GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Green Bay Packers may not be playing in the Super Bowl this year, but the city’s football roots will still be on display on the sport’s biggest stage.
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When the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots face off, both teams will be led by general managers whose football journeys trace back to the same Green Bay high school.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider and Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf both came through Notre Dame Academy High School.
John Schneider (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Eliot Wolf (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Schneider graduated from Abbot Pennings High School in 1989, which later merged into Notre Dame Academy. Wolf graduated from Notre Dame High School in 2000.
Ken Flaten, the longtime athletic director at Notre Dame who now serves as the school’s Executive Director of Finance and Business Operations, says that though more than a decade apart, both men were shaped by the same Green Bay football culture.
Flaten said it comes as no surprise that Schneider and Wolf reached the highest levels of the NFL. He noted both men stood out early for their work ethic, preparation and deep understanding of the game.
“I always thought Jon’s story was intriguing, because he played football and was a really good athlete. But then he got hurt. Then he stated evaluating people in college and developed that niche.” Flaten said. “Eliot, I always thought would end up like this because he emulated his dad. He was there with the Packers in the draft room at 13 years old.”
Schneider and Wolf both worked in the Green Bay Packers’ front office, further tying their professional paths to the city.
Wolf is the son of Ron Wolf, a Pro Football Hall of Fame executive and the former general manager credited with rebuilding the Packers into a Super Bowl contender in the 1990s.
Green Bay’s presence at the Super Bowl extends beyond the front offices. Longtime broadcaster and a Notre Dame Academy Hall of Famer, Kevin Harlan, will also be part of the event calling the game on the radio.
For Notre Dame Academy, the connections go beyond football accolades. School leaders say the moment reflects the impact of lessons learned in small locker rooms.
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“Our motto here right now is potential to purpose. As a school, you want your students to go on and do great things,” Matthew Koenig said, “Both Schneider and Wolf worked really hard at their traits to get to where they are today, and I think that all starts with an education here in our school system.
Schneider, Wolf and Harlen’s success serve as a reminder that big dreams can grow in small places.
