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Chairman Emeritus
Bob Harlan, the Packers' chairman emeritus, served 37 years with the organization, including 19 seasons as its principal executive. After formally retiring Jan. 28, 2008, he currently serves as a consultant to the organization.
His daring vision and inspired leadership of the franchise set a lofty standard within the world of professional sports. The organization enjoyed tremendous success under his stewardship and is positioned to succeed well into the future.
Off the field, the crowning achievement of Harlan's tenure -- the $295 million redevelopment of historic Lambeau Field -- was ushered in at the beginning of the 2003 campaign and now stands as the chief component for assuring the team's financial survival for the next three decades.
On the field, the Packers enjoyed a resurgence under Harlan's guidance, owning the league's best overall record from 1993-2007, and returning the Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay with a victory in Super Bowl XXXI. The successful period also included 13 straight .500-or-better seasons (1992-2004), an impressive accomplishment in this era of free agency and the team's best stretch since the 1930s and '40s.
Harlan's work on the Lambeau Field project -- and everything that it represents -- may well go down as the hallmark achievement of his highly progressive administration. A public referendum called for the outlay of $169.1 million in public funds to complement a $135.9 million contribution from the Packers and, to a substantial extent, its ultimate approval represented a personal victory for Harlan, whose career-long integrity was, unquestionably, a significant factor in the referendum's positive result.
There is the profound impression that the sincerity of his message -- his oft-stated conviction that a redeveloped Lambeau Field was the best and only hope to save the franchise and preserve "Lambeau" -- was, ultimately, the key factor in putting the "Yes" vote over the top, by a 53-to-47 percent margin.
In the process, Harlan paid a high price, from the personal standpoint, to deliver it. He had literally dedicated almost all of his waking hours to the project over an eight-month span, beginning on Jan. 22, 2000, when drawings of the proposed Lambeau Field redevelopment were unveiled at a press conference in the gymnasium of the Packers' administration building.
In the seven-year interim and the multi-faceted process of implementing the team's long-term financial plan, Harlan had the satisfaction of seeing the redevelopment of Lambeau Field pay initial and substantial dividends as the additional sources of revenue spawned record years for club profits in the 2003, '04 and '05 fiscal years. As an impressive result, the Packers rose to 10th place in revenue ranking among NFL teams during the 2003 fiscal year, their highest finish since 1997, a Super Bowl year, when they finished ninth. Recent fiscal performances saw the Packers remain near the top of the second quartile in NFL revenue rankings.
In so doing, the team made steps toward delivering on a promise given to the community and the fans prior to the referendum -- to convert profitability into preserving the franchise and Lambeau Field. Over the past five years, the organization has strengthened a vital element of that promise, building up the Packers Franchise Preservation Fund, emergency monies that can finance the team's football operations for a year.
More than a decade earlier, in jumpstarting the team's on-field fortunes, the veteran Packers official made two major decisions late in the 1991 season. Convinced the organization was merely treading water competitively, he first relieved then-executive vice president Tom Braatz of his responsibilities Nov. 20, 1991, and, one week later, named Ron Wolf as executive vice president and general manager, with total authority over football operations.
In light of subsequent events, the latter decision ranks among the most significant in the history of the Packers. Wolf was chosen 'NFL Executive of the Year' following his first full season with the Packers, which saw him hire ex-49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren to replace Lindy Infante as head coach and acquire in 1992 Pro Bowl quarterback Brett Favre in one of pro football's most acclaimed trades ever. Wolf subsequently "recruited" perennial Pro Bowl defensive end Reggie White, the game's most sought-after unrestricted free agent, in 1993.
During the productive interim, which saw Favre and White provide the foundation for success, the Packers advanced to the playoffs for six consecutive years -- the first such accomplishment in franchise history -- climaxing their 1996 achievements by reaching and winning the Super Bowl for the first time in 29 years and following that singular achievement by returning to the Super Bowl in January of 1998.
Harlan presided over other major changes in football operations as well, beginning with the retirement of Wolf in 2001 with three years remaining on his contract.
After carefully weighing his options and deciding to capitalize on the chemistry that Head Coach Mike Sherman had established, Harlan named the coach to the companion role of executive vice president and general manager on Feb. 1, 2001 -- the first such dual arrangement the organization has had since 1980. The move was successful for the club, as Sherman and the Packers produced a 44-20 record, three division championships and four consecutive playoff appearances in his four years in that role.
But after observing the continual evolution of the game and its demands upon the personnel and coaching staffs, Harlan decided a restructuring was needed, with a separation of the two jobs as the best approach for the club to return to the pinnacle of the league. On Jan. 14, 2005, he tapped 13-year NFL personnel veteran and former Packers director of player personnel Ted Thompson to head up the team's football operations.
"In today's salary cap world of professional football," Harlan said, "where rosters are overhauled every offseason, both the job of a general manager and the job of a head coach are extremely demanding and require an inordinate amount of time and effort."
Harlan subsequently gave his full support to Thompson in 2006 when the GM felt the team needed a change in direction and hired Mike McCarthy to become the team's 14th head coach in Packers annals, replacing Sherman.
For all his considerable contributions, Harlan fittingly was honored July 17, 2004, with his induction into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, in Green Bay for Harlan's enshrinement, reflected on Harlan's contributions by saying, "Bob's legacy is that he and his board and his team of executives and coaches not only have maintained, preserved and savored the Packer tradition, but they've enhanced it. And they've done it with class. They've done it with a focus on the game and a focus on the fans. And when I think about Bob and what his legacy is, obviously there's some really tangible pieces of legacy -- the stadium and the performance on the field are probably the two most tangible things."
His mark on the franchise earlier was recognized Sept. 2, 2003, with the dedication of the Robert E. Harlan Plaza, in front of the main entrance to Lambeau Field. It is marked by a plaque featured between the statues of team founder Curly Lambeau and Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi.
"I'm flattered, I'm humbled, I'm honored, I'm thrilled and I'm very appreciative," Harlan said at the unveiling. "I am deeply touched to be a permanent part of Lambeau Field and I am very, very appreciative that I can share in a small way, this area with Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi, the two finest gentlemen, the two most important gentlemen, that ever represented this great franchise."
With 19 years as head of the franchise (1989-2007), Harlan is the second-longest tenured principal executive in Packers history, just ahead of the 17 years served by Lee H. Joannes (1930-47). Dominic Olejniczak, with the longest tenure, was president for 24 years (1958-82).
Strengthening other areas of the franchise, Harlan in 1994 authorized and directed the construction of The Don Hutson Center -- the finest such indoor practice structure in professional football -- which was completed in time for use during the '94 season.
Also in 1994, he presided over a momentous move -- the decision to leave Milwaukee and play all home games in Green Bay, a potentially sensitive issue since the Packers had had a 62-year presence in the state's largest city since 1933. But as a condition of the transfer, necessitated by addressing an annual $2.5 million disparity in income which resulted from playing games in County Stadium, Harlan made sure Milwaukee's fans were not forgotten, offering them a three-game ticket package in Lambeau Field.
The latter expressed their appreciation in highly positive terms, with 96 percent of Milwaukee's 48,000 season ticket holders subsequently availing themselves of the opportunity.
In 1997, convinced that the organization was in need of additional capital reserves to be competitive well into the 21st century -- via improvements to Lambeau Field and the team's training facilities -- he launched the team's first stock sale since 1950. More than 100,000 shares, at $200 per share, were sold during the offering, initiated in mid-November and concluded on March 16, 1998. It raised more than $20 million, later used in Lambeau Field's redevelopment project.
Under Harlan's insightful leadership, the Packers organization also been accorded national acclaim for its consistently high quality of operation. It was selected by SportsBusiness Journal in 2003 as the best-run franchise in all of professional sports and, in a 2003 ESPN The Magazine fan survey, was ranked as the best franchise among the 121 teams in the four major sports; the club remained high in subsequent rankings. Harris Interactive also named the Packers 'America's Football Team' in late 2002, ending the Dallas Cowboys' nine-year hold of the top spot. After tying the Cowboys in 2003, the Packers finished in sole possession of the top spot in 2004 and '05, and fourth in 2006. The team's broad appeal is further underscored with merchandise sales annually among the top five in the NFL.
The affable Iowan, who had been involved in every area of the club's operations over the course of his three-plus decade career, joined the organization as assistant general manager on June 1, 1971, after serving as director of public relations for the St. Louis baseball Cardinals. He earlier earned a B.S. degree in journalism from Marquette in 1958 and had a brief tour of duty in the U.S. Army before spending six months as a general reporter for United Press International in Milwaukee. He subsequently became sports information director at Marquette in 1959, then joined the St. Louis baseball Cardinals in 1965, acting as director of community relations and the speakers' bureau for two years and as director of public relations for three-and-a-half years before joining the Packers.
Born Robert Ernest Harlan in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 9, 1936, he was active in the inner councils of the National Football League, serving as a member of the NFL's Management Council Executive Committee and as a trustee for the NFL Trust.
In the greater Green Bay Community, he has been a member of the executive board of the 65 Roses Sports Club (to combat cystic fibrosis) and also serves as the honorary co-chairman of the fundraising group for the St. Norbert College outdoor athletic facility, a new facility being built to house the college's football, soccer and track teams. He also is an honorary director for the new "Fields of Honor" Military Veterans Museum to be built in Oshkosh, Wis.
The recipient of multiple honors, both on a local and state basis, he was named in November 2006 as a Top 10 Innovator by Advertising Age for his leadership on the Lambeau Field redevelopment project.
In 1997, he was thrice honored by his alma mater, Marquette University. He was presented with the 1997 Marquette University 'Alumni Community Service Award' during the alumni association's National Awards Week (April 25-27), presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree at the institution's commencement exercises May 18 and, on June 3, saluted as 'Master of the Game' by Marquette's National Sports Law Institute at its annual awards dinner in Milwaukee in recognition of his "humanitarian efforts, commitment to public service, great sense of ethics and integrity as a professional within the sports field."
In 1998, he was presented with the 'Distinguished Service Award' at the first Lee Remmel Sports Awards Banquet for leading the Packers' franchise out of mediocrity to professional football's heights.
In 2007, he and his wife, Madeline, each received honorary doctors laws degrees from St. Norbert College for together "living the Norbertine ideals of service and community, and their good works exemplify selflessness and integrity."
On a personal front, Harlan revealed in 2003 he is battling the skin cancer melanoma. He had surgery Oct. 8, 2003, to remove two lesions, returned to work Oct. 14; recent medical reports are positive. Harlan had announced the condition in an open letter to fans on the Packers' Web site and encouraged everyone to be aware of early detection and to visit their doctor if they suspect something is wrong.
Bob and Madeline have three sons -- Kevin, 47, a play-by-play broadcaster on telecasts of NFL games for CBS Sports and the Packers' preseason network, and also 'voices' NCAA Tournament basketball games for CBS as well as NBA games for TNT; Bryan, 45, owner of a sports management firm in Chicago that represents coaches and sportscasters; and Michael, 38, an account executive for Badger Sports Properties in Madison, Wis. The Harlans have four grandchildren.
In 2007, he penned his autobiography, Green and Golden Moments: Bob Harlan and the Green Bay Packers, with former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Dale Hofmann. An ardent golfer, Harlan also is an "involved" fan, closely monitoring the athletic fortunes of Wisconsin's other professional sports teams as well as those of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his alma mater, Marquette. As a hobby he also closely follows the recruiting efforts of many of the nation's top collegiate football and basketball programs.
HARLAN AT A GLANCE
- Formally became Chairman Emeritus Jan. 28, 2008.
- Served 37 years with the Packers, including 19 seasons as its principal executive.
- Originally joined the organization as assistant general manager on June 1, 1971. Also served as corporate general manager (1975-81), corporate assistant to the president (1981-88), executive vice president of administration (1988-89), president and CEO (1989-2006) and chairman and CEO (2006-07).
- Inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, July 17, 2004.
- Under his guidance, franchise posted a .500-or-better season 13 straight years (1992-2004) for the first time since the 1930s and '40s (1934-47).
- Packers share NFL's best record, 139-85, since 1993, the dawn of free agency and the salary cap, a period many observers predicted would send Green Bay into a downward spiral.
- Got his start in sports in 1960 at Marquette University as sports information director, working with legendary basketball coach Al McGuire during the 1964-65 season.
- In addition to the Super Bowl ring from the Packers' 1996 championship, possesses a 1967 World Series ring, earned while he worked for the St. Louis Cardinals.