TopHat
06-03-2007, 08:00 PM
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/PKR01/70602013/1989
Packers seek CEO: What's needed? Who fills bill?
The Green Bay Packers are in the midst of one of the messiest transfers of power in their 89-year history. The ouster of John Jones only four days before he was to take over as team chairman and chief executive officer — after almost eight years of grooming for the jobs — will go down as an embarrassing episode in the team’s administrative history. But whatever the temporary black marks from the past week, there will be no shortage of candidates around the NFL coveting the chance to succeed Bob Harlan as the top man for one of the most storied and most loved teams in professional sports.
Ken Herock, who’s retired after a long career as a high-ranking NFL executive, left the Packers on bad terms when Harlan passed him over for general manager in 2001. But he still considers being the Packers’ chairman and CEO as perhaps the plum job of the NFL. “You’re running one of the prestigious organizations in the country and No. 1 in football, probably,” Herock said. “That guy keeps the organization together. That guy’s your owner. This is the guy you look to when everything’s failing.” Just how important is the chairman to the product fans see on the field?
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who coached the Packers from 1992 to 1998, said Harlan played a critical if quiet role in the Packers’ resurgence of the 1990s. Holmgren, GM Ron Wolf, quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White were the key football figures in the team’s two Super Bowl appearances in the ‘90s, but Harlan set up a support system that had only one mission: helping the football department. “That doesn’t happen all the time,” said Holmgren, who’s coached in the NFL since 1986. “When you ask how important the president is, when I was there I didn’t see Bob a lot. But when I saw him, if I needed something, I went down there, his door was open, we could always talk, and I always knew that he would do anything in his power to help me be successful there. There was never a doubt in my mind. That’s the importance of that position there.”
Harlan and the executive committee haven’t determined how they’ll conduct the search for his replacement, though they’ll likely form a search committee and perhaps hire a head-hunting firm to compile a short list of candidates. They also will have to prioritize what qualities they want in Harlan’s successor. In his press conference after the team’s quarterly board meeting last week, Harlan emphasized vast experience working in management for an NFL team, detailed knowledge of the NFL’s financial system, and strong relationships with both other league owners and the NFL’s office. That eliminates executives from other sports or businesses, and from the NFL office.
There no doubt will be varied opinions among executive committee members and team directors on what other qualifications the Packers should seek in their next chairman. Some might think, as Holmgren does, that knowing the organization and community is crucial. “The pressure on the person running the team or coaching the team is a little different (in Green Bay) because of how much the team means to the community,” he said. “Every (team) has their fans, but it’s different there, and people that haven’t experienced that, they think they know but they really don’t know.” Herock, on the other hand, emphasized finding a proven, charismatic leader. “A guy that has good communication skills, communicates with people throughout the league, throughout the city,” he said. “Because that’s what your job is.”
Regardless, there are some candidates that don’t take a search committee to identify. One is Mike Reinfeldt, the former Packers executive who was groomed as Harlan’s successor until he joined Holmgren with the Seahawks in 1999. However, Reinfeldt just took a plum job as the Tennessee Titans’ head of football operations over the winter. Though his ties to the Packers are strong, there are major questions whether he’d be willing to leave a job he just started, and if he were, whether Titans owner Bud Adams would allow the move. Reinfeldt is many ways is an ideal candidate. He has strong state and local connections. He went to high school in Baraboo, played college football at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, worked for the Packers from 1991 to 1999 and married a woman from the Green Bay area who still has lots of family here.
He also has long and varied experience as an administrator in the NFL and is well known in league circles. He was the Packers’ chief financial officer from 1991 to 1993 — he played a key role in the hiring of Wolf as GM — and vice president of administration from 1994 to 1998. Before going to Tennessee he was a senior vice president with the Seahawks. “I think he’d probably be the perfect guy,” Holmgren said. “But the problem is, he just got a job.” Reinfeldt’s weakness is his public relations skills — he’s appeared uncomfortable dealing with the media and the public — though current and former members of the Packers’ board who champion his cause think he can grow into that role. “Mike’s not a real communicator,” Herock said. “He’s shy.”
Another potential concern for the executive committee could be Reinfeldt’s close friendship with Packers GM Ted Thompson. The two were teammates with the Houston Oilers in the 1970s, and Reinfeldt helped Thompson get his first NFL scouting job, with the Packers in 1992. They also worked together in Seattle’s front office. The executive committee might question whether Reinfeldt would be able to fire Thompson in a timely manner if the GM falters in his attempt to rebuild the football team. Herock, in the meantime, identified his top three candidates for the job: Holmgren, Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen, and Rich McKay, who is Atlanta’s president and GM.
When told he topped Herock’s list, the 58-year-old Holmgren laughed and scoffed at the notion. However, Herock was adamant that Holmgren, who used to be co-chairman of the NFL’s prestigious competition committee, would make an excellent — if unconventional and long-shot — candidate. “If he wanted to get out of coaching, he’s perfect for that job,” Herock said. “He has great, great character. Mike would be ideal for that job. When he’s with people, they fall in love with him. He’s a great communicator. He knows everything that’s going on. It would be like hiring a Bill Walsh to that position.”
Allen, the son of former NFL coach George Allen, has name recognition and a resume that includes 13 years as a front-office executive with Oakland (1995-2003) and the Buccaneers (2004 to the present). McKay, the son of former Tampa Bay coach John McKay, has been running the Falcons’ football operations for the last three years and was Tampa Bay’s GM from 1995 to 2004. He’s been co-chairman of the competition committee since 1998 and was rumored as a possible candidate for NFL commissioner earlier this year.
However, McKay is well known in league circles for loving warm weather and might not be willing to move to a northern city that has harsh winters. The Packers’ front office has two well-regarded vice presidents who could be candidates, though it’s unclear how much support either has with the executive committee. They are Andrew Brandt, 46, who is vice president of player finance and general counsel, and Jason Wied, 35, who is vice president of administration and corporate counsel. Harlan’s eventual replacement will have a unique position in the major professional sports in the United States because of the team’s ownership structure. It’s a public corporation that has 111,967 shareholders who receive no dividends and is run by an executive committee that is elected by the board of directors.
The chairman runs the Packers by leading the executive committee and representing the organization in all NFL matters. He’s a de facto member of one of the most exclusive clubs in America — the NFL owners — even though he hasn’t put up a penny of his own money into the team. The chairman is the Packers’ strongest tie to the community because of his working relationship with the board of directors, businesses and charities statewide, and his interactions with fans. Those relationships are more important for the Packers than for most other major sports teams because public ownership has allowed them to remain in Green Bay while other teams gravitated to larger cities over the years.
The chairman also sets the tone for the organization by establishing the goals and working atmosphere in all operations, and determining the autonomy of the football department. Harlan’s decision in late 1991 to cede total control of football operations to the GM has made the Packers one of the NFL’s most attractive teams for scouts and coaches.
Packers seek CEO: What's needed? Who fills bill?
The Green Bay Packers are in the midst of one of the messiest transfers of power in their 89-year history. The ouster of John Jones only four days before he was to take over as team chairman and chief executive officer — after almost eight years of grooming for the jobs — will go down as an embarrassing episode in the team’s administrative history. But whatever the temporary black marks from the past week, there will be no shortage of candidates around the NFL coveting the chance to succeed Bob Harlan as the top man for one of the most storied and most loved teams in professional sports.
Ken Herock, who’s retired after a long career as a high-ranking NFL executive, left the Packers on bad terms when Harlan passed him over for general manager in 2001. But he still considers being the Packers’ chairman and CEO as perhaps the plum job of the NFL. “You’re running one of the prestigious organizations in the country and No. 1 in football, probably,” Herock said. “That guy keeps the organization together. That guy’s your owner. This is the guy you look to when everything’s failing.” Just how important is the chairman to the product fans see on the field?
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who coached the Packers from 1992 to 1998, said Harlan played a critical if quiet role in the Packers’ resurgence of the 1990s. Holmgren, GM Ron Wolf, quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White were the key football figures in the team’s two Super Bowl appearances in the ‘90s, but Harlan set up a support system that had only one mission: helping the football department. “That doesn’t happen all the time,” said Holmgren, who’s coached in the NFL since 1986. “When you ask how important the president is, when I was there I didn’t see Bob a lot. But when I saw him, if I needed something, I went down there, his door was open, we could always talk, and I always knew that he would do anything in his power to help me be successful there. There was never a doubt in my mind. That’s the importance of that position there.”
Harlan and the executive committee haven’t determined how they’ll conduct the search for his replacement, though they’ll likely form a search committee and perhaps hire a head-hunting firm to compile a short list of candidates. They also will have to prioritize what qualities they want in Harlan’s successor. In his press conference after the team’s quarterly board meeting last week, Harlan emphasized vast experience working in management for an NFL team, detailed knowledge of the NFL’s financial system, and strong relationships with both other league owners and the NFL’s office. That eliminates executives from other sports or businesses, and from the NFL office.
There no doubt will be varied opinions among executive committee members and team directors on what other qualifications the Packers should seek in their next chairman. Some might think, as Holmgren does, that knowing the organization and community is crucial. “The pressure on the person running the team or coaching the team is a little different (in Green Bay) because of how much the team means to the community,” he said. “Every (team) has their fans, but it’s different there, and people that haven’t experienced that, they think they know but they really don’t know.” Herock, on the other hand, emphasized finding a proven, charismatic leader. “A guy that has good communication skills, communicates with people throughout the league, throughout the city,” he said. “Because that’s what your job is.”
Regardless, there are some candidates that don’t take a search committee to identify. One is Mike Reinfeldt, the former Packers executive who was groomed as Harlan’s successor until he joined Holmgren with the Seahawks in 1999. However, Reinfeldt just took a plum job as the Tennessee Titans’ head of football operations over the winter. Though his ties to the Packers are strong, there are major questions whether he’d be willing to leave a job he just started, and if he were, whether Titans owner Bud Adams would allow the move. Reinfeldt is many ways is an ideal candidate. He has strong state and local connections. He went to high school in Baraboo, played college football at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, worked for the Packers from 1991 to 1999 and married a woman from the Green Bay area who still has lots of family here.
He also has long and varied experience as an administrator in the NFL and is well known in league circles. He was the Packers’ chief financial officer from 1991 to 1993 — he played a key role in the hiring of Wolf as GM — and vice president of administration from 1994 to 1998. Before going to Tennessee he was a senior vice president with the Seahawks. “I think he’d probably be the perfect guy,” Holmgren said. “But the problem is, he just got a job.” Reinfeldt’s weakness is his public relations skills — he’s appeared uncomfortable dealing with the media and the public — though current and former members of the Packers’ board who champion his cause think he can grow into that role. “Mike’s not a real communicator,” Herock said. “He’s shy.”
Another potential concern for the executive committee could be Reinfeldt’s close friendship with Packers GM Ted Thompson. The two were teammates with the Houston Oilers in the 1970s, and Reinfeldt helped Thompson get his first NFL scouting job, with the Packers in 1992. They also worked together in Seattle’s front office. The executive committee might question whether Reinfeldt would be able to fire Thompson in a timely manner if the GM falters in his attempt to rebuild the football team. Herock, in the meantime, identified his top three candidates for the job: Holmgren, Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen, and Rich McKay, who is Atlanta’s president and GM.
When told he topped Herock’s list, the 58-year-old Holmgren laughed and scoffed at the notion. However, Herock was adamant that Holmgren, who used to be co-chairman of the NFL’s prestigious competition committee, would make an excellent — if unconventional and long-shot — candidate. “If he wanted to get out of coaching, he’s perfect for that job,” Herock said. “He has great, great character. Mike would be ideal for that job. When he’s with people, they fall in love with him. He’s a great communicator. He knows everything that’s going on. It would be like hiring a Bill Walsh to that position.”
Allen, the son of former NFL coach George Allen, has name recognition and a resume that includes 13 years as a front-office executive with Oakland (1995-2003) and the Buccaneers (2004 to the present). McKay, the son of former Tampa Bay coach John McKay, has been running the Falcons’ football operations for the last three years and was Tampa Bay’s GM from 1995 to 2004. He’s been co-chairman of the competition committee since 1998 and was rumored as a possible candidate for NFL commissioner earlier this year.
However, McKay is well known in league circles for loving warm weather and might not be willing to move to a northern city that has harsh winters. The Packers’ front office has two well-regarded vice presidents who could be candidates, though it’s unclear how much support either has with the executive committee. They are Andrew Brandt, 46, who is vice president of player finance and general counsel, and Jason Wied, 35, who is vice president of administration and corporate counsel. Harlan’s eventual replacement will have a unique position in the major professional sports in the United States because of the team’s ownership structure. It’s a public corporation that has 111,967 shareholders who receive no dividends and is run by an executive committee that is elected by the board of directors.
The chairman runs the Packers by leading the executive committee and representing the organization in all NFL matters. He’s a de facto member of one of the most exclusive clubs in America — the NFL owners — even though he hasn’t put up a penny of his own money into the team. The chairman is the Packers’ strongest tie to the community because of his working relationship with the board of directors, businesses and charities statewide, and his interactions with fans. Those relationships are more important for the Packers than for most other major sports teams because public ownership has allowed them to remain in Green Bay while other teams gravitated to larger cities over the years.
The chairman also sets the tone for the organization by establishing the goals and working atmosphere in all operations, and determining the autonomy of the football department. Harlan’s decision in late 1991 to cede total control of football operations to the GM has made the Packers one of the NFL’s most attractive teams for scouts and coaches.