MILWAUKEE — Professional football is deeply embedded within the fabric of American society, in large part due to its longevity. The game’s history has long been documented, but not to the extent that director Allen Farst thinks it should be. His brand-new documentary, “Triangle Park,” ventures to transport viewers back to the first NFL game of all time.
Farst joined Greg Matzek and Telly Hughes on Wisconsin’s Afternoon News to discuss his film, the Green Bay Packers and how he met the interview’s second guest, Jack Giambrone — a diehard football fan and former coach with the world’s largest collection of Vince Lombardi memorabilia.
On Sunday, October 3, 1920, North American professional sports changed forever. Farst, who resides in Dayton, Ohio — the home of Triangle Park, and the first NFL game — told WTMJ that he was inspired by the lack of information around the historical event.
“As an NFL fan, it just seemed logical. Why isn’t anyone telling this story that’s 103 years old?” Farst explained. “Three years ago, we kind of looked at the family descendants and had meetings to see what they knew. We found out that there really was a story here.”
Once the pre-production process began, Farst began identifying some of the players and voices whom he wanted to be featured in the film. His personal top choice was Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, who signed onto the project along with the likes of Troy Aikman, Ben Roethlisberger, Cooper Kupp, Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth and Kirk Herbstreit.
Giambrone approached Farst about his collection of rare memorabilia from Lombardi, the man for whom the Super Bowl Trophy is named. Eight of his items are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and seven are in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
“The collection is 35 years in the making. I coached 25 years [of] college and professional football, and Coach Lombardi was always the person who I went back to help me understand what football, what coaching was all about, how to organize your team, how to treat your players,” Giambrone explained.
If you’re interested in learning more about “Triangle Park,” click here to learn about planned screenings beginning on Oct. 25. It will be shown at the Tarlton Theatre in Green Bay on Nov. 16, 2023. Farst says it should be streaming on Amazon Prime Video around Thanksgiving.
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