Former Vol McKenzie Named Raiders GM

Former UT star, Knoxville native and longtime NFL executive Reggie McKenzie has agreed to become the new general manager of the Oakland Raiders.

McKenzie has spent the past 18 season in Green Bay’s personnel department and is widely respected in the scouting industry.
The Raiders will hold a press conference on Tuesday, January 10th at 2:00 pm, at which time additional information will be provided.

The Raiders opted to reorganize their football operations department following the death of owner Al Davis this season. Davis made all football-related decisions, from hiring coaches and other staff to having final say on draft picks and free agency.

Here is his profile from the Green Bay Packers:

Reggie McKenzie enters his 25th year in the NFL and his 18th season as a member of the Packers’ personnel department. Since he joined the team’s front office in 1994, Green Bay’s 170 regular-season wins over that period rank tied for third most with Indianapolis, trailing only Pittsburgh (172) and New England (180). Also in McKenzie’s tenure, the Packers have captured seven division titles, three conference championships and Super Bowls XXXI and XLV.

A former player, coach and now personnel executive, McKenzie oversees Green Bay’s scouting efforts of all professional football leagues, including the NFL, CFL and Arena Football League, as well as all other pro leagues and international players. He also plays an integral role in judging the Packers’ current players and evaluating potential free agents across the league. McKenzie is heavily involved in all of the team’s moves on a daily basis, including all tryouts and transactions.

During the season, McKenzie provides advance scouting reports on upcoming opponents, working closely with Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff. He also contributes to the scouting of college prospects, making school visits in both the fall and spring, and works in conjunction with General Manager Ted Thompson in preparation for the annual draft.

He was promoted to director – football operations in 2008 after serving 10 years as the Packers’ director of pro personnel. A former NFL linebacker for seven seasons (1985-90, 1992), the 48-year-old McKenzie had been promoted to director of pro personnel by then-Executive Vice President/General Manager Ron Wolf in May 1997 after originally joining the Packers as a pro personnel assistant in 1994.
Chosen by Wolf as a 10th-round selection out of the University of Tennessee in 1985 by the then-Los Angeles Raiders, McKenzie became an immediate starter on defense and went on to win all-rookie honors. After four years (1985-88) with the Raiders, McKenzie spent two injury-plagued seasons (1989-90) with the then-Phoenix Cardinals and one year (1992) with the San Francisco 49ers.

Prior to signing with the 49ers, he played with the World League’s Montreal Machine in the spring of 1992. While out of football in 1991, McKenzie spent a season as a defensive coach for Dorsey High School in south central Los Angeles.

In 1993, McKenzie returned to Tennessee and served as an assistant under head coach Philip Fulmer. That year, the Volunteers appeared in the Florida Citrus Bowl and landed one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, highlighted by QB Peyton Manning. While back in Knoxville, McKenzie also pursued a master’s degree in education administration.

Born in Knoxville, Tenn., on Feb. 8, 1963, McKenzie earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in personnel management at Tennessee. A two-way football star at Austin East High School in Knoxville, McKenzie was valedictorian of his 1981 graduating class. His twin brother, Raleigh, also attended Tennessee and enjoyed a 16-year NFL career, including his final two seasons with Green Bay (1999-2000), before he retired in 2001.

McKenzie and his wife, June, a Green Bay attorney, have two daughters, Jasmin, 19, who attends Wheaton College in Illinois and Mahkayla, 17, who will enroll at Duke University in the fall. He also has two sons, Reginald Kahlil, 14, and Jalen Elijah, 12. In his spare time, McKenzie enjoys spending time with his family and assisting with youth sports in the Green Bay area.