Talk with Bert Bell

Bert Bell, born De Benneville Bell on February 25, 1895, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a significant figure in the history of American football. He served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) and was known for his pivotal role in shaping the league during its formative years.

Before becoming commissioner, Bell had a diverse career in the field of football. He played college football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also a standout quarterback. After his playing days, Bell ventured into both coaching and team ownership. He was co-founder and co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, a team he created in 1933. Later, he also owned the Pittsburgh Steelers for a period.

Bell's tenure as NFL commissioner began in 1946 and lasted until his death in 1959. One of his most lasting contributions was the creation of the NFL Draft in 1935. The Draft was introduced as a way to maintain competitive balance within the league by ensuring that teams would have access to new talents in a systematic manner. He also established policies to bolster the league's stability and competitive viability, including scheduling formats and television policies.

Under Bert Bell’s leadership, the NFL began to gain significant traction and popularity, setting the stage for its eventual rise to become a major sports league in the United States. Bell’s legacy also includes his efforts to maintain the integrity of the game during a time when gambling was a significant concern.

After his death, Bert Bell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, honoring his substantial contributions to the development of the NFL. He is remembered as a visionary leader whose efforts had a lasting impact on the game of football.

Bert Bell was generally respected and admired by his contemporaries in the sports world for his contributions and innovative approaches to managing and growing professional football. As the commissioner of the NFL from 1946 until his death in 1959, Bell was pivotal in helping the league gain stability and popularity.

His leadership style and decisions, such as the introduction of the NFL Draft to equalize talent distribution among teams and the scheduling of games on Sundays to attract more fans, earned him considerable recognition. His foresight and policies are often credited with helping the NFL evolve from a collection of loosely organized teams into a more structured and successful professional sports league.

Bell's colleagues, including team owners and his successors, viewed him as a proactive leader who faced the challenges of his time with determination. His legacy as an innovative and committed commissioner has left a lasting impact on how professional sports leagues operate.

Bert Bell's most significant achievements in the NFL center around his role as commissioner and his various impactful contributions to the league:

1. Creation of the NFL Draft: One of Bell's most enduring contributions was the creation of the NFL Draft in 1936. This came about as a way to curb the escalating salaries caused by bidding wars for talented players and to level the playing field among teams. The draft was designed to give weaker teams the first opportunity to select the best incoming players.

2. Commissioner of the NFL: Bell served as the NFL Commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. His tenure is especially noted for solidifying the league's financial footing and overall stability. He navigated the NFL through post-war challenges and the early days of television.

3. Promotion of parity within the league: Bell was a strong advocate for competitive balance within the NFL. His implementation of the draft was part of this vision, but he also worked on scheduling formats and policies that promoted parity among teams, which helped maintain public interest in the league.

4. Handling of the merger threat from the AAFC: Bell effectively managed the challenges posed by the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which operated from 1946 to 1949. Under his guidance, the NFL emerged stronger after merging with several of the AAFC teams.

5. Introduction of sudden-death overtime: Bell introduced the concept of sudden-death overtime in the NFL, first applied in the 1958 NFL Championship game. This thrilling encounter, often called "The Greatest Game Ever Played," significantly boosted the NFL's popularity and set the stage for the league's future success.

6. Navigating the advent of television: Bell foresaw the potential of television to expand the NFL’s audience. He pioneered the broadcasting of NFL games, which played a crucial role in the league's growth in popularity during the 1950s and helped establish the NFL as a major player in American sports culture.

Through these contributions and his vision for the sport, Bert Bell played a crucial role in shaping the modern NFL, earning a place as one of the most influential figures in the league's history.

Bert Bell was not notably involved in major scandals or controversies during his tenure in professional football. As the commissioner of the NFL from 1946 until his death in 1959, he is best remembered for his contributions to the league, such as the introduction of the NFL draft to promote parity among teams and establishing the precedent for sports commissioners to have authority in discipline over players. His stewardship is generally viewed as positive, focusing on the growth and stabilization of the league.

Bert Bell had a significant impact on the player drafts in the NFL, most notably through the creation of the NFL Draft itself. Recognizing the need to maintain competitive balance within the league, Bell proposed the draft system as a way to prevent richer teams from monopolizing the best players. The idea was to give weaker teams the opportunity to strengthen their rosters by having the first picks in the collegiate talent pool.

Before the draft was established, teams could sign any players they wanted, and the most affluent teams often secured the best available talents, exacerbating competitive imbalances. Bell, who became NFL commissioner in 1946, introduced the player draft in 1936 during his ownership tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. His innovative move helped stabilize the league by equalizing talent distribution among its franchises. This system has since evolved but remains a fundamental aspect of how NFL teams are built, influencing the league's structure and competitive nature up to the present day.

Yes, Bert Bell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. His significant contributions to the NFL, both as a commissioner and as an owner, were instrumental in shaping the league’s development and growth, earning him this prestigious recognition.

Bert Bell was instrumental in shaping many aspects of the National Football League (NFL). Among his key contributions are:

1. NFL Draft: Bell is credited with creating the concept of the NFL Draft. Faced with the challenges of competitive balance within the league, he proposed the draft as a mechanism to allow less successful teams the opportunity to improve by gaining first access to the finest college football talents. This revolutionary idea was introduced in 1936 and has since become a cornerstone of the league's structure.

2. Scheduling Formula: Bell developed a scheduling system that aimed at fairness and commercial viability, ensuring teams played a balanced schedule that reflected their previous season's performance.

3. Revenue Sharing: He instituted policies that promoted financial stability and equality within the league, such as sharing gate receipts and later television revenue among teams, which helped smaller market teams remain competitive.

4. Television Blackout Rules: Bell implemented rules around televising games locally, which were intended to protect game attendance while also expanding the league's media footprint, a precursor to complex television strategies in professional sports today.

These ideas and strategies significantly contributed to the NFL's growth from a loosely organized collection of teams to a more structured and successful professional sports league.

Bert Bell passed away on October 11, 1959. He suffered a heart attack while watching a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Bell was serving as the Commissioner of the NFL at the time of his death, a position he had held since 1946. His contributions to the league, including the creation of the NFL Draft and efforts to maintain competitive balance, left a lasting impact on the sport.

Discover and learn about people that are similar to Bert Bell.