Until Paul Tagliabue, everyone with an extended run as leader of the NFL has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That kicks out the brief runs of Jim Thorpe and Elmer Layden. Well, Thorpe is in the Hall of Fame but not for his one-year run as President, in name only, of the American Professional Football Association. Joe Carr and Bert Bell were part of the 17-member inaugural class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Pete Rozelle was inducted in 1985 while he was still in the commissioner's office. That's some serious love. Tagliabue hasn't received anything close to that sort of love. One might even go so far as to say that he's received no love at all. His 1989-2006 run as commissioner of the NFL is taken for granted. It's really a damn shame.
With the often chilly, if not completely frozen, relationship between Roger Goodell and the NFLPA, Tagliabue's 17-year run of labor peace should never be taken for granted. It should be applauded. It should be copied. Some might have seen Tagliabue's relationship with NFLPA boss Gene Upshaw as too chummy. If that relationship kept the games going how's that a criticism? There were two ridiculous work stoppages in the 1980s. There were bound to be more but Tagliabue didn't let it happen. He ushered in free agency. That alone made the players ecstatic. That brought about labor peace that lasted until Roger Goodell killed nearly all of the player's trust in the office. One could say that free agency was bound to happen and Tagliabue was simply there when it did. Who knows? Rozelle's reign touched the days when the players really had no say in their careers. Movement away from that might have been stuttering at best if Rozelle hadn't stepped away. The only thing that's certain is that four years after Tagliabue was elected by the owners free agency was a reality. But, Tagliabue did a whole lot more than being the caretaker of a league that was suddenly peaceful.
Before he was commissioner, Paul Tagliabue saw steady work representing the NFL in anti-trust litigation. The NFL made steady appearances in court for more than a decade. All those lawsuits got Tagliabue noticed by the owners. How could it not? They were writing huge checks for legal fees. The most significant suit was the one brought by the United States Football League. The rival league was asking for $1.6 billion. The NFL lost. The USFL was awarded 3 bucks. The USFL won but actually lost. The pesky league were no more. Tagliabue lost but actually won. The USFL was gone in 1986. Tagliabue was the NFL Commissioner three years later.
That's not all.
The relationship between the NCAA and professional football had soured in the 1990s. Colleges were being raided of their undergraduate football players. It had gotten to the point where NFL scouts were no longer allowed on college campuses. Tagliabue took steps to change that. He instituted the "eligibility rule." Players now had to be three years removed from their high school graduation to be eligible for the NFL Draft. This eased the strain between the NFL and the NCAA. Tagliabue pushed for the creation of the NFL's College Football Advisory Committee in 1993. This committee would review and advise college football players interested in pursuing early entry into the NFL Draft. The NFL was now encouraging most college football players to stay in school. NFL scouts were now allowed to return to college campuses. Upon his retirement, the American Football Coaches Association awarded Tagliabue with the Tuss McLaughry Award for long and distinguished service to college football.
As NFL Commissioner, Paul Taglaibue improved the relationship between the league and the players. He improved the relationship between the league and college football. Those are pretty significant accomplishments. Those are the sort of accomplishments that shouldn't be taken for granted. They improved the league's image. The improved the brand. They improved and protected the all important shield. Tagliabue deserves to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He deserved the honor well before now. Maybe competition in the voting process with players and coaches kept him out. Who knows? Maybe the new Contributor category in the Hall voting process will finally give him a shot at his deserved recognition in Canton. If nothing else, his run as Commissioner of the NFL should never be taking for granted.
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