Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozellewas the commissioner of the National Football League for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. He is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth1 March 1926
CitySouth Gate, CA
CountryUnited States of America
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The charge of stacking has no validity and, as far as black quarterbacks are concerned, the N.F.L. has had more than many people realize.
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In fact, an awful lot of N.F.L. club owners have practically no influence on their players at all, simply because they're not full-time working owners.
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Professional football operations will be preserved in the 23 cities and 25 stadiums where such operations are presently being conducted.
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During most of Bell's term of office, the league had 12 teams; there now are 26, which makes it much easier for a commissioner to operate.
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At last, someone came to tell me I'd been selected as commissioner, which gave rise to the line that I took the job with clean hands. I was then taken downstairs to a press conference, and the reporters were as surprised as I was.
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Squabbling in public will eventually ruin football; there's no doubt it's hurting us already. Polls taken by Louis Harris - polls as valid as any political polls - indicate that very clearly.
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Every franchise of both leagues will remain in its present location.
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Which comes as no great surprise to me, for I strongly believe that sports are an emotional outlet, just as television and motion pictures are.
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But I haven't met a player or a coach whose goal isn't to win the Super Bowl.
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Pro football was taking off when I became commissioner, and when a sport's successful and you're its chief executive officer, much of the credit flows to you and you develop a good track record.
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People are interested in pro football because it provides them with an emotional oasis; they don't want football to get involved in the same types of court cases, racial problems and legislative issues they encounter in the rest of American life.
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In fact, an awful lot of N.F.L. club owners have practically no influence on their players at all, simply because they're not full-time working owners.
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I'm not claiming that football is the nation's salvation in this area, but it's one of them, one little thing that apparently has captured the imagination of a large sector of our society. But when football can't be a relatively pure outlet, a fun thing, then it hurts itself.
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The most difficult owner for me was the late George Marshall of Washington.