Bill Kuharich is an American professional football executive, specializing in player-personnel (i.e., evaluating and selecting players); he has also held the General Manager position. Kuharich is the son of

Joe Kuharich Joseph Lawrence Kuharich (April 14, 1917 – January 25, 1981) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of San Francisco from 1948 to 1951, and at the University of Notre Dame from 1959 ...

, former college and NFL head coach. He attended

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

graduating in 1976 with a degree in History, and received a master's degree in education from St. Lawrence University. He also attended

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admissi ...

and

Malvern Preparatory School , motto_translation = Truth, Unity, Love , address = 418 South Warren Avenue , location = , region = , city = Malvern , county = , state = ...

. In the mid-1980s, Kuharich was Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel for the

Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars The Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Owned by real-estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum, they were the short-lived league's dominant t ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. The team won the USFL championship two out of the three years the league existed. Kuharich worked in multiple capacities for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, from 1986 to 1999, as: Director of Player Personnel (1986–1993); Vice President of Football Operations (1994–1995); Executive Vice President/General Manager (1996); and, President/General Manager/Chief Operating Officer (1997–1999). During his tenure, the team acquired (eventual)

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

-grade players such as

Willie Roaf William Layton Roaf (born April 18, 1970), nicknamed "Nasty," is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech Bul ...

Sammy Knight Sammy D. Knight, Jr. (born September 10, 1975) is a former American football safety. He played college football at USC and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Knight was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, ...

, and La'Roi Glover. As the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

' Pro Personnel Director (2000-2005), Kuharich helped orchestrate the acquisitions of

Priest Holmes Priest Anthony Holmes (born October 7, 1973)
''www.databasefootball.com.'' Retrieved February 13, 2016 ...

Eddie Kennison Eddie Joseph Kennison, III (born January 20, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Kennison ...

Trent Green Trent Jason Green (born July 9, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. He played college football for Indiana University. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in ...

and (eventual

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

r),

. Kuharich was promoted to Vice-President of Player Personnel in 2006; between 2006 and 2008, they acquired standouts like

Tamba Hali Tamba Boimah Hali (born 3 November 1983) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), where he earned All-American honors, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fi ...

;

Dwayne Bowe Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...

;

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his w ...

;

Jamaal Charles Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he won the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third ro ...

, and

Brandon Carr Brandon Carey Carr (born May 19, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He last played for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Grand Valley State and was drafted by the Kansas City Ch ...

. Kuharich was released by the Chiefs on April 29, 2009. On February 11, 2014, Kuharich was hired by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

to advise first-time General Manager Ray Farmer on player-personnel. Farmer had worked under Kuharich when both were with the Chiefs. On May 20, 2014, Kuharich was named Executive Chief of staff by the Cleveland Browns. Kuharich played a pivotal role in the organization's personnel's moves, including the college and pro scouting departments, serving as a key cog in all facets of the Brown' process of evaluating and acquiring talent. He also assisted GM Ray Farmer in key decisions in the team's overall strategic vision as well as decisions involving NFL league matters. He was released along with the rest of Ray Farmer’s staff on January 4, 2016. In April of 2018, Kuharich was named VP/Player Personnel of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) by Bill Polian. The Spring League kicked off the Inaugural season in February 2019. He remained in that position until the league disbanded in April of 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuharich, Bill Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Cleveland Browns executives Kansas City Chiefs executives New Orleans Saints executives Middlebury College alumni National Football League general managers St. Lawrence University alumni American chief operating officers