NFL’s unparalleled parity was born at a cigarette-burned desk in Philadelphia

  • 📰 washingtonpost
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 47 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 22%
  • Publisher: 72%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Former NFL Commissioner Bert Bell’s vision was for every team to be competitive. He was fond of saying, “On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.”

In 1933, Bell was a new owner of the Eagles and took a train from Philadelphia to Minneapolis. He wanted to sign standout Minnesota fullback/linebacker Stan “King Kong” Kostka. Bell offered Kostka $4,000, more than any other team in the league, but Kostka said he had to think it over. Bell suspected Kostka wanted to phone other teams to see if they would outbid the Eagles. An hour later, Kostka told Bell he was still undecided. Bell upped the offer to $6,000. Kostka waffled; Bell left.

“It was an idea that I think had come of age,” said Joe Horrigan, a historian who spent 42 years with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “If both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia had failed again, the league would have been failing, at least in the eyes of the public.”Over the next decade, Bell fought to keep his team afloat, sometimes needing loans from friends. In 1940, he sold the Eagles and became a co-owner of the Steelers with close friend Art Rooney.

The commissioner’s philosophy was to start off the weak teams against other weak teams and the strong against the strong. It would keep teams in contention for as long as possible and help sell tickets. Bell sat at his kitchen table for hours, gridding cardboard placards and filling out potential schedules. The work paid off. Upton remembered his father returning home on Sundays to proudly tell his mother: “Guess what? It’s Week 4, and they’re all still in the race.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 95. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Former NFL head coach Mike Zimmer joining Deion Sanders' staff at ColoradoThe list of folks following Deion Sanders to Colorado keeps growing. Former NFL head coach Mike Zimmer will join Sanders' staff in Boulder. SkoBuffs!
Source: usatodaysports - 🏆 454. / 53 Read more »

EU must answer U.S. clean energy subsidies, commissioner says on Washington visitThe European Union wants a deal quickly with the United States to resolve a dispute over U.S. electric vehicle tax credits, but the EU must pursue its own green technology subsidies to keep investment at home, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Friday. To achieve 5 trillion economy Modi diverts billions of govt financial institutions to Adani & create forged opaque offshore derivative instruments so Adani is on top on fake dollar assets & business model.For people Modi has restrictions on BBC, Social Media, inflation& poverty PfizerGate
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

SEC Commissioner Calls for 'Consistent Legal Framework' for All Asset Classes, Including Crypto – Regulation Bitcoin NewsAn SEC commissioner has called for 'a coherent and consistent legal framework that works across all asset classes,' including crypto. cryptocurrency bitcoin Ok then, I also listen to ChiefraFba for signals and analysis!..I have a 93% win rate in 3 months of copying his signals! Amazing stuff, I only use ChiefraFba for signals and analysis.. 92% win rate in 2 months of copying his signals! Good luck to them.
Source: BTCTN - 🏆 531. / 51 Read more »

10 great Bay Area chicken wings for NFL playoff SundayBeyond Buffalo style: Check out these Indian, Vietnamese, Memphis, Japanese, halal versions and more at locations that range from Brentwood and Concord to San Ramon, Fremont, San Mateo and San Jose…
Source: mercnews - 🏆 88. / 68 Read more »

Grant DuBose NFL Draft Scouting ReportThe best WR in the 2023 NFL Draft you haven't heard of? This small-school WR has big-time talent. He just earned a Round 2 grade from one of our scouts. NFLDraft | GOLDStandard
Source: TheDraftNetwork - 🏆 548. / 51 Read more »