 Wolf in 1997 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-12-30)December 30, 1938 (age 86) New Freedom, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Susquehannock(Glen Rock, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Maryville |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Executive profile atPro Football Reference | |
Ronald Wolf (born December 30, 1938)[1] is an American former professionalfootball executive who was ageneral manager (GM) of theNational Football League (NFL)'sGreen Bay Packers. Wolf is widely credited with bringing success to a Packers franchise that had rarely won during the two decades prior to Wolf joining the organization.[2] He also played a significant role in personnel operations with theOakland andLos Angeles Raiders from 1963[3] to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1990. He joined Green Bay's front office in November 1991 from a personnel director's job with theNew York Jets. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in August 2015.[4]
Wolf was born inNew Freedom, Pennsylvania on December 30, 1938. After serving three years in theArmy, Wolf played college baseball atMaryville College inTennessee.[1] After college, he worked forPro Football Illustrated, aChicago sports newspaper.[5][6]
Wolf became a scout for the Raiders in 1963. With the Raiders, Wolf took part in drafting such notable players asArt Shell,Gene Upshaw,Ken Stabler, andJack Tatum, all of whom would play for theSuper Bowl XI Championship team in 1976, and later such players asHowie Long,Marcus Allen, andMatt Millen, all of theSuper Bowl XVIII Championship team in 1983, the thenLos Angeles Raiders.
After the death of Raiders ownerAl 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 theMilwaukee Journal 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 came to finding players.
In 1975, Wolf joined the expansionTampa Bay Buccaneers as vice-president of operations prior to their first season in 1976. He helped build the team that would advance to the1979 NFC Championship game. His first draft choice wasLee Roy Selmon, a future Hall of Fame player. He would not be around to see his team develop, however, as he resigned his position with the Buccaneers in February1978, citing "personal matters".[7] It is believed that he had difficulty working with Buccaneer ownerHugh Culverhouse, and that Culverhouse was trying to interfere with personnel decisions.[8] Wolf later indicated that Culverhouse's close personal relationship with and strong financial stake in coachJohn McKay meant that Wolf had to be the one to pay with his job for the team's start in their first two seasons, which had them lose their first 26 games as a franchise; Wolf noted his problems in trying to find an ideal quarterback in those first two seasons along with noting his pleasure at having met his future wife in Tampa due to meeting her at the condo complex they each lived in.[9] Wolf returned to the Raiders on the expiration of his Buccaneer contract.[10]
In1991, Wolf was hired to replace Packers General ManagerTom Braatz. Wolf's first major decisions were to fire head coachLindy Infante, hire then-San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinatorMike Holmgren to replace him, and to trade for then-Atlanta Falcons backupquarterbackBrett Favre, whom Wolf had wanted to draft while working with the Jets. In1993, 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 linemenSantana Dotson andSean Jones. Specifically, White's arrival negated the perception of Green Bay as a city where African-American players did not feel welcome.[11] With White and cast-offGilbert Brown, Dotson and Jones formed the heart of the Packer defense during the team's championship run.
Wolf is credited with remaking the Packers into a perennial winner and championship contender. From 1968 to 1991, the Packers had only four winning seasons.[12] Over Wolf's nine-year term as GM, the Packers compiled a 92–52 record,[13] good for a .639 winning percentage, second in the NFL over that span only to theSan Francisco 49ers. The Packers wonSuper Bowl XXXI against theNew England Patriots, lost inSuper Bowl XXXII to theDenver Broncos, and made the playoffs six straight times, winning a total of nine playoff games. 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 Wolf's duties as GM. In 2000, Wolf was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[14]
On December 31, 2012,San Diego Chargers PresidentDean Spanos retained Wolf as a consultant to advise the Chargers throughout the general manager and head coach hiring process.[15]
From 1990 to 1991, Wolf served as personnel director for theNew York Jets.
On December 28, 2014, Wolf later joinedCharley Casserly as a consultant for the Jets in their search for a new head coach and general manager, following the firing ofRex Ryan andJohn Idzik Jr.[16]
On October 22, 2014, Wolf was selected as a finalist to be a member in thePro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor (designation for individuals who were neither a player nor a coach).[2]
On January 31, 2015, Wolf was confirmed as a member of the 2015 Hall of Fame class. He was inducted on August 8.[4]
Wolf's son,Eliot Wolf, is currently thede facto general manager of theNew England Patriots, a role he has served since 2024.[17]