Roger Goodell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roger Goodell (born February 19, 1959 in Jamestown, New York[1]) is the Commissioner of the National Football League, having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. He was chosen over four finalists for the position, winning a close vote on the fifth ballot before being unanimously approved by acclamation of the owners.[2][3] He officially began his tenure on September 1, 2006, just prior to the beginning of the 2006 NFL season.[4]
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[edit] Background
Goodell was born in Jamestown, New York and is the son of the late United States Senator Charles Goodell (R-NY).
The Goodell family moved to Bronxville, New York, in 1971, where Roger graduated from high school. A three-sport star for Bronxville High School in football, basketball, and baseball, Goodell captained all three teams as a senior and was named the athlete of the year at Bronxville High.[5]
Goodell is a 1981 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania with a degree in economics.[1][6][7]
[edit] NFL career
[edit] From intern to COO
Goodell's career in the National Football League began in 1982 as an administrative intern in the league office in New York under then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle - a position secured through an extensive letter-writing campaign to the league office and each of its then 28 teams. In 1983, he joined the New York Jets as an intern, but returned to the league office in 1984 as an assistant in the public relations department.
In 1987, Goodell was appointed assistant to the president of the American Football Conference (Lamar Hunt), and under the tutelage of Commissioner Paul Tagliabue filled a variety of football and business operations roles, culminating with his appointment as the NFL's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in December 2001.
As the NFL's COO, Goodell took responsibility for the league's football operations and officiating, as well as supervised league business functions. He headed NFL Ventures, which oversees the league's business units, including media properties, marketing and sales, stadium development and strategic planning.
Goodell was heavily involved in the negotiation of the league's current collective bargaining agreement. He had worked extensively with Tagliabue since the latter became commissioner in 1989.[4] He has played an extensive role in league expansion, realignment, and stadium development, including the launch of the NFL Network and securing new television agreements as well as the latest collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association.
[edit] NFL commissioner
Goodell's selection as Commissioner following the retirement of Paul Tagliabue came as no surprise, but it was not a fait accompli. Tagliabue initiated a substantive, wide ranging search for his successor, appointing a committee headed by owners Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers and Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Goodell was one of five finalists, joining Gregg Levy, Frederick Nance, Robert Reynolds, and Mayo Shattuck III. With 22 votes from the owners being needed to make a choice, Goodell, who oddsmakers had installed as a prohibitive 2:5 favorite to be selected, only garnered 15 votes to Levy's 13, with three votes scattered among the other candidates and the Oakland Raiders abstaining.
On the second and third ballots, Goodell and Levy were the only candidates to receive votes (Goodell 17, Levy 14). Goodell increased his lead to 21-10 after the fourth ballot, falling one vote shy of election, but on the fifth round of voting two owners swung their votes to him to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority.[3] The Raiders abstained from the voting in each round.
[edit] Actions as commissioner
In November 2006, Goodell announced plans to expand the NFL beyond 32 teams within the next decade. As it is planned, these new teams will be the first to be placed outside of the United States. Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the leading candidate for a future franchise, followed by Mexico City, Mexico.[8]
[edit] Personal
Goodell is married to Fox News Channel anchor Jane Skinner[9] and they have twin daughters. He has four brothers; among them are Tim, a member of the worldwide executive committee of international law firm White & Case; and Michael, long-time partner of Jack Kenny, creator of the short-lived NBC series The Book of Daniel. The Goodell family was the inspiration for the Webster family on the show.[10]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Action for Healthy Kids Board of Directors. ActionForHealthyKids.org. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
- ^ Matuszewski, Erik, and Curtis Eichelberger. "NFL Picks Goodell, Once an Intern, as Commissioner", Bloomberg.com, 2006-08-08. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.
- ^ a b Maske, Mark. "Commissioner Vote Was Close", blog.washingtonpost.com, August 2008. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Dave. "Roger Goodell chosen to succeed Paul Tagliabue as NFL commissioner", CBC.ca, 2006-08-08. Retrieved on August 9, 2006.
- ^ "Roger Goodell named NFL Commissioner", Scout.com, 2006-08-09. Retrieved on August 9, 2006.
- ^ King, Peter. "Goodell named new commissioner", Sports Illustrated online, 2006-08-08. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.
- ^ "New commissioner joined NFL in 1982", ESPN.com, 2006-08-08. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.
- ^ O'Connor, Joe. "NFL commissioner eyes Toronto", National Post via Canada.com, 2006-11-30. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
- ^ Schefter, Adam. "Goodell now comes to the forefront", NFL.com, 2006-08-08. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan. "TV's New Religious Saga", Beliefnet. Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
| Preceded by Paul Tagliabue |
Commissioner of the National Football League 2006-present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| NFL Commissioners and presidents |
|
1920-1921: Jim Thorpe | 1921-1939: Joseph Carr | 1939-1941: Carl Storck | 1941-1946: Elmer Layden | 1946-1959: Bert Bell | 1959-1960: Austin Gunsel | 1960-1989: Pete Rozelle | 1989-2006: Paul Tagliabue | 2006-present: Roger Goodell |
