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Bob Harlan, the former Packers president 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 been hospitalized recently with pneumonia.
Here’s what makes Harlan’s legacy so remarkable: he’s 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 delivered championships under his watch.
“Bob was a visionary leader whose impact on the franchise was transformational,” current Packers president and CEO Ed Policy said in a statement. “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. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Madeline, and the entire Harlan family.”
Wolf ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame – a testament to what Harlan started when he took over as team president in 1989.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The Packers were more than two decades removed from the glory days of Vince Lombardi. 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 time running things.
“Bob Harlan gave me an opportunity, and I am deeply indebted to him for that,” Wolf said in a statement. “His greatest trait, in my opinion, is that he was an honorable man, a man of his word, 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 — setting up another championship run 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 way beyond just hiring the right football people.
The Lambeau Field renovation might be his most lasting contribution. The stadium reopened in 2003 after a $295 million project that transformed the Packers’ financial situation. He had to convince Brown County voters to approve the funding, and he pulled it off.
That renovation laid the groundwork for what Lambeau’s become today – a year-round destination with the Titletown development featuring restaurants, office buildings, a luxury hotel and residences.
Before taking over as president, Harlan worked his way up through the organization. He served as assistant general manager from 1971-75, then corporate general manager (1975-81), assistant to the president-corporate (1981-88), and executive vice president of administration (1988-89).
The Packers elected him to their Hall of Fame in 2004. There’s a plaza in front of Lambeau Field named in his honor.
Harlan was also the father of longtime sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan.
