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Former Packers president Bob Harlan, who brought the franchise back from decades of mediocrity, died Thursday at age 89.
His family confirmed the news. Team historian Cliff Christl said Harlan had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Here’s why Harlan’s legacy is so remarkable. He 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 both won championships under his watch.
“Bob was a visionary leader who had a profound impact on the franchise,” current Packers president and CEO Ed Policy said in a statement. “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 cherished flagship NFL franchise on a sound foundation for continued generational success. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife Madeline and the entire Harlan family.”
Wolf was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s a testament to what Harlan started to do when he took over as team president in 1989.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The Packers were more than that. 20 years A remove from Vince Lombardi’s glory days. The franchise needed a complete turnaround, and Harlan knew it.
One of his first big moves was hiring Wolf as general manager in 1991.
That decision changed everything. Wolf brought in Mike Holmgren as head coach, traded for a young quarterback named Brett Favre, and signed Reggie White. The Packers won Super Bowl XXXI during Harlan’s tenure.
“Bob Harlan took a chance on me and I am deeply indebted to him,” Wolff said in a statement. “I think his best characteristics are that he is a man of honor, a man of his word, and a man of character. He was an honor to know and a pleasure to work with.”
But Harlan wasn’t done. Before retiring in 2008, he hired Ted Thompson as general manager and began another championship in Super Bowl XLV with Mike McCarthy coaching and Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Harlan served as president and CEO until his retirement that year, but his influence went beyond simply hiring the right football talent.
The Lambeau Field renovation may be his most lasting contribution. The stadium reopened in 2003. $295 million A project that transformed the Packers’ financial situation. He had to convince Brown County voters to approve the funding, and he made it happen.
That renovation laid the foundation for Lambeau’s year-round operation, the Titletown development, which features restaurants, office buildings, a luxury hotel and residences.
Harlan worked his way through the organization before taking on the role of president. He served as Deputy General Manager from 1971-75, then as Corporate General Manager (1975-81), President and Corporate Assistant (1981-88), and Executive Vice President (1988-89).
The Packers elected him to their Hall of Fame in 2004. There is a plaza named after him in front of Lambeau Field.
Harlan was also the father of longtime sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan.
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