Brett Favre was impressed with the tailgate atmosphere near Volunteer Landing on Saturday.
"It's a testament to the fans here, this is impressive," the former NFL quarterback said. "There's a lot of orange, a lot of orange."
Favre was excited to be on campus the same day fellow NFL legend Peyton Manning would be honored at halftime. The two keep in touch fleetingly, but Favre's connection with the family goes way back.
"Archie [Manning] was one of my childhood heroes," Favre said. "He and Roger Staubach. Those two, I had to watch them, and I grew up real close to New Orleans. So I was always a Saints fan. It was some tough times, but Archie was always a bright spot."
Favre's 71,838 career passing yards rank only behind Peyton Manning's 71,940. The former Green Bay Packers star has always thought highly of Peyton and Eli Manning, especially when it comes to how durable the two quarterbacks were.
"Peyton and Eli have mastered the game itself," Favre said. "It's just very impressive not only to watch them, but to follow their careers."
Favre spoke highly of former teammate and VFL Reggie White, who helped lead the Packers to a win in Super Bowl XXXI during the 1996-1997 season. White died in 2004.
"One of the greatest joys of my career - and I tell people this all the time - the greatest player I ever played with or against was Reggie White," Favre said. "Man, what a great guy and a tremendous player. Just a lot of fun. People who didn't know Reggie like I knew Reggie, you didn't know if you could tell him a joke; he was so big and imposing. But he was such a big teddy bear.
"There's no doubt the reason we won the Super Bowl was the addition of Reggie White," Favre said. "No doubt."
The Hall of Famer said retirement is going great; Favre has kept himself busy by partnering with ORCA Coolers. He also has three grandchildren with whom he wants to spend time. Favre has found quarterbacks keep in touch with each other "periodically" when their careers are over.
"You don't have too much time to be Snapchatting with Peyton," Favre joked.