When it comes to professional sports teams, especially the National Football League (NFL) in particular, NFL teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (just to name a few) have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans in all of sports. But one thing these mentioned teams have in common, they all play in some of the largest metropolitan markets in the country. But for the Green Bay Packers, who play in the NFL’s smallest market, most would never guess this based on how prevalent and passionate Packer fans are in Wisconsin and the USA.
Packer Pride runs deep in Wisconsin residents, and on any given Sunday, you’ll find fans cheering their team on in a number of ways. From pre-game tailgating at Lambeau Field with beer and brats to Packer parties at homes and bars across the state of Wisconsin, Packer fans will be dressed in green and gold everywhere you go, with many wearing those iconic cheeseheads, and all yelling “Go Pack Go!”
For most Packer fans, a replica jersey of their favorite player, a team shirt, ball cap or some other piece of memorabilia is generally enough to show their Packer Pride. But for Knapp, Wisconsin based Packer fan and owner operator Mary Norton, her love for the Green Bay Packers goes beyond most fans. Nearly 70 feet long and weighing up to 80,000 lbs. at times, Mary’s Packer themed 2014 Kenworth T660 and 2009 Great Dane Super Seal spread-axle reefer trailer shows off her love for the Packers all the way from front to back.
Painted in Packer green and gold, Mary’s T660 has an 86” Studio Sleeper and rides on a 285” wheelbase. The big T660 is powered by a Cummins ISX, rated at 500-hp, and mated to an Eaton UltraShift 13-speed transmission with 3.36 rears. Kenworth 8-bag suspension on the drives and a 4-bag air ride on the front keep the rig riding comfortably down the highway with 22.5 Alcoa Dura-Bright aluminum rims all the way around. On the inside, the T660 is equipped with Kenworth’s most luxurious black and gray diamond tuck Seattle Package with every option available.
“This is the 4th green and yellow Packer themed truck I’ve owned,” said Mary, adding, “While our 1997 W900L carried the Packer logo and the 1996 Superbowl Champions logo on the trailer, it wasn’t green. It wasn’t until my late husband Jack and I ordered our first green and gold Kenworth in 1999 and another one in 2003. The first three were W900Ls, then we ordered a T600 in 2007, and we took delivery of this T660 in November 2013.” While all of Mary’s Packer themed trucks were named “Packer Pride,” Mary decided to name the T660 “Jordy” after Green Bay Packer wide receiver Jordy Nelson. Jordy played for Green Bay for nine seasons and was a member of the Packer team that won Superbowl XLV during the 2010-2011 season.
While the T660’s exterior carries the Packer “G” logo, a list of the Packer Superbowl wins, and a big Packer helmet on the trailer, the Packer theme continues on the interior of the truck, as well, with Packer curtains and many other Packer accents. A Wisconsin native, Mary’s truck reflects what Wisconsin is known for in other ways besides their love for the Packers. With cheese themed mud flaps and valve stem covers, the T660 even has a Green Bay Packers Miller Beer tap in place of the Kenworth logo on the grill. “That was always Jack’s trademark, and we’ve had beer taps on all of our trucks,” said Mary.
Married to her late husband Jack for 29 years, Mary told me the story of how she met him. “Of all the places to meet someone, I met Jack while I was broke down along I-80 in Wyoming,” said Mary, continuing with, “Jack had been driving a double bunk Peterbilt for Dick Simon Trucking out of Salt Lake City, Utah (remember the Skunk trucks?) at the time, and after I got off the side of the road, we ran up to the Little America Truck Stop in Little America, Wyoming, and had dinner.”
Together for 30 years, Mary and Jack were married in October 1986 at the King 8 Truck Stop in Las Vegas. “Jack and I had been running team together for about a year at this point. We had my 1985 International 9670 at the ceremony, along with a minister there to marry us, and my mom had made my wedding dress,” said Mary. They were married for 29 years of their 30 together, but sadly, Jack passed away on September 11, 2015. “When Jack passed, I received a care package with condolences from the Green Bay Packers, and that meant a lot to me,” said Mary.
With over four million safe miles to her credit behind the wheel of a big rig, Mary told me how she began her driving career. “As a young girl, I enjoyed showing dairy cows at the local, state and national level 4H events, and was even on the cover of American Guernsey Magazine when I was four years old,” said Mary, as she began explaining, from a young age, how she had always loved traveling to these events, and this interest led her to the trucking industry. “I started driving in 1978, hauling milk with a GMC 9500 and tanker trailer for my father on our dairy farm, and ran a milk route from Owatonna, Minnesota to Des Moines, Iowa,” said Mary. “I learned how to drive trucks on the farm, and one day, my dad was short of help, and didn’t have anyone to drive the milk truck, so I volunteered, and that’s how I got started trucking,” she said.
“My first truck was a 1977 Peterbilt 352 cabover,” said Mary. But one day in 1985, while having the Peterbilt serviced at an International dealership in Utah, a brand-new maroon International 9670 Eagle caught Mary’s attention. “I traded the Pete that day, and after Jack and I got married, we ran the 9670 until 1988 when we bought a Peterbilt model 379,” continued Mary. “That Pete had a lot of problems, so in 1991 we ordered our first Kenworth – a W900L – and I’ve been a Kenworth customer ever since.” Having owned seven Kenworths since that first one in 1991, her 1999 Kenworth W900L, the first green and gold Packer themed truck, was even featured in Kenworth’s “World’s Best” Magazine.
An ambassador to the industry, Mary is one to promote trucking in a positive manner. As a Trucker Buddy for over 30 years, she had five schools during that time and would visit the kids at her schools with her iconic truck. “I retired from Trucker Buddy this year,” said Mary. During her 40-plus year career behind the wheel, Mary has been recognized for her professionalism, most recently receiving the Female Driver of the Year Award from the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) in 2014.
“When I began trucking, I was leased to APX, which was part of Schneider, and then was at Packerland Express for about 16 years,” said Mary. Leased to Bob Erickson Trucking out of Lino Lakes, Minnesota since 2003, Mary’s T660 “Jordy” is the pride of the fleet. “I’ve always run west to California and still do, and our customers know my truck,” added Mary. Mary works the truck hard (it currently has over 1,120,000 miles on its odometer) and it, along with her traveling companion, an 8-year-old Shitzu named Casey, are a common sight at truck shows around the Midwest, as well. “I enjoy going to truck shows and talking to people, letting children get up in the truck and sharing my pride and passion for the Packers and trucking,” said Mary.
While there are millions of Packer fans throughout the country, the truck gets a lot of attention from the general public, as well. Telling me how people react to her truck when she’s either working it or showing it, Mary said, “When cars pass me, a lot of times, I notice them slowing down and they will get out their phone to snap a photo, or when I’m parked or fueling, I get fans of other NFL teams, and even a lot of non-football fans, coming up to me and asking if they can take a photograph of my truck.”
As one of the invited Kenworths to the 2025 Kenworth Truck Show and Parade, Mary brought her T660 home to Chillicothe, Ohio, where it rolled off the assembly line in November 2013. “It was truly an honor to be invited,” said Mary. With her dog Casey and longtime friend Linda Biddle joining her at the show, the truck was a huge hit with Kenworth employees and parade goers. While I was photographing the trucks rollin’ in the parade, when Mary came by, chants of “Go Pack Go!” and “Go Packers!” could be heard along the route. Mary concluded with, “When I rolled up under the Majestic Theatre arch and paused for photos, I heard the announcer say over the PA system to the parade audience: Hey folks, you’ll never guess where this truck is from!”