Rozelle: Czar of the NFL

by Jeff Davis

The definitive biography of the powerful commissioner who masterminded the Super Bowl and changed professional sports forever Pete Rozelle built a sports empire. He invented the Super Bowl, tripled the size of the NFL, and turned football into a billion-dollar business. Before he came along, Monday was just another weeknight. Rozelle was the archetype of the modern sports commissioner and one of Time magazine’s 100 most important people of the 20th century. In Rozelle , critically acclaimed biographer Jeff Davis goes deep into the extraordinary life of this legendary figure. Showcasing exclusive interviews with more than a hundred of Rozelle’s family members, colleagues, admirers, and detractors, Davis weaves a compelling narrative fabric that masterfully spans Rozelle’s life from childhood through his days as an executive with the L. A. Rams, to his triumphs as commissioner of the NFL and his everlasting impact on the American way of sport.

Genres: Sports, Football, Biography

400 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2007

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Davis, a Chicago journalist

Reviews

[Toby Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book only if you would like a "love fest" about George Halas. It seems Davis has a man crush on the former Bears owner. He discounts almost everything any other person or team did in the NFL. Specifically, Davis shows he is a "homer" by giving limited credit to the Green Bay Packers and their history. At one point he placed Packer great Cal Hubbard on the Giants roster when talking about the first class of HOF. He did this to make a point the Packers did not have more HOF then the Bears. Davis incorrectly states, over-and-over, Halas is the founder of the NFL. I was sad Davis' bias was so pronounced in this book.