Former Green Bay Packers quarterback John Hadl, who became the unfortunate centerpiece of an epic failed trade in 1974, died Wednesday at age 82, according to his alma mater the University of Kansas.
Hadl's career included six Pro Bowl selections, but Green Bay fans remember him as the player Packers coach Dan Devine acquired for a massive haul of draft picks in arguably the worst exchange in franchise history.
In October 1974, Devine surrendered the team's first-, second- and third-round draft choices in 1975 plus a first- and second-round choice in 1976 for Hadl, coming off an All-Pro season when he led the Los Angeles Rams to a 12-2 record and earned the NFC player of the year distinction.