Wisconsin man credits Green Bay Packers loyalty for saving his own life

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - A Racine man who says his Green Bay Packers loyalties helped save his life has been voted into the team's Fan Hall of Fame.

The team announced the honor Saturday for 79-year-old Jim Becker. He attended Packers games for 56 years.

Becker says his passion for his team helped save his life.

He and his wife raised 11 kids, so money was tight. To afford his season tickets without taking money from his family, he began selling his blood for $15 per pint.

His doctor later found that Becker's father died at age 43 of a condition in which the blood retains too much iron. The only treatment is to remove the iron by giving blood.

By that time Becker had sold 145 pints to pay for his season tickets. He says if he hadn't, he too may have died young.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.