Zero2Cool
15 years ago
Source Link 

CEO Mark Murphy remains vigilant, looks to future

Why, a man wanted to know, havent the Green Bay Packers installed railings along the steps in Lambeau Field?

For Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, who recently faced about 40 people at the Howard-Suamico Optimist Club at Rivers Bend Steak and Seafood restaurant in Howard, the topic was deliverance from the usual diet of questions he has faced through his first 21 months atop the corporation ladder.

It has been a period dominated by high-profile matters the unveiling of the new practice field and the progress of a football team that has won eight of 20 games since Murphy became boss at the end of the Packers 2007-08 season.

Nothing got as much attention, however, as the spectacle of the breakup with Brett Favre.

It was Murphy, not General Manager Ted Thompson, who made the final decision to part ways with Favre 14 months ago. Murphy said that he, Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy agreed to take the high road in their public statements about Favre despite cries of protest from many fans.

It was a situation that was somewhat unprecedented in the NFL, Murphy said. Im proud of the way we handled a difficult situation.

A day after the Packers 30-23 loss to the Favre-led Minnesota Vikings, Murphy told Press-Gazette reporter Tony Walter that the decision on Favre wasnt a decision made for one game.

Murphy has also made significant moves that some team officials say will have a greater impact on the franchise. They include his prominent role in the National Football League labor negotiations, his restructuring of the upper management at team headquarters, and his steering of a master development plan that could expand the financial impact of the Packers in neighborhoods near the stadium.

Former team president Bob Harlan ran the corporation the way he could at the size that it was, said Peter Platten III, vice president of the teams Executive Committee. Now its bigger. We knew this (hiring) decision was critical to the organization, and we had to find someone who could deal with the issues and secure the Packers future.

Murphy has done that, Platten said.

Succeeding Bob Harlan

Murphy, 54, became the Packers 10th chief executive officer in January 2008 after four years as athletic director at Northwestern University. He succeeded Harlan, whose leadership guided the Packers through one of their brightest eras that included a Super Bowl title and the renovation of Lambeau Field.

I just try to be myself, to be open with people, Murphy said. Im not afraid to make the tough decisions when they have to be made.

Another tough decision was the development of the Ray Nitschke practice field at a time of economic stress locally and across the country.

He told us that there is never a bad time to invest in the future, said Jason Wied, the Packers vice president for administration and legal counsel.

Murphy knows he will be judged by many on the teams record but said its too early to draw any conclusions.

Were 2-2 now so its still premature to make final judgments, he said. Weve all seen enough positives.

Murphy, who played eight seasons for the Washington Redskins, talks to Thompson on a daily basis but says it is not his style to micromanage.

It was Murphys experience working for the NFL Players Association from 1985-88 that led Commissioner Roger Goodell to appoint him to the Management Committee Executive Council in July 2008. The eight-man council, which is the bargaining team on a potential collective bargaining agreement, includes Dallas Jerry Jones, Carolinas Jerry Richardson, New Englands Robert Kraft, Pittsburghs Art Rooney and Denvers Pat Bowlen.

Thats a big chip (in the game) for us, Platten said, noting that Goodell mentioned the advantage of having Murphy on the negotiating team before he was even hired. It really increases our presence in the league.

Goodell praised Murphy from his New York office.

Mark has a wealth of experience as a former player and administrator at both the collegiate and NFL level, Goodell told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. His experience with the NFL Players Association, and now as a member of the NFLs management team, is invaluable as we work towards securing another collective bargaining agreement.

Management changes

Murphy waited a few months last year before changing the upper management structure of the franchise. As he did at Northwestern, he created a leadership team of a handful of vice presidents so fewer people reported directly to him.

That team includes Vice President of Football Administration Russ Ball, Vice President of Finance Paul Baniel, Vice President of Organizational and Staff Development Betsy Mitchell, and Wied.

One of Murphys initial goals when he arrived was to stress the importance of marketing. He started the Tundra Tailgate Zone last year, a tent-covered area east of the stadium where fans with or without tickets can gather prior to and during home games.

He also hired marketing veteran Laura Sankey as senior vice president of marketing and sales last fall. But she resigned last week.

Murphy said, It just wasnt the right fit for either of us, and said he probably wouldnt hire her replacement until after the current football season.

Unlike Harlan, Murphy doesnt always answer his own phone.

But Murphy has been visible in the community, making more than 100 speeches to community groups since he joined the Packers and building relationships with area politicians.

The latter is vital as he leads the franchise through the development of a master plan that is aimed at increasing tourist interest in the area. He wont discuss details of the plan but said the vision includes working with the county, city of Green Bay and village of Ashwaubenon to maximize revenue possibilities from U.S. 41 to Ashland Avenue and from Lombardi Avenue south on Oneida Street.

Hes not taking his eye off the current situation, but hes looking down the road, said Larry Weyers, executive chairman of Integrys Energy Group and treasurer of the Packers Executive Committee. When we were interviewing him for the job, a criteria was, Is he going to fit into the community and this organization? Mark has surpassed that.


UserPostedImage
longtimefan
15 years ago

It was Murphys experience working for the NFL Players Association from 1985-88 that led Commissioner Roger Goodell to appoint him to the Management Committee Executive Council in July 2008.

The eight-man council, which is the bargaining team on a potential collective bargaining agreement, includes Dallas Jerry Jones, Carolinas Jerry Richardson, New Englands Robert Kraft, Pittsburghs Art Rooney and Denvers Pat Bowlen.




I thought Goodell was more or less on Bretts side during it all, but if he appointed Murphy for this post during that whole Brett issue,one might speculate that Goodell liked how Murphy was handling it all

but that is me just SPECULATING
yooperfan
15 years ago
Experience with the players association.
Building a bigger beaurocracy in the front office.
Politicking with the local pols.
Cosmetic improvements.
Improving the economy of Green Bay.
building tourism.

How about building a better football team.

I'm not impressed.
15 years ago
Does every damn thread have to go back to the same thing, yooper? Seriously?

I got to meet Mark Murphy at Fan Fest a little while back, and he really struck me as a quality person. He spent at least a couple of minutes talking to us. You can tell he has his head on straight just from reading this article.
UserPostedImage
yooperfan
15 years ago

Does every damn thread have to go back to the same thing, yooper? Seriously?

I got to meet Mark Murphy at Fan Fest a little while back, and he really struck me as a quality person. He spent at least a couple of minutes talking to us. You can tell he has his head on straight just from reading this article.

"MassPackersFan" wrote:



Until the Green Bay Packers get turned around again the answer is, yes.
Nonstopdrivel
15 years ago
The moment a Packers-related article mentions Brett Favre, I just skip over it. If after two years journalists still can't find another angle for their stories, they should voluntarily resign their positions.
UserPostedImage
Fan Shout
Zero2Cool (6h) : He's been sporting a ring for a while now. It's probably Madonna.
Martha Careful (9h) : We only do the tea before whoopee, it relaxes me.
wpr (10h) : That's awesome Martha.
Mucky Tundra (10h) : How's the ayahuasca tea he makes, Martha?
Martha Careful (11h) : Turns out he like older women
Martha Careful (11h) : I wasn't supposed to say anything, but yes the word is out and we are happy 😂😂😂
Mucky Tundra (12h) : I might be late on this but Aaron Rodgers is now married
Mucky Tundra (12h) : Well he can always ask his brother for pointers
Zero2Cool (14h) : Bo Melton taking some reps at CB as well as WR
Zero2Cool (15h) : key transactions coming today at 3pm that will consume more cap in 2025
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jaire played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : reported, but not expected to practice
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jenkins has REPORTED for mandatory camp
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : I really thought he'd play for Packers.
buckeyepackfan (9-Jun) : Packers releasing Jaire Alexander.
Mucky Tundra (8-Jun) : (Context: he wants his defense to create turnovers)
Mucky Tundra (8-Jun) : Giants DC Shane Bowen tells players to “be a damn pirate."
dfosterf (6-Jun) : Semper fi !
Cheesey (6-Jun) : This is why I have so much respect for those that have gone through battles
Cheesey (6-Jun) : I can't even imagine what that would have been like
wpr (6-Jun) : "Come on, you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever?"
wpr (6-Jun) : Facing a line of machine guns 2 time medal of Honor recipient, First Sergeant Dan Daly told his men,
wpr (6-Jun) : Another detachment went into the Belleau Wood.
wpr (6-Jun) : On the 6th the Marines took Hill 142 but suffered terrible losses.
wpr (6-Jun) : It’s time to remember dfoster’s Marine brothers in Belleau Wood. The battle went on from June 1-26. Nearly 10,000 casualties.
packerfanoutwest (6-Jun) : Nick Collins and Morgan Burnett have signed with the PACK
packerfanoutwest (6-Jun) : he won't be wearing #12, maybe he will wear number two
packerfanoutwest (6-Jun) : He will fail this season, should have retired
Mucky Tundra (5-Jun) : Thus the cycle of Hall of Fame Packer QBs going to the Jets and then the Vikings is broken
bboystyle (5-Jun) : Rodgers to steelers on 1 year contract
Zero2Cool (5-Jun) : It's the cycle of civilizations. Get lazier, lazier, softer, softer and vanish.
Martha Careful (5-Jun) : great point. every aspect of society, including art, culture and sports has degraded.
dfosterf (4-Jun) : Green Bay sweep meant something to society about stopping pure excellence. We have the tush push now
dfosterf (4-Jun) : We old Martha.
Martha Careful (4-Jun) : *front four
Martha Careful (4-Jun) : Re frout four, I wish we had some Green "People Eaters" or a fearsome foursome
dfosterf (4-Jun) : *directions*
dfosterf (4-Jun) : Just don't ask him for driving direct
dfosterf (4-Jun) : Jim Marshall was an all-time great DE for the Purple People Eaters. Didn't like him. That's a compliment. RIP
Zero2Cool (3-Jun) : ooppppss
Zero2Cool (3-Jun) : “Kenny Clark played all of last season hurt by the way and got surgery to fix it in January”
Mucky Tundra (3-Jun) : @ByRyanWood How much did the injury affect him last fall? “A lot.”
Mucky Tundra (3-Jun) : @ByRyanWood Kenny Clark said he had foot surgery in January. Injured his foot in opener against Eagles and played through it all year.
Zero2Cool (3-Jun) : Golden is wearing guardian cap again. I bet he plays with it on too.
Mucky Tundra (3-Jun) : All the stuff I'm reading from Lions fans are pointing at his toe; he more or less has permanent turf toe in one of his big toes
dfosterf (3-Jun) : Kenny played through it, and a shame he gets little credit for that, imo
dfosterf (3-Jun) : Big men. I hope it's not the undoing of Kenny Clark
dfosterf (3-Jun) : Probably his toe. Pretty much a great center. Toe injuries are brutal to bigen
Mucky Tundra (2-Jun) : Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow retires
wpr (30-May) : It's all good.
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2025 Packers Schedule
Sunday, Sep 7 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Thursday, Sep 11 @ 7:15 PM
COMMANDERS
Sunday, Sep 21 @ 12:00 PM
Browns
Sunday, Sep 28 @ 7:20 PM
Cowboys
Sunday, Oct 12 @ 3:25 PM
BENGALS
Sunday, Oct 19 @ 3:25 PM
Cardinals
Sunday, Oct 26 @ 7:20 PM
Steelers
Sunday, Nov 2 @ 12:00 PM
PANTHERS
Monday, Nov 10 @ 7:15 PM
EAGLES
Sunday, Nov 16 @ 12:00 PM
Giants
Sunday, Nov 23 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Thursday, Nov 27 @ 12:00 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 7 @ 12:00 PM
BEARS
Sunday, Dec 14 @ 3:25 PM
Broncos
Friday, Dec 19 @ 11:00 PM
Bears
Friday, Dec 26 @ 11:00 PM
RAVENS
Saturday, Jan 3 @ 11:00 PM
Vikings
Recent Topics
9h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

12h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

14h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

7-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

6-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

5-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

5-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

1-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / wpr

29-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

27-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

27-May / Random Babble / Martha Careful

24-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

23-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / greengold

23-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / earthquake

22-May / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2025 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.