Some Hoffman employees are Packer fans

When he interviewed for his job in Hoffman Estates, Emergency Management Coordinator David Christensen said there were no questions about his football allegiances.

Christensen grew up in Chicago and roots for the city’s teams including the Bulls, the Cubs and the Blackhawks, but his Facebook profile photograph features a certain familiar green and gold logo.

“It’s going to be a heck of a game; I don’t think it’s going to be an offensive blitz,” Christensen said, presumably from a safe house somewhere in Hoffman Estates.

In case you didn’t hear, there’s a little football game going on Sunday for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

You can blame Christensen’s uncle, Norm Amundsen, for why Christensen wears the wrong colors. Amundsen played as both a defensive and offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers. The Cheeseheads took him in the 1955 NFL draft. Amundsen also played his college ball for the Badgers of the University of Wisconsin.

Christensen’s mother roots for the Packers, while his father supports the Bears. The couple makes a 25-cent wager over the outcome of each game. Christensen explained he’s a Packers fan because he thought with his stomach.

“My mom cooked and my dad didn’t,” he joked.

Christensen, who ensures the village is prepared in the event of a disaster, such as flooding or a bioterrorism threat, is gleefully offering free boxes of tissue to sop up the tears of any Bears fans after the game. Crying, though, is what Packers fans did after their loss to the Detroit Lions, a team that the Bears beat twice. The Lions managed only six wins all season. And they’re from Detroit.

Christensen daughter, Jessica, is also a Packers fan, while his son Justen rebelled and roots for the Bears.

There are sleeper cells of Packers fans all around Hoffman Estates, Christensen noted. Assistant Village Manager Mark Koplin and Emily Kerous, the village’s director of operations, back the Pack. Director of Code Enforcement Don Plass is more of a reluctant Packer fan, Christensen added.

Though he’s hoping for a Green Bay victory, Christensen expects to have fun on Sunday regardless of the outcome.

“I grew up with the college game, and saw a lot of college football. I prefer it normally because it’s more about heart and soul than the money,” Christensen said. He added though, “I think we’ll see a lot of heart and soul on Sunday.”