Bob Harlan, a longtime Green Bay Packers executive, died Thursday after recently being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was 89 years old.
Harlan served as president of the Green Bay Packers from 1989 to 2006, then again for half of the 2007 season. Under his watch, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI and enjoyed their most prolonged success since the early Vince Lombardi era in the Super Bowl era.
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According to Bleacher Report, Harlan was the most successful executive in NFL history at the time of his retirement.
“He was a great guy to work with,” said Ron Wolf, Packers general manager from 1991 to 2000 (via Forbes). “He did exactly what he said he would. He left me running the football and never interfered once. I think he did a lot for the Packers and it put them back in the spotlight.”
“The Packers family was saddened to hear of the passing of Bob Harlan,” Packers president and CEO Ed Policy said in a statement released by the organization. “Bob was a visionary leader whose impact on the franchise was transformational. From hiring Ron Wolf to turn around the club’s on-field fortunes to his tireless efforts to redevelop Lambeau Field, Bob restored the Packers to competitive excellence during his tenure and helped put our unique and precious flagship NFL franchise on a solid foundation for continued generational success.”
“Bob’s personal touch as president was something we could all learn from.” Mike McCarthy, the Packers’ coach during Harlan’s final two seasons as president, said in a recent interview. “He had a way. He believed in you. I liked his leadership style. I thought he was great in front of the media, in front of the fans. His interpersonal skills were a tremendous gift.
“Ted (Thompson) called him ‘Silver Tongue’ because we always said, ‘No one can talk like Bob.’ He was great to Ted and me. A special man. I will always be grateful to him.”
When Harlan was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2004, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said, “Bob’s biggest impact was that everyone looked to the Packers and had a really long streak of success.” “People look at Green Bay and say, ‘Hey, what’s the formula?’ They did it with class, and they did it with focus on the game and the fans.”
Packers play-by-play announcer Wayne Larrivee wrote to
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