Ex-Packers prez, team HOFer Harlan dies at 89

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Former Packers president Bob Harlan, who helped restore the franchise to greatness, died Thursday at the age of 89, his family announced.

Harlan is the only person in NFL history to hire two general managers who won Super Bowls with entirely different rosters: Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson.

“Bob was a visionary leader whose impact on the franchise was transformational. From his inspired hiring of Ron Wolf to turn 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 our unique and treasured flagship NFL franchise was on sound footing for sustained generational success,” current Packers president and CEO Ed Policy said in a statement. “We send our deepest sympathies 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 his first moves, Harlan hired Wolf as general manager in 1991. That opened the door for Wolf to hire Mike Holmgren as head coach, trade for quarterback Brett Favre and sign Reggie White. The Packers won Super Bowl XXXI during Harlan’s tenure.

Wolf would go on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Bob Harlan gave me an opportunity, and I am deeply indebted to him for that. His greatest trait, in my opinion, is that he was an honorable man, a man of his word, a man of character,” Wolf said in a statement. “He was an honor to know and a pleasure to work with.”

Harlan served as president and CEO until his retirement in 2008. Before retiring, he hired Thompson as general manager, which led to another championship, in Super Bowl XLV, with Mike McCarthy as coach and Aaron Rodgers as quarterback.

Harlan was also largely responsible for the renovation to Lambeau Field, which reopened in 2003 and secured the Packers from a financially competitive standpoint. The initial $295 million renovation needed to be approved by Brown County voters, and Harlan played a key role in persuading the public to support the move. It paved the way for what Lambeau Field has become today, a year-round destination that also included the Titletown area featuring restaurants, office buildings, a luxury hotel and residences.

Before becoming team president, Harlan served the Packers as 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 Packers Hall of Fame in 2004 and has a plaza in front of Lambeau Field named in his honor.