5th Commissioner of the National Football League
Paul John Tagliabue
(
; born November 24, 1940) is an American lawyer who was the
commissioner
of the
National Football League
(NFL). He took the position in
1989
and served until September 1, 2006.
[1]
He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL.
[2]
Tagliabue also served as Chairman of
Board of Directors of Georgetown University
from 2009 to 2015.
[3]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Tagliabue was born in
Jersey City, New Jersey
,
[4]
the third of four sons of Charles and May Tagliabue. He is of Italian descent.
[5]
Raised in
The Heights
neighborhood of Jersey City, he attended
St. Michael's High School
in
Union City, New Jersey
, where he starred in basketball.
[6]
Tagliabue received an athletic scholarship to play basketball at
Georgetown University
and was captain of the
1961?62 team
. He graduated in 1962 as president of his senior class,
[7]
a
Rhodes Scholar
finalist and a Dean's List graduate.
[8]
Tagliabue graduated from
New York University School of Law
in 1965. He has received honorary degrees from
Colgate University
and
Northeastern University
.
[9]
Professional career
[
edit
]
From 1969 to 1989, Tagliabue practiced law with the Washington, D.C. firm
Covington & Burling
.
[10]
After serving as a lawyer for the NFL, Tagliabue was selected by NFL owners to succeed
Pete Rozelle
as Commissioner of the NFL in
1989
.
[11]
Expansion of the league
[
edit
]
During his tenure as commissioner, the NFL expanded from 28 teams to 32. New franchises were announced in 1993 to begin play in 1995 in
Charlotte
and
Jacksonville
.
[12]
Subsequent moves by other teams resulted in a 31st team being added in Cleveland in 1999; this team, though technically an expansion team, inherited the name, colors and history (including all team and individual records) from the
Cleveland Browns
, who had relocated to Baltimore in 1996 and been renamed the
Baltimore Ravens
.
[13]
The 32nd franchise was the
Houston Texans
, added in 2002.
[14]
NFL in Europe
[
edit
]
The NFL continued to play pre-season games in Europe with the
American Bowl
series. Paul Tagliabue started a spring developmental league, the
World League of American Football
(WLAF), with seven teams in North America, plus three in Europe.
[15]
The European teams dominated in 1991, the first season. After the second season, 1992, in which US-based teams played in the World Bowl, the World League was shut down as it was unsuccessful in the US.
[15]
In 1995, the spring league returned as the
NFL Europe
with six teams in Europe.
[15]
When Tagliabue retired, five teams were based in Germany. Tagliabue's successor Roger Goodell shut down the NFL Europe after the 2007 season.
[16]
but replaced it with the
NFL International Series
in October 2007 with regular season games in London.
[17]
In 2022 the NFL played its first ever Regular Season Game in mainland Europe. The game was played in Munich, Germany on November 13, 2022.
Team movements
[
edit
]
In 1995, Los Angeles lost both its franchises, as the
Los Angeles Rams
relocated to St. Louis,
[18]
and the
Raiders
returned to Oakland.
[19]
In 1996, the Browns moved to Baltimore, under a new name, as indicated above.
[20]
In 1997, the
Houston Oilers
relocated to Tennessee, for one year in Memphis and another year using
Vanderbilt Stadium
as their home field. (The team changed its name from the Oilers to the
Titans
upon moving to their permanent stadium in Nashville.)
[21]
Response to September 11 attacks
[
edit
]
Two days after the
terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Tagliabue announced that the games scheduled for the upcoming weekend were cancelled, citing the magnitude of the events and security concerns.
[22]
It was the first time the league canceled an entire week's slate of games since the
1987 NFL strike
.
[23]
A week later, it was announced that the postponed games would be added to the end of the regular season,
[24]
pushing the
Super Bowl
into February for the first time.
Legacy
[
edit
]
Tagliabue has been praised for these politically-related actions taken as NFL commissioner:
Post-NFL career
[
edit
]
Tagliabue returned to
Covington & Burling
where he serves as senior counsel.
[10]
In 2008, Tagliabue was selected to serve a three-year term as chairman of
Georgetown University
's board of directors.
[27]
Tagliabue has also been honored for his work with gay rights group
PFLAG
.
[28]
He has served on the advisory board of The Iris Network, a nonprofit blindness rehabilitation agency in
Portland, Maine
.
[29]
In 2012, Tagliabue was appointed by current NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell
to hear the appeals of the players suspended in the
New Orleans Saints bounty scandal
.
[30]
Tagliabue affirmed Goodell's findings of the investigation but overturned all players' suspensions.
[31]
On September 4, 2014, Tagliabue was named to the executive board of DC2024, a group trying to bring the
2024 Summer Olympics
to Washington, D.C.
[32]
Awards
[
edit
]
Tagliabue won the 1992 Eagle Award from the
United States Sports Academy
. The Eagle Award is the Academy's highest international honor and was awarded to Tagliabue for his significant contributions to international sport.
[33]
On January 15, 2020 Tagliabue was elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Centennial Class of 2021.
[34]
Personal life
[
edit
]
On August 28, 1965 Tagliabue married Chandler Minter in
Washington, D.C.
Minter was originally from
Milledgeville, Georgia
and they were introduced at law school. She graduated from the
Georgia State College for Women
before moving to
New York City
.
[35]
They had two children;
- Andrew Paul Tagliabue, known as Drew (born 1969), who is openly gay resides in New York City.
[36]
- Emily Elizabeth Tagliabue (born 1972); who married John D. Rockefeller V, a son of
Jay Rockefeller
and
Sharon Percy Rockefeller
.
[37]
They have two daughters; Laura Chandler Rockefeller (born c. 2000) and Sophia Percy Rockefeller (born c. 2002)
[38]
and one son John Davison Rockefeller VI (born c. 2007).
[39]
He and his wife reside in
Chevy Chase, Maryland
.
[
citation needed
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Wells, Adam.
"Roger Goodell's New Contract to Be Last, Will Help Search for Next Commissioner"
.
bleacherreport.com
. Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Gildea, William; Wilbon, Michael.
"Tagliabue: An Insider Moves Out"
.
washingtonpost.com
. WP Company, LLC
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Richardson, Katherine (June 5, 2015).
"Board of Directors Appoints New Chair"
.
thehoya.com
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Eskenazi, Gerald (January 28, 1990).
"Super Bowl XXIV; Tagliabue Sweeps Into Action"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 13,
2009
.
- ^
"The Big Man"
.
CNN
. January 23, 2006.
- ^
Rowan, Mike.
"NFL commissioner was Hudson athlete in high school days"
,
The Jersey Journal
, October 27, 1989. Accessed December 20, 2023, via
Newspapers.com
. "Raised in the Heights section of Jersey City Tagliabue was an outstanding basketball player for St. Michael’s High School in Union City which has since closed its doors and Georgetown University."
- ^
"Georgetown President, Board Members Honor Tagliabue's Legacy as Chair"
.
georgetown.edu
. June 11, 2015
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Pierson, Don (October 27, 1989).
"Tagliabue Veteran of NFL Warfare"
.
ChicagoTribune.com
. The Chicago Tribune
. Retrieved
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2019
.
- ^
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. Archived from
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- ^
a
b
"Covington & Burling LLP | Biographies | Paul Tagliabue"
. Cov.com
. Retrieved
October 19,
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.
- ^
George, Thomas (October 27, 1989).
"Tagliabue Is Elected N.F.L. Commissioner"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Litsky, Frank (December 1993).
"N.F.L. Expansion Surprise: Jacksonville Jaguars"
.
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. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
"Steelers Put Browns In Pound"
.
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. CBS Interactive, Inc. September 13, 1999
. Retrieved
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2019
.
- ^
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.
newsday.com
. Retrieved
July 24,
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.
- ^
a
b
c
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.
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. American City Business Journals, Inc. July 31, 2006
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Keeler, Sean (June 23, 2016).
"
'You didn't play to get rich': what killed NFL Europe?"
.
TheGuardian.com
. Guardian News and Media
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
"NFL clubs expand commitment to International Series"
.
NFL.com
. The National Football League
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Simers, T.J. (April 13, 1995).
"NFL Owners OK Rams' Move to St. Louis"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Springer, Steve (June 24, 1995).
"Raiders Sign Agreement to Go Back to Oakland : Sports: If league approves the move, it will leave L.A. without pro football. But another team is likely to fill void"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Wright, Branson (April 30, 2017).
"Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore left city stunned, angered: PD 175th (photos)"
.
cleveland.com
. Advance Ohio
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
"Houston Oilers to Move to Nashville"
.
independent.co.uk
. October 22, 2011.
Archived
from the original on May 25, 2022
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Mason, Andrew (September 13, 2001).
"NFL presses on after tragedy"
.
NFL.com
. Archived from
the original
on September 15, 2001.
- ^
"N.F.L.; Little Hope Seen For Rescheduling Canceled Games"
.
The New York Times
. September 28, 1987
. Retrieved
July 24,
2019
.
- ^
Brandt, Andrew (September 11, 2018).
"How the Week of September 11 Unfolded in the NFL"
.
si.com
. ABC-SI, LLC
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Baum, Bob (January 25, 2008).
"MLK flap shaded first Arizona Super Bowl"
.
South Coast Today
. Associated Press.
- ^
Anderson, Dave
(February 14, 2010).
"For Saving Saints, Tagliabue Deserves a Place in the Hall"
.
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. p. SP2.
- ^
"Georgetown University: Paul Tagliabue Named Chair of Board of Directors"
. Explore.georgetown.edu. December 11, 2008. Archived from
the original
on March 9, 2012
. Retrieved
October 19,
2012
.
- ^
"Paul Tagliabue Honored for Work with Gay Group"
. Outsports.com. Archived from
the original
on May 23, 2012
. Retrieved
October 19,
2012
.
- ^
"Advisory Board"
.
- ^
"Goodell appoints Tagliabue to hear player appeals"
.
Yahoo! Sports
. September 30, 2012
. Retrieved
October 19,
2012
.
- ^
Ley, Tom (December 11, 2012).
"Paul Tagliabue Agrees With Goodell's Bountygate Findings, Vacates All Player Fines And Suspensions, Confuses Everyone"
.
DeadSpin.com
. Retrieved
October 31,
2018
.
- ^
Sheinin, Dave; O'Connell, Jonathan (September 4, 2014).
"Group seeking to bring 2024 Olympics to Washington names executive board"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
October 31,
2018
.
- ^
"FISU homepage"
. Fisu.net
. Retrieved
October 19,
2012
.
- ^
Grant Gordon (January 15, 2020).
"Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class revealed"
.
NFL
.com
. Retrieved
January 15,
2020
.
- ^
"The Big Man"
.
Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com
.
- ^
Zeigler, Cyd (February 20, 2013).
"NFL Commissioner Honored With Gay Son"
.
Outsports
. Retrieved
April 26,
2023
.
- ^
"WEDDINGS;Emily Tagliabue, J.D. Rockefeller 5th"
.
The New York Times
. June 23, 1996.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
April 26,
2023
.
- ^
"Rockefeller finds purpose in 'people of the state I love so dearly'
"
.
Times West Virginian
. December 31, 2014
. Retrieved
April 26,
2023
.
- ^
News Register
[
dead link
]
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[
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]
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