Get on your bikes and ride!
With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, all eyes are on Wisconsin with the 2025 NFL Draft taking center stage next year in Green Bay from April 24-26, 2025.
While many details are still under wraps for next year’s draft, former Packers player Dr. George Koonce shared with TMJ4 News that one of the Green Bay Packers' most popular traditions will be incorporated into the three-day event: bike-riding.
Along with incorporating the #Packers bike tradition in the Draft Handoff, you can also expect to see it during the #2025NFLDraft 👀🚲
— Ashley Washburn (@ashleyjwashburn) May 9, 2024
"We're going to have a lot of bicycles & kids walking with players that are about to get drafted."
George Koonce sits on the Packers Board. pic.twitter.com/qzHO4lbcNF
“[The] Packers have a tradition that was started in the 60s of the players riding the kids bicycles,” Dr. Koonce explained. “During that week we're going to have a lot of bicycles and a lot of kids walking next to that bike with players that are about to get drafted and former players because we want to keep that tradition alive.”
Cliff Christl, the team historian of the Green Bay Packers, received picture proof that the team’s bike tradition dates back to at least 1958. That was the first year the team held training camp at St. Norbert College.
According to the Packers 2025 NFL Draft website, next year’s draft will primarily take place inside Lambeau Field and the Titletown campus.
The draft is expected to have an economic impact of $94 million in Wisconsin, including about $20 million in the Green Bay area.
“It's going to mean so much for the economy, and also too, it's going to really show the world the history, the tradition and the hospitality that the state of Wisconsin offers,” Dr. Koonce said.
According to the East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group, the 2024 NFL Draft in Downtown Detroit is projected to have generated more than $165 million for the "net economic impact.”
The 2024 NFL Draft broke the event’s all-time attendance record with more than 775,000 fans descending Downtown Detroit over three days.
“We're expecting about 270,000 people that are going to descend on Wisconsin,” Dr. Koonce told TMJ4 News in February. “Some of the owners already have rented houses down on Lake Shore Drive down in Milwaukee.”
Dr. Koonce has sat on the Packers Board of Directors since 2019 and played an integral role in bringing the NFL Draft to Green Bay next spring.
“It all started from one person raising his hand during a board meeting — because I’m on the Packer board — and he said I think we should make a motion to form a committee to start looking at the feasibility of bringing the draft to Green Bay,” Dr. Koonce shared.
Koonce was one of five individuals that worked with Discover Green Bay to help bring the NFL Draft to town.
“We want to make sure that we're able to keep football the number one sport in America,” Dr. Koonce concluded.
Koonce is a former linebacker that played eight seasons for the Green Bay Packers (1992-99) starting 102 of 112 games and is a Super Bowl XXXI Champion.
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