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Rob Demowski
multiple authors
Green Bay, Wis.–East PACKERS President Bob Harlan, who helped restore the franchise to greatness, died Thursday at the age of 89, his family announced.
Team historian Cliff Crystal said Harlan had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Harlan is the only person in NFL history to hire two general managers who won Super Bowls with completely different rosters: Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson.
“Bob was a visionary leader whose impact on the franchise was transformational,” current Packers president and CEO Ed Policy said in a statement. “From the inspired appointment of Ron Wolf to turning around the club’s on-field fortunes to his tireless work to redevelop Lambeau Field, Bob restored the Packers to competitive excellence during his tenure and helped ensure that our unique and treasured flagship NFL franchise was strongly positioned for continued generational success. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Madeline, and the entire Harlan family.”
Harlan took over as team president in 1989 when the team was more than two decades removed from the success of the Vince Lombardi era. In one of his first moves, Harlan hired Wolf as general manager in 1991. This opened the door for Wolf to hire Mike Holmgren as head coach, trade quarterback Brett Favre, and sign Reggie White. The Packers won Super Bowl XXXI during Harlan’s tenure.
Wolf will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Bob Harlan gave me the opportunity and I’m very grateful for it,” Wolf said in a statement. “In my opinion, his greatest characteristic is that he was an honorable man, a man of his word, a man of character. It was an honor to know him and a pleasure to work with him.”
Harlan served as Chairman and CEO until his retirement in 2008. Before retiring, he hired Thompson as general manager, leading to another championship in Super Bowl XLV with Mike McCarthy as coach and aaron rodgers As a quarterback.
Harlan was also largely responsible for the renovation of Lambeau Field, which reopened in 2003 and secured the Packers’ financially competitive outlook. The initial $295 million renovation needed to be approved by Brown County voters, and Harlan played a key role in convincing the public to support the move. This paved the way for Lambeau Field to become the year-round destination it is today, including the Titletown area that includes restaurants, office buildings, a luxury hotel and housing.
Before becoming team president, Harlan served as the Packers’ assistant general manager (1971–75), corporate general manager (1975–81), assistant to the president-corporate (1981–88) and executive vice president of administration (1988–89).
Harlan was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2004 and a plaza in front of Lambeau Field is named in his honor.
Harlan was the father of longtime sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
