Former Packers quarterback John Hadl passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82. Although he was with the Packers for less than two full seasons, Hadl had a huge impact on the Packers of the 1970s mostly because of what then head coach Dan Devine gave up in the trade that brought him to Green Bay.

The year was 1974 and the Packers were struggling. Devine’s team had won the NFC Central Division title in 1972 with a 10-4 record mostly on the strength of a strong defense and a running game led by John Brockington and MacArthur Lane.

In 1973, the Packers fell back to 5-7-2 and the big issue was poor quarterback play. The Packers started incumbent Scott Hunter, former first round pick and Green Bay native Jerry Tagge and former Dolphins backup Jim Del Gaizo. None of them were able to spark the offense.

In 1974, neither Tagge nor former Bears starter Jack Concannon were playing particularly well and despite having a strong defense, the Packers were struggling at 3-4. Devine was desperate to try to save his job and was looking to trade for a proven quarterback.

The Packers had a deal worked out for Saints quarterback Archie Manning but an injury to his backup, Bobby Scott, prevented that deal from going through. So, Devine acquired Hadl from the Los Angeles Rams. The cost was insanely high. The Packers gave up two first round picks (1975 and 1976), two second round picks (1975 and 1976) and a third round selection in 1975.

At the time, Hadl was 34. He was a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Chargers and Rams and was named All Pro for the first time in his career the previous year with the Rams who he led to a 12-2 record. He was also named the UPI’s NFC Player of the Year and The Sporting News Player of the Year for his performance that season.

But in 1974, the magic wasn’t there anymore. Hadl was struggling before the Packers traded for him in part due to an injury he suffered to his throwing arm late in the 1973 season.

In 1974, he faced the Packers early in the year and completed just 6-of-16 passes for 59 yards and two interceptions. The Packers won the game 17-6 despite totaling minus-one net passing yard.

Hadl did give the Packers a short-term boost. He won his first three starts which improved the Packers to 6-5 on the season before losing the next three. The Pack finished 6-8 and missed the playoffs. Devine resigned before he could be fired and took the coaching job at Notre Dame.

“Devine gave up so much to get me,” Hadl admitted. “He was in trouble and trying to save his job. When I initially came to Green Bay, people didn't like me simply because of all what Devine had given up,” Hadl said. “They weren't happy about it, but it got better. I didn't ask for the trade and I didn't give away the draft choices.”

Hadl started six games for the Packers in 1974, completing 48.4 percent of his passes and throwing three touchdown and eight interceptions. His quarterback rating was 54.0.

In 1975, Bart Starr took over as the team’s head coach. Hadl started 13 games for the Pack and completed 54.1 percent of his passes, a respectable number for the mid-1970s. But he threw only six touchdowns and 21 interceptions as the Packers stumbled to 4-10.

“I loved Bart,” Hadl said after he retired. “He was truly one of those guys, what you see is what you get. I really have a lot of respect for him and his love for the Packers and just as a human being. He was a great guy.”

Hadl did have his moments with the Packers including a 19-7 upset win over the Vikings in Minnesota in 1974 and a 40-14 win over the New York Giants in Milwaukee in 1975, but the good moments were hard to come by.

A year later, the Packers traded Hadl and cornerback Ken Ellis to the Houston Oilers for quarterback Lynn Dickey.

That was the second major trade Hadl was a part of with the Packers. The first one made Bart Starr’s attempt to rebuild the team when he became coach and GM more difficult and helped the Rams dominate the NFC West for the rest of the 1970s.

The second gave the Packers their starting quarterback for the better part of next decade as Dickey started when he was healthy in 1976 and 1977 and from late in the 1979 season until 1985.

After retiring, Hadl was an assistant coach at the University of Kansas, his alma mater. He later was an assistant with the Rams and Broncos and became the head coach of the Los Angeles Express of the USFL before becoming the athletic director at Kansas.

Hadl’s legacy in Green Bay was not a positive one. Any fan old enough to remember the trade realizes it was a terrible move for the Packers and it cost them a lot in future draft capital. But none of that could be blamed on Hadl, who handled a difficult situation with class and gave his all on a team that had an inexperienced rookie coach and a lack of talent on the roster in 1975.