GREEN BAY – The Packers have named longtime personnel executive Brian Gutekunst as their new general manager, succeeding Ted Thompson.
Here's a brief introduction to the Packers' new GM.
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A coach's son**
Born July 19, 1973, in Raleigh, N.C., Gutekunst grew up in a football family. His father, John, was a defensive back at Duke University from 1963-66 and was an assistant on the Blue Devils' coaching staff from his graduation until 1978.
John succeeded Lou Holtz as the head coach at the University of Minnesota in 1985. John compiled a 29-37-2 record over six-plus seasons with the Gophers, including a 20-13 win over Clemson in the 1985 Independence Bowl.
He also served as a position coach at Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Rhode Island, South Carolina, North Carolina, East Carolina and North Carolina A&T.
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The Green Bay Packers officially named Brian Gutekunst as GM on Jan. 8, 2018. Photos by Evan Siegle, Tyler Gajewski & Matt Becker, packers.com.
In-state connection**
Gutekunst played two years of college football for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse before a shoulder injury cut short his playing career.
While working towards his degree in sports management, Gutekunst joined the school's coaching staff during his final two years at the school (1995-96). He was the Eagles' linebackers coach during their run to an undefeated 14-0 record that culminated in a Division III national championship.
Oh, the places you'll go
After assisting the New Orleans Saints' coaching staff during training camp in 1995, Gutekunst first came to Green Bay as a scouting intern in the summer of 1997. He then spent a year as a scouting assistant in Kansas City before joining Pro Football Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf's scouting staff in 1998.
Gutekunst spent his first 13 seasons with the Packers as a college scout, serving as an East Coast regional scout for his first two years (1999-2000), before presiding over some of the top college programs in the country as the team's Southeast region scout from 2001-11.
He was promoted to his most recent position as the director of player personnel on March 21, 2016. It was Gutekunst's second promotion in five years after serving as the Packers' director of college scouting from 2012-15.
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Tree of Wolf**
Gutekunst becomes the sixth member of Ron Wolf's personnel tree to gain stewardship of an NFL team's personnel department, joining Thompson, John Schneider (Seattle), John Dorsey (Cleveland/Kansas City), Reggie McKenzie (Oakland) and Scot McCloughan (Washington).
All in the family
Gutekunst, 44, resides in Green Bay with his wife, Jen, three daughters and one son.
