However things might have ended for Mike McCarthy as coach of the Green Bay Packers, he had a great run. It included a Super Bowl title and a 15-1 season.

It might be difficult, in the days after being fired in the middle of a season, to reflect on the good times. But McCarthy took out a full-page ad in some of the largest papers in Wisconsin to do just that.

McCarthy, who was fired after a loss on Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals, took out a full-page ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press Gazette and other Gannett papers. The ad will appear Saturday.

In it, McCarthy talked about the good times. The ad was titled, simply, “Thank you, Green Bay.” McCarthy had been coach of the Packers since 2006.

Mike McCarthy thanked everyone

Here are some highlights from McCarthy’s message, from Gannett’s PackersNews.com site:

“It’s hard to articulate the impact this job had on me and my family. From the beginning, Green Bay has welcomed me with open arms. I met my beautiful wife Jessica here and raised our family of 5 children who will always call Green Bay home. Thank you for the immense outpouring of love our family has received this week and throughout our time here. This speaks to the quality of folks in the State of Wisconsin. Coach Lombardi said it best, ‘Green Bay is all about Faith, Family and Football.’

“The Green Bay Packers are a tremendous organization and I will always be proud of my time with the team. A special thanks to Bob Harlan and Ted Thompson who entrusted me in 2006 with an incredible opportunity to be the 14th Packers head coach. Titletown is the greatest football town in America. Representing this team was a privilege that I never once took for granted.”

McCarthy thanked the players, coaches, support staff and the fans. He talked about the “unmistakeable pride” within the Green Bay Packers, and it’s “the Packers people and the pride they have for this organization that I will miss the most.”

Then McCarthy, only a few days after being fired after weeks of criticism for the Packers’ losing season, finished with a final positive message.

“I wish nothing but the best for the Green Bay Packers moving forward.”

McCarthy will be part of Packers history forever, for the Super Bowl championship if nothing else. Time will pass and he’ll be welcomed back with open arms for reunions and other events to celebrate the past. The classy way McCarthy leaves Green Bay ensures that when he comes back, it won’t be awkward in the slightest.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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