these guys, in fact, back then, most of us were good looking."

Though looks, faces, and players have changed over the years, Wednesday night fantasy football battles, or in this case friendships, remain.