Ex-Packers president, team Hall of Famer Bob Harlan dies at 89 - ESPN

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.

Team historian Cliff Christl said Harlan had recently been hospitalized with pneumonia.

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,