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The Succession Planning of Commissioner...

July 6, 1989 - The Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the Philadelphia Daily...

Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer
We invite you to take a ride through 1920's sports history in the audio drama that takes the listener through the sounds and legendary events of the era through the eyes of a young newspaper journalist. You will feel like you were there! Brought to you by Number 80 Productions and Pigskin Dispatch

Sports Jersey Dispatch
If you like remembering players of the NFL by their numbers then you may also enjoy going uniform number by number in othre team sports as well. We have it for you on our other website in baseball, basketball, hockey and more on the Sports Jersey Dispatch.
EVENTDAY | July 06

"The Succession Planning of Commissioner Rozelle"

Last updated 📅 2025-07-05

July 6, 1989 - The Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the Philadelphia Daily News on July 7, 1989, with their headline of:

Gang of 11 Ensures it will Be Heard

This story is of how the NFL owners met in Chicago for a 1st vote for a successor for the soon-to-be retiring Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Saints President/General Manager, Jim Finks, was the only candidate presented, but his selection as Commish falls just short of the votes needed for election. The main reason why this occurred was that a block of 11 owners headed by Dallas’ Jerry Jones, Philly’s Norman Braman, Victor Kiam of New England, Seattle’s Ken Behring and Pat Bowlen of Denver all abstained from voting luring a few others with them which prevented the necessary number of votes to pass the anointing of a new NFL Commissioner. The League went into what was described as chaos after the vote. Braman spoke to the media after the session and said, “The issue tonight was information... there was a feeling on the part of the 11 owners that we wanted more information... this was not an anti-Finks vote. It really wasn’t and we expressed it that way. That’s why we abstained.”  

The uncertainty of who the next head of the League would be was not settled until October 26, 1989 when Paul Tagliabue was announced. More from this saga in the coming months…

  • HASHTAGS: #July06 #RozellePete
  • EVENTDAY: July 06
  • FOOTBALL NAME: Rozelle Pete
EventDay

"July 6 Gridiron History"

In this edition of On This Gridiron Day, we discuss a development in the NFL that prevented the selection of a new Commissioner, a defensive star changes colleges after being recruited by two coaching legends, and another American CFL franchise embarks on its maiden voyage. 
On a mid-summer day, the annals of gridiron history reveal diverse stories, ranging from the intricate dealings of league leadership to the ambitious, though ultimately short-lived, forays of Canadian football into the United States, and even a cinematic portrayal of the sport. This particular day brings to light the challenging path to selecting a new NFL Commissioner, a period marked by extensive deliberation among owners. Meanwhile, the Canadian Football League's bold experiment with American expansion was beginning to show cracks. Teams like the Shreveport Pirates, despite passionate local fan bases, faced immense financial hurdles and competitive challenges, ultimately signaling the eventual retreat of the CFL's "swashbucklers" from the U.S. landscape. This era highlights the difficulties of transplanting a different football code into a deeply rooted American football culture...

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Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer
We invite you to take a ride through 1920's sports history in the audio drama that takes the listener through the sounds and legendary events of the era through the eyes of a young newspaper journalist. You will feel like you were there! Brought to you by Number 80 Productions and Pigskin Dispatch _________________________

Sports Jersey Dispatch
If you like remembering players of the NFL by their numbers then you may also enjoy going uniform number by number in othre team sports as well. We have it for you on our other website in baseball, basketball, hockey and more on the Sports Jersey Dispatch. _________________________

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