MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin state legislature officially bid farewell to Brett Favre on Tuesday, passing a resolution honoring the former Green Bay Packers quarterback and the NFL's only three-time most valuable player.
The resolution honors Favre for leading the Packers to a victory in Super Bowl XXXI and breaking the league records for passing touchdowns, completions, attempts and quarterback victories.
"Brett Favre's legacy will live on beyond his many impressive records and statistics, as his leadership and love of football embody the heart of America's favorite game, earning him the respect and admiration of his fellow players, coaches and fans," the resolution said.
The resolution also commends Favre for his charity work through the Favre Fourward Foundation, which he set up in 1996 to help poor and disabled children in Wisconsin and Mississippi, Favre's home state. It also mentions the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation, which his wife created to help women fight breast cancer.
Both the state Assembly and Senate adopted the resolution on unanimous voice votes. Favre did not attend either proceeding.
Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay, was the resolution's chief sponsor in the Assembly. Montgomery praised Favre for getting the Packers in the playoffs repeatedly and providing an economic boom to the state. Some Republicans in the chamber applauded that remark.
Montgomery told the chamber he met Deanna Favre for the first time in 1998, when he was going door-to-door campaigning.
He came to the Favres' home, but no one answered the door. He left a brochure and was turning around to leave when he saw Deanna Favre come out to get the garbage cans.
He introduced himself as a candidate for the state Assembly, but she told him "'No, thank you. I vote in Mississippi,'" Montgomery said, imitating her southern drawl.
The lawmaker said he met Favre himself during a push for a referendum for public money for Lambeau Field renovations. Favre would go to high school football games and hand out leaflets about the renovations and signed autographs on "everything" people gave him, he said.
"They (the Favres) will be tremendously missed, not only in my community but throughout the state," Montgomery said.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press