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FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFFROB DAVISDIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENTNow enjoying his 10th yearin Green Bay, Mike Eayrs isthe Packers’ director of researchand development.Named to the newly created position within the Packers’organizational structure on March 9, 2001, Eayrs hadspent the previous 16 seasons on the football staff of theMinnesota Vikings.Eayrs manages databases and develops research reportsfor coaches, player personnel and managementbased on the analysis of statistical and tactical trends.Having developed computer applications within footballfor 30 years, Eayrs (pronounced A-ers) is in his 26thseason working in the NFL, having spent the first 16 asdirector of research and development for the Vikings. Duringhis Minnesota tenure, the club tallied 201 victories andappeared in three NFC Championship games (1987, ’98and 2000).Also a 13-year coaching veteran, including 11 seasonsat the college level, Eayrs earned a bachelor’s degree in socialstudies and physical education from Augsburg Collegein Minneapolis, where he participated in football.Rob Davis, a 12-year NFLveteran, enters his third year asthe team’s director of player development.Before being namedto his new position, he had spent the previous 11 seasonsas the Packers’ long snapper, before retiring in March of ’08.He was named director of player development on March 26,2008, by Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, GeneralManager and Director of Football Operations.As the director of player development, Davis is vital inmaintaining locker-room cohesiveness and overall playerhealth. He assists players in acclimating to their roles, bothon and off the field and in the Green Bay community.Davis also oversees the Packers’ wide range of programsdesigned to meet the needs of players and theirfamilies in today’s NFL. The department provides a frameworkof assistance within which players and their immediatefamily members can address the pressures createdby daily life and complicated by the demands of playingprofessional football. The program is also set up to getplayers prepared for life after football, and helps playersseek educational and vocational opportunities. Davisis working on a new program called ‘Transition After theGame,’ designed to help current players acquire skills andcontacts needed for post-football job placement. He is alsodeveloping a mentorship program, aimed to join Packersplayers with professional mentors in the community.Davis served as the Packers’ long snapper for 11 seasonsand played in 167 straight games in a Green Bay uniform,the third-longest streak in team history. Only BrettFavre (255) and Forrest Gregg (187) played in more consecutivegames for the Packers than Davis.He worked three years for an opportunity to play inthe NFL, spending two training camps with the N.Y. Jets(1993-94), a year with the CFL’s Baltimore Stallions (1995)and a preseason with Kansas City (1996). In 1996, Davissigned with Chicago and played all 16 games as the team’slong snapper. Released by the Bears near the end of the’97 training camp, he signed with Green Bay in Novemberand handled all long-snapping duties the last sevenregular-season games, as well as all three playoff contests,including Super Bowl XXXII.The 41-year-old Davis was named the Packers’ playerrepresentative in 2005, which entails being a liaison betweenthe players and the union and relaying proper information tothe players including rights and benefits. Prior to 2005, hewas an alternate player representative for five seasons.Davis became the first player ever from Shippensburg(Pa.) University to play in the NFL and was named to theschool’s athletic hall of fame in October 2003. Accompanyinghis induction, he also became the first player to havehis jersey retired by Shippensburg in any sport.In his spare time, Davis enjoys boating and reading. In2005, he received his Wisconsin real estate license.Born Dec. 10, 1968, in Washington, D.C., Rob and wifeTara live in De Pere; the couple has a daughter, Marlee, 6,and son, Kahli, 3.MIKE EAYRSDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTThe 59-year-old Eayrs began his coaching career inWinnebago, Minn., before two years later becoming an assistantcoach at the University of South Dakota in 1974.He subsequently coached at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1975-80), Mankato State University (1981-83)and Luther College (1984) before joining the Vikings. Duringhis 11 seasons in the college ranks, Eayrs’ teams wonfive conference championships and he received four teachingexcellence awards.Born Jan. 30, 1951, in West Concord, Minn., Eayrs alsoholds a master’s degree in physical education from theUniversity of South Dakota and an education doctorate inphysical education and recreation management from theUniversity of Oregon.Eayrs and his wife, Mary Jo, reside in Green Bay andhave three children: Matthew, 32, Elizabeth, 30, and Brian,28; the couple has a granddaughter, Ashlyn, 2. In his sparetime, Eayrs is an avid reader and enjoys fitness.FOOTBALLDRAFT &COMMUNITY SUPPORT VETERANS FREE AGENTS2009 REVIEW HISTORYRECORDS &LAMBEAUFIELDMISC.59