When it comes to Packers games, Justin Sterna's there, every time

GREEN BAY ‒ The Green Bay Packers going to a Super Bowl might be a bigger threat to Justin Sterna's consecutive games streak than COVID-19. Super Bowl tickets are expensive and can be scarce.

But until then, expect to see Sterna at every Packers game, home and away. After the Kansas City game on Sunday, the Mequon man's streak is at 108 consecutive games.

"I always wanted to go to all the home games. I thought that was a big accomplishment itself," he said, but during the 2016 season, when Aaron Rodgers famously talked about running the table, Sterna was inspired to go for the whole enchilada, every single game.

The streak began on Dec. 4, 2016, at a home game against the Houston Texans.

"Sometime in the offseason, I was talking to my best friend, Brad Behlmer. He said, 'You have the means to go to all of the games. Would you consider it?' I said lets give it a shot."

The COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down a lot of fan-attended events, including all of the Packers' regular-season home games in 2020, didn't stop Sterna. He attended four road games that season, and went to every city where the Packers played and took a photo of himself at the stadium.

"It was different. The amazing thing to me is it still brought togetherness even though the world was flipped upside down. You still had Packers fans that were near and far," he said.

As far as the Packers are concerned, Sterna's effort counted. Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy presented Sterna with a jersey with number 100 and his name on it on the field before the first Detroit Lions game on Sept. 28.

"It was memory and moment I’ll never forget," Sterna said.

Close calls aren't frequent, but they come up often enough. And any one of them could end the streak. Sterna said he counts seven so far. He cites weather, flight issues, other engagements where he was on a tight schedule and high ticket prices among the things he dealt with.

"One that seemed really out of reach was the Carolina Panthers game in 2017, Aaron Rodgers' first game back after Brett Hundley (filled in for an injured Rodgers). I couldn’t get a flight. I buy standby and the plane went out full. I had to drive. My buddy Adam Hubert and I were in the same boat. He said, 'That was a good run Sterns.' I said, 'Good run? We’re going to drive.'"

It's a 14-hour drive from his home in Mequon to Charlotte, North Carolina. The streak remained intact.

Some Sterna facts:

• He was a movie theater manager for nearly 19 years. Now he does third-party contractor work for tech companies and the music industry.

• He's an equally enthusiastic fan of the Dave Matthews Band. He attended 124 Dave Matthews concerts and counting, although, to be fair, he also provides some IT services for the band.

• His dream job is to work for the Packers. "I've never stated that before," he said.

• You've got to be healthy to not miss a game. He did get COVID, but during the offseason. "I guess I’ve got good genetics. There’s been a couple close calls. but nothing that’s gotten in the way sickness-wise of making a game," he said.

Sterna's been to 27 of the NFL's 30 stadiums, with New Orleans, Nashville and Los Angeles still to be visited. His favorite NFL cities, other than Green Bay of course, are Kansas City, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

"It’s tough to narrow it down, but I’d say Kansas City, that stadium is amazing. I love everything about it. The fans, the tailgate," he said. "Buffalo was one of my most favorite gameday tailgate experiences. The fans are like Green Bay, very die hard, very loyal. Pittsburgh would be my third."

Sterna is not the only fan with a long consecutive games streak. Ken "Pinto Ron" Johnson of Rochester, New York, has attended more than 400 consecutive Buffalo Bills games. Pinto Ron had some advice for Sterna: "He told me once you hit 50 games, you have to keep going or you have to stop. Once you reach 50 games, your family understands, your work understands. Once you hit 100 games, there is no going back."

Online marketplaces make keeping his streak alive less stressful, if not entirely doable, although Sterna isn't opposed to buying tickets the old-fashioned way, from some other fan at the stadium. He'll cut whatever corners he can to keep costs down, such as flying standby. staying with friends or buying tickets at the last minute.

"When you go to the majority of games, you want to try to save as much as you can. It’s hotel, tickets, balancing work-life balance," he said. "The downside of it is the (ticket) fees. I understand these companies have to make money, but sometime I think we are getting too egregious with these fees."

More: YouTuber Tom Grossi became a Packers fan because of the Cowboys, now he's Fan of the Year nominee

More: Packers' De'Vondre Campbell nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

After 100 games, he's got ticket buying down to an art, if not a science.

"I don’t think I would have gotten in as cheap as I have for some games without the technology. I’m pretty patient," he said. "I try to get in about a half-hour prior (to kickoff). Just after kickoff, right around kickoff, is the latest I had to worry about getting tickets," he said. "There’s always going to be somebody that has an extra ticket. Sometimes a single is easy to find. "

The closest Sterna came to missing a game was Nov. 4, 2018, when the Rodgers-led Packers played Tom Brady's New England Patriots in Massachusetts.

"It was a hot ticket; 400 or 500 or 600 bucks, minimum," he said.

He had a well-placed benefactor who said she'd be his backup. She performed some sort of magic and got him into the game.

Sterna has never been to a Super Bowl. He wants his first one to include the Packers, so he'll wait. He acknowledges that might be his biggest challenge, where getting a ticket is concerned, but an incident in 2019 gives him hope.

"In the 2019 season, I got an anonymous call from this older lady. I don’t know how she got my information, but she said, 'My husband and I have two Super Bowl tickets and if the Packers go, we are super advocates of your streak. My husband and I won’t be able to attend the game and we’d like the tickets to go to somebody who would appreciate it,'" he said. "That really made my heart sing, knowing there was someone out there like that."

The Packers did not get to the Super Bowl that year, but it remains one of the many heartwarming encounters Sterna has had.

"When I go to road games, you feel like a sense of compassion for both fan bases. I feel like most people are welcoming for the game day experience," he said. "I haven’t had many bad experiences. You have to remember; Packers fans travel well. Even if I go to a game by myself, I’m still with my family in a way."

Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Justin Sterna's consecutive Packers' games streak started 7 years ago