Decision to install Thompson's name at Lambeau Field was shared with Thompson and his family last monthGETTY IMAGES
Packers President & CEO MARK MURPHY said that the team is "planning to install" the name of late Senior Advisor to Football Operations TED THOMPSON on Lambeau Field’s facade next season, according to Silverstein, Wood & Ryman and the GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE. Thompson died Wednesday, three days after turning 68. The decision to install Thompson's name at Lambeau was "conveyed to Thompson and his family a month ago" by Murphy, who said that he was "able to tell Thompson’s family of the ceremony that will be similar to what the Packers did" for longtime GM RON WOLF. Silverstein, Wood & Ryman write of Thompson, "He was a general in the Packers organization, commanding unwavering respect inside Lambeau Field and throughout the league for his humility and kindness as much as his brilliance as a scout." There is "no Super Bowl ring if not for Thompson’s courage in drafting Aaron Rodgers," his "first major decision" after being hired as GM in '05. Few who have "ever filled a GM’s chair got it right as often as Thompson," who served as Packers GM for 13 years. Current Packers GM BRIAN GUTEKUNST said of Thompson, “He, in my opinion, is the best talent evaluator -- especially when it comes to the draft -- that I’ve ever seen or been around." Thompson joined Wolf as "only the second person inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame exclusively as a general manager." VINCE LOMBARDI was inducted as a head coach and GM (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/22).
