Welcome to Andy’s mancave museum

Andy Grohall wasn’t only going for a mancave when he finished the basement of his Port Washington home.

“I kind of wanted a museum. You come down here and you notice different stuff every time,” he said.

Grohall isn’t far from being able to charge admission. Autographed memorabilia of the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks and horror films, along with several other unique pieces adorn every wall and shelf in a busy but organized manner.

Grohall is a lifetime Packers fan, but his collection got started with a rival of the green and gold. He became a fan of Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fullback Mike Alstott, known for being a battering ram that plowed over and through defenders.

“He was my favorite player. I love the bruiser style,” he said.

Grohall bought a mini-helmet with the Super Bowl XXXVII logo for $5 at Brookfield Square in hopes of having Alstott sign it one day. 

When he heard his hero was going to be at a strawberry festival in Plant City, Fla., he and a friend made the trip. They arrived early expecting a crowd, but they were the only people in line. Alstott asked if they “came all the way from Milwaukee to do this,” and promptly autographed everything they brought—four jerseys, a couple photos and a mini-helmet.

That sparked a super collection— photos, jerseys, helmets, figurines and other items.

 “Once I started, it turned into a crazy obsession, I guess,” Grohall laughed.

Grohall began to hunt for other memorabilia, mostly Packers’ and horror movie items. His wife Eliza doesn’t like sports, but they both love that genre of films.

Some of the pieces are rare – he has one of 15 white Bart Starr signed jerseys with a certain set of stats inscribed. One of Grohall’s friends does framing and adds small photos or other items to turn memorabilia into extravagant keepsakes. 

It’s not just the collectibles themselves that attracts Grohall. “I like the stories behind the stuff,” he said.

One of his most treasured pieces is a signed Reggie White jersey. He bought it from someone who used to play cards with White and Brett Favre.

Grohall tracks where Packers will be, and he’s found some at smaller places allowing for more interaction and conversation. He saw Lukas Van Ess at a car dealership, Gilbert Brown at a sports shop in West Bend, Mark Chmura at a tiny sports card shop in Milwaukee and Antonio

Freeman at a bar in Newburg.

Grohall has a couple of Jordan Love’s signatures, one from Utah State with his old autograph and the other one by Love as a Packers quarterback signed J, a heart shape and #10.

Sterling Sharpe and LeRoy Butler are in Grohall’s collection, as is Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies.

Grohall attended Horror Con in Milwaukee last year and got to meet some of his favorite movie stars, including a few actors who played Jason in the “Friday the 13th” series. He brought a few knives for Tyler Mane, who played Michael Myers in “Halloween” remakes in 2007 and 2009, but couldn’t bring them into the convention. He asked if Mane would sign them outside the hall, and he agreed.

The horror movie actors, he said, aren’t like their characters. “Some people are intimidated by them,” Grohall said. “They’re such nice people.”

 He has an autographed photo from a Packers’ horror story too: Tony Mandarich, who was drafted second in 1989. Hall-of famers Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders were the next three picks.

“I like that whole story. How different Green Bay would have been with Barry Sanders,” Grohall said.

He has a Buster Douglas-signed and framed boxing glove photo right next to one from Mike Tyson. 

When paging through signed 8-by-10 photos at Waukesha Sports, one caught Grohall’s eye—Karl Brooks’ block of Cairo Santos’s attempted field goal in 2024 that stretched the Packers’ winning streak to 11 straight over the Bears. “I recognized the kick right away,” Grohall said. 

Grohall has multiple signed Bucks’ jerseys and has met Brooke Lopez.

He has an autographed and framed jersey of Mugsy Bogues, the shortest player in NBA history at 5 feet, 3 inches. 

Grohall also has a collection of celebrity alcohols, including Charles Woodson’s whiskey.

Despite the myriad of memorabilia, Grohall’s basement is a functional entertainment center. He has full-size video games of NFL Blitz, the Simpsons and one with 8,000 games from Atari through the PlayStation era. Golden Tee is his favorite.

One section has workout equipment, and there’s a pool table and darts board that Grohall regularly uses. He’s into the third year of Mancave Match-up with his friends that involves teams competing in both activities.

Grohall is running out of wall space for memorabilia, but he still has a few on his bucket list. He wants to meet Love and is hanging onto a Love jersey he wants to have a specific inscription. “Super Bowl champion.”