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Bob Harlan, the Green Bay Packers’ president and CEO for nearly two decades, overseeing the franchise’s return to consistent winning, has died at 89.
The Packers announced Thursday that Harlan passed away in Green Bay after a brief illness. Team historian Cliff Christl said Harlan had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Harlan, father of longtime sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan, joined the NFL’s only publicly owned team in 1971.
He was elected president and CEO in 1989, serving until his retirement in January 2008.
“Bob restored the Packers’ tradition of excellence, winning a Super Bowl and renovating Lambeau Field into the iconic venue it is today,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “He also contributed substantially to our league, helping ensure that all cities, large or small, could be successful.”
During Harlan’s tenure, the Packers had 13 straight winning seasons from 1992-2004, won a Super Bowl during the 1996 season and got back the Super Bowl the following year. Harlan also was the Packers’ president/CEO during the $295 million redevelopment of Lambeau Field.
“Bob was a visionary leader whose impact on the franchise was transformational,” Packers president/CEO Ed Policy said in a statement. “From his inspired hiring of (general manager) 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.”
Harlan’s selection of Wolf as general manager came in 1991. At the time, the Packers had made just two playoff appearances since winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1966 and 1967 seasons.
Wolf reversed the Packers’ fortunes by acquiring Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons and adding Hall of Fame pass rusher Reggie White in free agency.
“Bob Harlan’s leadership of the Green Bay Packers was outstanding,” Favre said in a statement released by the team. “Hiring Ron Wolf and supporting the trade that brought me to Green Bay changed my career. The organization believed in me and gave me the opportunity.
“He was so supportive of me during the challenges I faced in my career. Challenges my family faced, too. He was always there offering his support. He was a great and kind man.”
