Paul Tagliabue had enormous shoes to fill when he was hired as the NFL commissioner in 1989, replacing the legendary Pete Rozelle. Tagliabue had been the behind-the-scenes lawyer for the league for years, but now it was his show to run.
The best advice Rozelle gave him? The league comes first.
Tagliabue followed that mantra for 17 years, growing the NFL brand in value to a multi-billion dollar business. He added franchises, signed massive TV deals and artfully handled many social and business issues that affected the league. He served until 2006, and was inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame in 2020.
Tagliabue died on Sunday at his family home in Chevy Chase, Md. He was 84 years old. According to a statement from the family, he died of heart failure complicated by Parkinson’s disease.
The former commissioner was praised from people throughout the league.
“All of us in the NFL are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Tagliabue, whose principled leadership and vision put the NFL on the path to unparalleled success,” current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement from the league. He replaced Tagliabue in 2006. “Throughout his decades-long leadership on behalf of the NFL, first as outside counsel and then during a powerful 17-year tenure as commissioner, Paul served with integrity, passion and an unwavering conviction to do what was best for the league.
“During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Paul fostered labor peace with our players, oversaw the expansion of the league to 32 teams, ushered in an era of state-of-the-art stadiums and laid the important groundwork of establishing the league as a global brand.”
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy respected Tagliabue as well, especially when it came to getting more black coaches in charge around the league. Tagliabue led the league to implement the Rooney Rule in 2003, giving black coaches more opportunity to interview — and getting hired — as NFL head coaches.
Tagliabue ushered in the era of free agency in the NFL, and got all 32 owners to agree to a more balanced revenue sharing plan, allowing small market teams to compete on a level playing field. During his 17 years, there were no labor-related shutdowns and he worked closely with the NFL Players Association to grow the game.
He also signed massive TV deals, bringing the FOX network aboard and signing deals that grew 10 times in value during his tenure.
“He was a very calming force at times when it was a little bit tumultuous in terms of what we were trying to do in negotiations,” former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher said on CBS on Sunday. “This guy was very much a clairvoyant leader of the National Football League, and his impact will always be felt.”
Tom Brew is the National Editor-in-Chief at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him in Twitter (X) @tombrewsports
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