The Top Five Most Influential Figures in NFL History

These are the men who made their marks on the game of football like no other. These figures were a huge part of how the game is today, and the growing popularity of it. So many players, coaches, and fans alike have seen the game become the passion for Americans. But the game did have its struggles in the early years of existence, but over a period of time, it has turned into the most watched professional sport on television today. So here is the Top Five Most Influential Figures in American pro football history:

5. Paul Tagliabue

Tagliabue succeeded Pete Rozelle as NFL Commissioner in 1989. He belongs on the list because of bringing equality to the game by helping to put a salary cap in place before the 1994 season. He also was commissioner during a period of time when other American team sports were labor disputes and strikes throughout his tenure at the position. In his 17 years as NFL commissioner, the league expanded from 28 teams to 32, and has grossed $6 billion in revenue annually. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement that he negotiated with owners put new rules on free agency and also allowed teams to retain one player with a frachise tag. Also, players were free agents after their contracts expired for the team they played for. He had the idea to put in a season-ticket package, which would be called the DirectTV's NFL Sunday Ticket. The league has remained free from labor disputes since he took over in 1989, and is now the most popular and watched sport in American television.

4. Lamar Hunt

After unsuccessful attempts to own a franchise in the NFL, Hunt persuaded seven other owners to form the American Football League(AFL) in 1960. He wanted to bring football fans to Texas while also still trying to own a NFL franchise. Hunt became owner of the Dallas Texans, and eventually moved the team to Kansas City to become the Chiefs after losing fan support to the newly founded Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. The AFL brought a different look to the game as passing offenses were more noticable than in the NFL at the time, and eventually they earned a TV contract with NBC that gave them the bargaining power to compete with the NFL over star players. Also, the AFL had the two point conversion rule, official scoreboard time clock(NFL used stopwatches then), and player's names on the back of the jerseys. Under Hunt, the AFL was able to establish franchises that would become a huge part of NFL later with Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Houston Oilers, San Diego Chargers, and New England Patriots were original charter members of the AFL. The AFL would eventually merge with the NFL in 1970, but Hunt being initially rejected for an NFL franchise was maybe the best thing that could have happened to him and the NFL. The NFL-AFL merger would not have been possible for these rival leagueshad the AFL not been the one league that could compete with the NFL. The winner of the now American Football Conference Title Game in the NFL gets the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

3. Red Grange

After his standout college career at the University of Illinois, "The Galloping Ghost" would agree to terms on a contract with the Chicago Bears for $100,000 which included his salary and ticket sales. Most players only made $100 per game in those days. But in November 22, 1925, the game and the perception of pro football forever changed. College football was the preferred sport because many did not like the idea of football players being paid. However, Harold "Red" Grange changed all that, and kept the financially struggling league from going under at the time. The Bears went on a 19-game barnstorming tour, and fans poured out in record numbers to see Grange and his team play. Nothing was more evident of that than when the Bears travelled to the Polo Grounds in New York to take on the Giants. The Giants were on the verge of folding their team and leaving the NFL until the Bears agreed to play them. That game drew over 65,000 fans, which was a record at the time, and the Giants franchise was saved because of it. No one single player signing in the history of the game had more an impact than when Grange agreed to play for the Bears one day after leaving college.

2. George Halas

Halas is the only man in the history of the NFL to be associated with the league in the first 50 years of existence. He coached, played, and manage business operations for the Bears for over 60 years. He did refuse to integrate the league in his early years, but came around to sign the first African American player in George Taliaferro. Halas also handled ticket sales for the team, and shared in the Bears substantial television income believing it was best for the league and his team. Halas was the first coach to have daily practice sessions, analyze film on opponents, place assistants in press boxes, and have games broadcasted on radio. "Papa Bear" also was the first pro coach to use the T-formation which revolutionized the game with high scoring contests, and having the passing game become more prominent in the future. Halas was also the first coach to motion players before a play started on offense, and it was both the T-formation and motioning of players that propelled the Chicago Bears to the forefront of pro football in the 1940's. Many teams would try and copy the formation, and the impact of that gave the game a more different and exciting look to it. The winner of the National Football Conference in the NFL receives the George Halas Trophy.

1. Pete Rozelle

Little did anyone know how big of an impact that Rozelle would have on pro football when he became the surprise choice to replace Bert Bell as NFL Commissioner in 1959. There were only ten teams in the league when he took office, and only a few had television deals. By the time he retired, 28 teams were in the NFL. He negotiated television contracts that broadcasted every game of the season. Furthermore, Rozelle persuaded owners to share revenue between teams as he wanted all teams to benefit equally. But the biggest move that Rozelle made was when he and other representatives of both the NFL and AFL agreed to merger, and what was also a prelude to what we know now as the Super Bowl between the rival leagues. The Super Bowl is the most watched yearly sporting event, and he fully supported the idea of having Monday Night Football on ABC, which became a staple for many years to fans watching.