Ron Wolf
Encyclopedia
Ron Wolf is the former American football
general manager
(GM) of the NFL
's Green Bay Packers
. He also played a significant role in personnel operations with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders
from 1963–1975, and again from 1978–1990. He joined Green Bay's front office in November 1991 from a personnel director's job with the New York Jets
.
, Gene Upshaw
, Ken Stabler
, and Jack Tatum
, all of whom would play for the Super Bowl XI
Championship team in 1976, and later such players as Howie Long
, Marcus Allen
, and Matt Millen
, all of the Super Bowl XVIII
Championship team, the then-Los Angeles Raiders.
After the death of Raiders owner Al Davis
, Wolf was rumored to possibly come back to Oakland. He didn't specify that he wanted to have a full time job as General Manager there, but he told the new ownership team that he would assist them with anything they needed. In an interview with the Milwaukee Sentinel he supported Green Bay Packers director of football operations, Reggie McKenzie
as a perfect candidate for the GM position in Oakland and called him a "tremendous evaluator" when it comes to finding players.
as vice-president of operations. He helped build the team that would advance to the 1979 NFC Championship game. He would not be around to see his team develop, however, as he resigned his position with the Buccaneers in February, 1978
, citing "personal matters". It is believed that he had difficulty working with Buccaneer owner Hugh Culverhouse
, and that Culverhouse was trying to interfere with personnel decisions. Wolf later indicated that Culverhouse's close personal relationship with and strong financial stake in coach John McKay meant that Wolf had to be the one to pay with his job for the team's 0-26 start. Wolf returned to the Raiders on the expiration of his Buccaneer contract.
, Wolf was hired to replace Packers General Manager Tom Braatz
. Wolf's first major decisions were to fire head coach Lindy Infante
, hire then-San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren
to replace him, and to trade for then-Atlanta Falcons
backup quarterback
Brett Favre
. In 1993
, Wolf signed the most sought after free-agent available, Reggie White
, bringing in a team leader and defensive superstar. This signing, in NFL free agency's first year, also made Green Bay a more desirable destination for future potential free agents, including White's fellow defensive linemen Santana Dotson
and Sean Jones
. Specifically, White's arrival negated the perception of Green Bay as a city where African-American players did not feel welcome. With White and cast-off Gilbert Brown
, Dotson and Jones formed the heart of the Packer defense during the team's championship run.
Over his nine-year term as GM, the Packers compiled a 92–52 record, good for a .639 winning percentage, second in the NFL over that span to the San Francisco 49ers
. The Packers won Super Bowl XXXI
against the New England Patriots
, lost in Super Bowl XXXII
to the Denver Broncos
, and made the playoffs six straight times. Wolf announced he would retire as Packers GM in February 2001. He stayed on through the April NFL draft and officially retired as Packers GM in June 2001. Afterward the Packers head coach at that time, Mike Sherman
, assumed his duties as GM.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
(GM) of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He also played a significant role in personnel operations with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1963–1975, and again from 1978–1990. He joined Green Bay's front office in November 1991 from a personnel director's job with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Raiders
With the Raiders, Wolf took part in drafting such notable players as Art ShellArt Shell
Arthur "Art" Shell is an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, and a two-time former head coach of the Oakland Raiders...
, Gene Upshaw
Gene Upshaw
Eugene Thurman Upshaw, Jr. was an American football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and later the NFL, later the executive director of the National Football League Players' Association...
, Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
, and Jack Tatum
Jack Tatum
John David Tatum was an American football defensive back who played ten seasons from 1971 through 1980 for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League...
, all of whom would play for the Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...
Championship team in 1976, and later such players as Howie Long
Howie Long
Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...
, Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen
Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
, and Matt Millen
Matt Millen
Matthew George "Matt" Millen is an American former National Football League linebacker and a former executive. Millen played for the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. In Millen's 12-year NFL playing career, he played on four Super Bowl-winning teams...
, all of the Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
Championship team, the then-Los Angeles Raiders.
After the death of Raiders owner Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
, Wolf was rumored to possibly come back to Oakland. He didn't specify that he wanted to have a full time job as General Manager there, but he told the new ownership team that he would assist them with anything they needed. In an interview with the Milwaukee Sentinel he supported Green Bay Packers director of football operations, Reggie McKenzie
Reggie McKenzie
Reggie McKenzie may refer to:*Reggie McKenzie , offensive guard who played in the NFL, 1972–1984*Reggie McKenzie , linebacker who played in the NFL, 1985–1992...
as a perfect candidate for the GM position in Oakland and called him a "tremendous evaluator" when it comes to finding players.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 1975, Wolf joined the expansion Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
as vice-president of operations. He helped build the team that would advance to the 1979 NFC Championship game. He would not be around to see his team develop, however, as he resigned his position with the Buccaneers in February, 1978
1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 2-12 season. Since their two 1977 victories came in the last two games of the season, they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central. The Buccaneers entered the season with new...
, citing "personal matters". It is believed that he had difficulty working with Buccaneer owner Hugh Culverhouse
Hugh Culverhouse
Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr. was the longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League . He was a successful tax lawyer, and his real estate investments made him one of the nation's wealthiest men...
, and that Culverhouse was trying to interfere with personnel decisions. Wolf later indicated that Culverhouse's close personal relationship with and strong financial stake in coach John McKay meant that Wolf had to be the one to pay with his job for the team's 0-26 start. Wolf returned to the Raiders on the expiration of his Buccaneer contract.
Green Bay Packers
In 19911991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
, Wolf was hired to replace Packers General Manager Tom Braatz
Tom Braatz
Thomas Myron Braatz is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams, and the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft...
. Wolf's first major decisions were to fire head coach Lindy Infante
Lindy Infante
Gelindo "Lindy" Infante is a former American college football player and assistant coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League and the United States Football League...
, hire then-San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
to replace him, and to trade for then-Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
backup quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
. In 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
, Wolf signed the most sought after free-agent available, Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
, bringing in a team leader and defensive superstar. This signing, in NFL free agency's first year, also made Green Bay a more desirable destination for future potential free agents, including White's fellow defensive linemen Santana Dotson
Santana Dotson
Santana N. Dotson was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was a part of Houston's Yates High School football team when it won the 1985 5A state championship. While at Baylor, Dotson was voted All-American in 1991...
and Sean Jones
Sean Jones (defensive end)
Dwight Sean Jones is a former American football defensive end, who played for the Los Angeles Raiders , Houston Oilers , and the Green Bay Packers . Jones was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1993 season...
. Specifically, White's arrival negated the perception of Green Bay as a city where African-American players did not feel welcome. With White and cast-off Gilbert Brown
Gilbert Brown
Gilbert Jesse Brown, is a former nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Brown played 125 Packers games recording 292 tackles and seven sacks. Nicknamed "The Gravedigger," in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in...
, Dotson and Jones formed the heart of the Packer defense during the team's championship run.
Over his nine-year term as GM, the Packers compiled a 92–52 record, good for a .639 winning percentage, second in the NFL over that span to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. The Packers won Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
against the New England Patriots
1996 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots participated in the National Football League's 1996 season, the team's 37th in football. The Patriots finished with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division...
, lost in Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
to the Denver Broncos
1997 Denver Broncos season
The Denver Broncos finished the 1997 NFL season by winning Super Bowl XXXII. They went 12–4 during the regular season. The Broncos were the third team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl but not win the Division Title.- Season summary :...
, and made the playoffs six straight times. Wolf announced he would retire as Packers GM in February 2001. He stayed on through the April NFL draft and officially retired as Packers GM in June 2001. Afterward the Packers head coach at that time, Mike Sherman
Mike Sherman
Michael Francis "Mike" Sherman is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Prior to coaching the Aggies, he served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from the 2000–05 seasons. Sherman led the Packers to five consecutive winning seasons from 2000–04 and three divisional titles...
, assumed his duties as GM.