Wolf hired head coach Mike Holmgren, traded for quarterback Brett Favre and signed defensive end Reggie White as a free agent. Those three pillars of the franchise would lead the Packers to back-to-back Super Bowls. Favre and White are now in the NFL Hall of Fame.
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Further: Former Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan dies at 89
But none of those legendary stories would become true stories if former president and CEO Bob Harlan hadn’t had the foresight to give full control of football operations to Wolf when he hired him in 1991.
That was just one of many examples of Harlan’s top-notch leadership and decision-making during his tenure as president of the Packers from 1989 to early 2008, making him one of the most important anchors in the organization’s history.
Harlan died on March 5 at age 89 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay.
Further: Packers legends and leaders react to death of former president Bob Harlan
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“Bob Harlan will go down as one of the most underrated figures in the history of one of the great American sports franchises,” veteran NFL reporter Peter King said in a statement released by the Packers.
NFL media and Packers fans posted a variety of positive thoughts and tributes on social media. Here is a sample.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NFL media, Packers fans pay tribute to Bob Harlan on social media