List of Green Bay Packers presidents

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.[1] The Packers were founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun; for the first two years the team competed against local teams based in cities around the Wisconsin and Michigan area. In 1921, the Packers were admitted into the National Football League (NFL), which had been formed just one year prior.[2] After experiencing financial difficulties, the Green Bay Football Corporation was formed in 1923 after a public offering of stock raised $5,000. The corporation made the Packers a publicly owned, non-profit organization that was run by a board of directors elected each year.[3] It was later reorganized into its current form, known as Green Bay Packers, Inc., in 1935 after it was in receivership for two years.[4]

headshot photo of Mark Murphy wearing a suit and Packers tie
Mark Murphy, the Packers' current president

The executive committee, which is elected from the board members, includes three members at-large, a secretary, treasurer, vice president, and president.[5] This ownership structure runs counter to NFL rules, which mandate that no more than 25 people can own a team and at least one person must have an ownership share of 30% or more. However, when this rule was adopted in 1980, the Packers' ownership structure was grandfathered and allowed to remain.[6] As such, the president typically acts in a manner similar to a team owner. They represent the organization on NFL committees, make executive decisions (within the confines of the executive committee and board of directors), hire staff and generally appear as the face of the team in public matters.[7] In 1988, president Robert J. Parins was given the additional title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which future presidents have retained.[8][9][10] The Packers have a mandatory retirement age for all board members, including president, whenever that person turns 70 years old. Officially, they may retain their seat on the board but are noted as emeritus members and cannot serve in executive positions.[11]

Since conversion to a publicly owned corporation in 1923, there have been eleven presidents of the Packers.[12] Eight of the eleven presidents had been civic leaders in the Green Bay area prior to their tenure; the eight include a former mayor of Green Bay,[13] a circuit court judge,[8] and a medical doctor.[14] The Packers' first president, Andrew B. Turnbull, owned the Green Bay Press-Gazette and was instrumental in the formation of the Green Bay Football Corporation in 1923.[15] Three presidents only served for one season: Ray Evrard in 1928, W. Webber Kelly in 1929 and John Jones in 2006, although all three served in other roles for the Packers prior to and after their presidency.[12][16][17][18] Dominic Olejniczak, a former mayor of Green Bay, is the longest serving president, with his tenure lasting 23 years from 1958 to 1981.[13] Only once in the history of the organization has the presidency been vacant for a full season.[12] After Jones left the team in 2007, the position was not filled until Mark Murphy was elected and took over in January 2008.[10] Bob Harlan, who was the Packers president before Jones and still the CEO, maintained executive control of the organization during the vacancy.[19][20] As of 2023, Murphy, a former NFL player for the Washington Redskins and college athletic director, is the president of the Packers.[5][10] In July 2022, he announced that he would retire as president on July 13, 2025, when he turns 70 years old.[21] After an extensive search process, the Packers' board of directors unanimously chose Ed Policy, who served as the team's Chief Operating Officer, to be the next president after Murphy resigns.[22]

Presidents

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Note: Team records accurate as of the end of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season

Presidents of the Green Bay Packers
Image President Tenure (seasons)[a] Team record[23][b] Accomplishments while in office[c] Refs
W L T %
  Andrew B. Turnbull 19231927 36 16 5 .675
  • Led the organization of the Green Bay Football Corporation[3]
  • Organized the first stock sale that raised $5,000[3]
  • Oversaw the construction of City Stadium, the team's home field for 31 years[24]
[12]
Ray Evrard 1928 6 4 3 .577
  W. Webber Kelly 1929 12 0 1 .962
  Lee Joannes 19301947 143 60 8 .697
  Emil Fischer 19481952 17 43 0 .283
  • Led the 1950 stock sale that raised over $100,000[4]
  Russ Bogda 19531957 19 40 1 .325
  Dominic Olejniczak 19581981 174 152 12 .533
Robert J. Parins 19821988 42 60 2 .413
  Bob Harlan 19892005 175 135 0 .561
  John Jones 2006 8 8 0 .500
Vacant 2007 13 3 0 .813
  Mark Murphy 20082024 153 88 2 .629
Ed Policy Term to begin in 2025

Notes

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  1. ^ The tenure listed here reflects the NFL seasons that were played during the respective president's time in office, which correlates to the team record shown in the next column.
  2. ^ Overall team records were compiled by adding the yearly regular seasons records of each Packers season during the president's tenure. Playoff records are not included.
  3. ^ Accomplishments include championship seasons, stock sales, major stadium expansions, and other notable organizational actions undertaken during the tenure of each president.

References

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  1. ^ "Green Bay Packers News, Scores, Stats, Schedule". National Football League. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "Birth of a Team & a Legend". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Christl, Cliff. "Andrew B. Turnbull". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Christl, Cliff. "Leland H. Joannes". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Executive Committee & Board Of Directors". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Thornton, Katie (September 30, 2023). "The Green Bay Packers: where fans rather than a billionaire are the owners". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Ryman, Richard (February 7, 2019). "Packers' CEO Mark Murphy: Team's management structure built for football, financial success". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Christl, Cliff. "Judge Robert J. Parins". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Christl, Cliff. "Bob Harlan". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d "Mark Murphy". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Hill, Cassidy (July 13, 2022). "Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy has a to-do list before he retires in July 2025". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d "Personnel – Presidents". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e Christl, Cliff. "Dominic Olejniczak". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Christl, Cliff. "Dr. W. W. Kelly". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "Andrew Turnbull, Publisher of Wisconsin Papers, Is Dead". The Evening Sun (clipping). October 17, 1960. p. 4. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Christl, Cliff (May 26, 2016). "The truth and myth about 'The Hungry Five'". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  17. ^ "Packers Hall of Fame welcomes three". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). March 12, 1994. p. 15. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "John Jones, President and Chief Operating Officer". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Dougherty, Pete (July 20, 2007). "On to next step: Part 1". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. C-1. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Dougherty, Pete (July 20, 2007). "On to next step: Part 2". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. C-6. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Iglesias, Pablo (July 2, 2022). "Packers president Mark Murphy confirms retirement plan for 2025". WKOW. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "Ed Policy to succeed Mark Murphy as Packers president in 2025". ESPN.com. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Green Bay Packers Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  24. ^ "Other Homes of the Packers, 1919–94". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  25. ^ a b c Daley, Art (February 25, 1958). "Russ Hoped To Change Packer Luck on Field". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 17. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Murphy, Mark (June 10, 2017). "Judge Parins brought Packers into modern era of NFL". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  27. ^ Walker, Don (March 1, 2012). "Packers stock sale: more than 268,000 shares sold". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Ryman, Richard (March 10, 2022). "Packers fans buy 198,000 shares, generate $65.8 million for Lambeau Field projects". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 5A. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Ketchman, Vic (August 20, 2015). "Lambeau Field gives birth to 'Titletown District'". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
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