Pete Rozelle
| Pete Rozelle | |
|---|---|
Rozelle (left) and George Halas
in the early 1980s. |
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Commissioner of the National Football League |
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In office January 1960 – November 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Austin Gunsel (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Tagliabue |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alvin Ray Rozelle March 1, 1926 South Gate, California |
| Died | December 6, 1996 (aged 70) Rancho Santa Fe, California |
| Alma mater | University of San Francisco |
| Honors |
Sportsman of the Year (1963) Pro Football Hall of Fame (1985) |
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle (/roʊˈzɛl/; March 1, 1926 – December 6, 1996) was the commissioner of the National Football League for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. He is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world.
Born in South Gate, California, Rozelle grew up in neighboring Lynwood during the Great Depression. He graduated from Compton High School in 1944, with Duke Snider, lettering in baseball and basketball. He was drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1944 and served 18 months in the Pacific on an oil tanker.
Rozelle entered Compton Community College in 1946. While there he worked as the student athletic news director and also worked part-time for the Los Angeles Rams as a public relations assistant. Pete Newell, head coach for the University of San Francisco Dons basketball team, came to Compton in 1948 for a recruiting visit. Impressed by Rozelle, Newell helped arrange for him to get a full scholarship to work in a similar capacity at USF.
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