Said to be of direct descent from Jesus and George Washington, Brett Favre is arguably one of the top three quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. Like a good wine, he only seems to grow better with age. Over his 19 seasons playing in the NFL, he has acquired a fan base broader than Dwight Howard’s shoulders; and let’s face it, the dude can rock gray hair and Wrangler jeans like he was put on this planet to turn on middle-aged soccer moms.

His professional career has been marked by tremendous success and controversy. Favre played for the Green Bay Packers from 1992 until 2007, winning Super Bowl XXXI in 1997 and receiving the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player award in three separate seasons: supplying some of the most memorable moments in sports history. He is the Chuck Norris of football.

However, for what Favre might be most remembered is not his reign in Green Bay, but his more recent actions. In the last three years, Favre has retired and “unretired” on two separate occasions. Holding tearful press conferences after leaving the Packers in 2007, he was only to join the New York Jets the next season, followed by a rocky 2008-2009 season. Then, Favre shocked fans everywhere this past off-season when he joined the Packers’ NFC North rivals, the Minnesota Vikings.

The media attention Favre has received since the end of his terrific 2007 season makes a person wonder why his story is so attractive. Is it because his record-setting career has been so long and prolific, despite all the underlying stories about his team-switching? Or is there something more specific about his personality that has kept football fans interested throughout his nearly 20-year career?

Senior Marshall Baker, a Favre enthusiast, described his love for and appreciation of the rustic quarterback.

“[Favre] is the greatest athlete to ever walk this earth,” he said.

Baker organized a party on Whitman’s campus in celebration of Favre’s 40th birthday.

“A 40th birthday is a big step in the life of any individual, not to mention in the life of the biggest icon in professional sports history,” he said.

Baker was compelled to wear formal attire to the function, even thought there was no required dress code.

“I wore a suit to show respect for the greatest athlete, check that . . . greatest person ever, on his special day,” he said.

Clearly, fans like Baker are not unique: you run into them almost anywhere in the United States and Favre’s name will be mentioned approximately 65 times in any edition of a Sunday Sportscenter episode on ESPN. There is no one explanation for why Favre has become such an iconic figure, but one has to think his performance on the football field week in and week out is the most obvious answer. That, and maybe because no one: we mean no one: looks better in a pair of crisp Wrangler’s.

This season, Favre’s playing football at the level of his final season in Green Bay, when he led the Packers to the NFC championship game, and his Vikings are off to a 7-1 start. Now we all must wait and see if Favre’s golden arm will last the remainder of the regular season and deep into the playoffs, further solidifying his image in sports history.

For more commentary from Gabe and Doyle, tune into KWCW 90.5 FM Tuesdays at 8 p.m. for Whitman Sports Radio.