NFL NOTEBOOK

updated 12:18 a.m. ET Dec. 30, 2005

A centenarian who has waited more than a century for the thrill of attending her first Green Bay Packers game will finally realize it Sunday.

Thanks to caregivers at an assisted living center, 103-year-old Leone Margaret McKenney of De Pere, a community within a couple of miles of Lambeau Field, has a ticket to her beloved team’s season finale against Seattle.

“I cried like a big baby. I was so thrilled. I couldn’t believe it,” McKenney said. “Of course, I am excited. You would be too if you had waited this long to see a Packers game. I can’t thank these people enough for giving me this pleasure.”

Her steady, gentle voice leaves no doubt of her devotion to the Packers, even during a 3-12 season.

“Just to be there, you know, it is hallowed ground. It is just going to be too much,” the retired fifth-grade teacher said.

Good timing, the Christmas spirit and available tickets in the Lambeau Field luxury box of Tim and Debbie Rennes led to McKenney’s chance to see her first Packers game. The Rennes own the Renaissance Assisted Living center, where McKenney has lived for five years.

Word got around that the Rennes had extra tickets to Sunday’s game and there was going to be a drawing for them. Susie Meyer, director of the facility, said she and administrator Nancy Gralewski knew McKenney had never been to a game, although she is an avid Packers fan who keeps a picture of Bart Starr in her apartment.

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“We were ecstatic. We were just so happy. We said this is really the true meaning of Christmas,” Meyer said. “She is just the most wonderful, precious lady. I hope she lives to be 120. She is an inspiration to all of us.”

Punting like a golfer
Detroit’s Nick Harris has been punting this season like a golfer hitting wedges.

Harris is tied for the NFL lead with 32 punts downed inside the 20. He leads the league with 14 downed inside the 10 and nine inside the 5.

His punts have sailed or bounced into the end zone just twice, making him the first player since 1976 to have at least 30 punts downed inside the 20 with fewer than three touchbacks.

“Instead of aiming for the 10, I’ve been aiming for the 8,” Harris said Wednesday. “I also worked on my trajectory, because if you get it to hang and go straight to the ground, you’ve got a better chance at getting a good bounce.”

Harris’ season has been overlooked because the Lions have had a poor year. He hasn’t been honored as a special teams player of the week and he’s not going to the Pro Bowl.

Harris said he has mixed emotions.

“It’s been a strange year, especially losing a head coach (Steve Mariucci) in the middle of the season,” Harris said. “The punt team is just a small part of the team, and we’ve done pretty well. But it’s been a tough year for the team as a whole, so it’s tough to get too excited about anything.”

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