Founded by Fuzzy Thurston and Max McGee of the Green Bay Packers and entrepreneur Bill Martine, the Left Guard restaurant was a mainstay in Menasha from the early 1960s to the mid 1970s. It was a home away from home for many Packer players and was host to the annual 1000 Yarder banquet, back when gaining 1000 rushing yards in the NFL was a tougher feat in a then-14 game season. The partners had many Left Guard locations throughout Wisconsin, from Milwaukee to Green Bay and even a steakhouse in Minneapolis. Max also had his own branded restaurant known as the Left End in Manitowoc. In 1976, the partners divested themselves of many of the restaurants and the Menasha location was sold. Max McGee took over the Minneapolis location and changed the menu to Mexican. It became the first restaurant of the Chi Chi's restaurant chain.
Saw Paul Hoerning dancing the Twist on the bar here while he was recuperating from a KNEE injury.Fuzzy helped me take my coat off...we stopped in after bowling.
ReplyDeletepat
I worked for them in Appleton along with Bill Martine. I used to tend bar days from 1974 to 1979 at Martines which was the Left Guard. Max was a Great guy, we used to go see him at Chi Chi's in Minneapolis. When I first started at the Left Guard I was a cocktail waitress and had to wear short yellow shorts and a football jersey. Hated it. But I started tending bar. after about 6 months and met many football players at the 1000 yard club.
ReplyDeleteTina Durnil
My parents would go there often for dinner. They always said how those guys could put away the liquor and party the nite away.
DeletePlayed for Campion Jesuit (Prairie du Chien, WI) at the Wisconsin State Baseball Championship Series Invitational in Menasha May 1964 & May 1965. We stayed at Hotel Menasha ... in '64 John Shinners & I snuck down the fire escape after curfew and tried to get a beer at The Left Guard. We told the bartender our I.D. was back at the Hotel & we were on leave from Camp McCoy. Fuzzy came over and spoke with us for a few minutes very cordially, then grabbed us by the shoulder/neck area and walked us out of the restaurant nicely. He told us he would see us at the Championship game the next day. He knew all along we were Juniors in High School because he went to the games. Great guy Fuzzy ... ran into him many years later after a Packers game in Detroit and we laughed about that incident ... he remembered. I loved Menasha in May and remember having a big crush on a very pretty blonde girl I met at a dance right next to Lake Winnebago. Menasha is a great town ... don't get back to Wisconsin much anymore ... however it would be fun to spend a little time in Menasha during the warm weather!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Campion Kid
Great Story!
ReplyDeleteA buddy and I were going to see the Dick Cavett show in Milwaukee. They were going to shoot the show live at the Marquette University campus. We were heading down Bluemound Road when we were passing the Left Guard. We were hungry so we stopped in to have a bite to eat. We had time on this May first Day in 1976. When we got to the door there was a cover charge of $2.00. I thought that was highway robbery, so I said I would flip a coin to see if we would go in. I called heads and heads it was. We paid and went in to eat. After a sandwich I looked around at the live band and the dancing and saw a cute girl at a table with her work friends. I approached her and asked her to dance. She said are you asking me to dance and I said that is my first question. We danced for two dances, asked for her phone number, and left for the show. I did call her the next week and 46 years later and 5 children and 9 grandchildren and 4 houses later that cute girl and I are still in love and thank that coin toss and the Packers of the Left Guard, Fuzzy and Max, often.
ReplyDeleteJS