Pete Rozelle (original) (raw)
Pete Rozelle (March 1, 1926 - December 6, 1996) was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from the office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL arguably the most successful sports league in the world.
When he took office there were twelve teams in the NFL; by the time he resigned, that number had grown to twenty-eight. He negotiated large television contracts to broadcast every game played each season. He got team owners to agree to share revenues between teams. He negotiated the merger between the American Football League and the NFL. He also co-created the Super Bowl and Monday Night Football.