Young Chicago Bears fans only know the name Wayne Larrivee as the voice of the Green Bay Packers on the radio, a job he has held since 1999. What many don't remember is before that, he was the play-by-play guy for the Bears from 1985 to 1998. Everybody remembers his calls from the iconic Super Bowl-winning season. Perhaps his greatest was Wilber Marshall's scoop-and-score to put away the Rams in the NFC Championship. Most people considered him Chicago royalty at one point. Seeing him go to the hated enemy was a bitter pill to swallow.
What has made it worse is that the Packers have enjoyed decades of sustained success, often at the Bears' expense, during that time. He called that heartbreaking NFC championship loss in 2010, and the infamous Randall Cobb game in 2013. Never once did he have to feel the pain Chicago fans did during all those years. Well, that changed last Saturday.
In a pivotal game for control of the division, the Packers went into Soldier Field believing they'd reassert control of the rivalry. For 57 minutes, it felt that way as they led 16-9. Then things went off the rails, and Larrivee narrated everything.
Play #1 - Wayne Larrivee gets nervous as Bears get onside kick.
Things were looking good for the Packers. The Bears had failed to preserve the two-minute warning before the field goal to make it a seven-point game. All they had to do was recover the onside, and the game was over. You can hear Larrivee just assume Romeo Dobbs recovers it, and the hint of panic when he realizes Chicago got it instead.
Play #2 - The Jahdae Walker TD turns Larrivee against Keisean Nixon.
This was the ballgame. If Green Bay gets the stop, they win and seize full control of the NFC North. Larrivee's instant hope when Brenton Cox goes unblocked at Caleb Williams is palpable, only to be replaced a second later by fury that the defense left Walker so wide open. The target of his ire is none other than Nixon, the hero of the previous matchup who hadn't minded the credit for preserving the win with his interception.
Play #3 - Williams to Moore leaves Larrivee stunned and devastated.
Everything about this sequence is delicious. The stunned exhale once it became clear D.J. Moore caught the ball for the score. Then it was the disgust that Nixon was once again beaten on the pivotal play. Last but certainly not least, the "Un-believable" was the cherry on the sundae. Wayne Larrivee hadn't had to call a game like that against the Bears for many years. He finally got a taste on that cool night in Soldier Field. He clearly didn't care for it.
