PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Bert Bell
rdfs:comment
  • De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was co-founder of the Philadelphia Eagles, co-owner and coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and commissioner of the National Football League from 1946 until his death.
  • De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death. He was an assistant football coach at the University of Pennsylvania (1920–1929) and at Temple University (1930–1932). He was the co-founder and part-owner (1933–1936), sole owner (1936–1940), and also head coach (1936–1940) of the Philadelphia Eagles. While owner of the Eagles, Bell proposed the creation of the NFL draft in 1935, which led to its implementation in 1936. He was part-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1940–1946) and head coach for two games (1941). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
owl:sameAs
hof
  • 23
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:americanfootballdatabase/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
statvalue
  • 0.179000
  • 10
  • 58
Birth Date
  • 1895-02-25
coachfinalyear
  • 1941
death place
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
pastadmin
  • * National Football League
pastcoaching
  • * Philadelphia Eagles * Pittsburgh Steelers
Name
  • Bell, Bert
  • Bert Bell
HOFYear
  • 1963
Caption
  • Bell with Washington Redskins owner George Marshall presenting President Harry Truman an annual pass to NFL games in 1949.
dbkwik:pittsburghsteelers/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
Alternative Names
  • Bell, De Benneville
Date of Death
  • 1959-10-11
Birth Place
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
College
death date
  • 1959-10-11
Image size
  • 300
Highlights
  • * 10–46–2 * 0–0 * 10–46–2 * Philadelphia Eagles Honor Roll * Pro Football Hall of Fame 1963
Place of Birth
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
coachfinalteam
  • Pittsburgh Steelers
Place of death
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
coachdebutteam
  • Philadelphia Eagles
Position
PFRCoach
  • BellBe0
Date of Birth
  • 1895-02-25
Short Description
  • American football player, coach, executive
statlabel
  • Games
  • Win-Loss Record
  • Winning %
coachdebutyear
  • 1936
abstract
  • De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was co-founder of the Philadelphia Eagles, co-owner and coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and commissioner of the National Football League from 1946 until his death.
  • De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death. He was an assistant football coach at the University of Pennsylvania (1920–1929) and at Temple University (1930–1932). He was the co-founder and part-owner (1933–1936), sole owner (1936–1940), and also head coach (1936–1940) of the Philadelphia Eagles. While owner of the Eagles, Bell proposed the creation of the NFL draft in 1935, which led to its implementation in 1936. He was part-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1940–1946) and head coach for two games (1941). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. As NFL Commissioner, his role was to act as the principal spokesman for the NFL, enhance the league's popularity, maintain a core set of franchise owners that were financially sound and dedicated to the success of the NFL and its rules. While he was an employee of the owners, he had to resolve disputes between them and the players, and also disputes between different owners. He evolved his position from one of mediating disputes between owners to one of persuading owners to put short-sighted self-interests aside and act cohesively to improve the NFL's standing. In times of impasse among the owners, he acted unilaterally and decisively for the betterment of the league. His efforts in mediation, negotiation, persuasion, marketing, and leadership assisted in football's rise to become the most popular professional sport in America. Specifically, his accomplishments as commissioner included presiding over the NFL becoming the first coast-to-coast sports industry and presiding over the end of racial segregation in the NFL, enacting an anti-gambling resolution into the NFL constitution, merging the NFL with the AAFC, and developing league-wide team schedules that improved the competitive balance within the league. Also, from television's very beginnings, he set television policy for the NFL. He negotiated the first league-wide television contract, which included a TV revenue-sharing plan for NFL franchises. He enacted rule changes to enhance the appeal of the game for television viewers, paying spectators, and corporate television sponsorship, which eventually enabled football to become the first dominant sports attraction on television. He unilaterally recognized the NFLPA and amassed enough support for the NFL owners to agree to recognize the NFLPA.
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