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ShareThisHOF 2010: Art Modell
Previous HOF 2010 Bios: John Randle; Roger Craig; Russ Grimm; Steve Tasker; Aeneas Williams.
There will be two groups of people who will immediately stand in the way of Art Modell's entry into the Hall of Fame. Many people don't want to see a coach, owner, or contributor selected when there are deserving players being passed over; it rubs some people the wrong way to select a nonfootball player over a football player for induction. The HOF votes in no greater than 5 modern era candidates in a year, so it becomes a numbers game. The other group of people who rally against Modell are Browns fans and sympathizers. Understandably.
So for those who want Modell to make the HOF, what can they hang their hats on? Below are some of the highlights of Modell's NFL career.
- He was the only elected NFL President, serving from 1967 to 1969. His crowning achievement during that span came in 1968, when as Chairman of the Owners Labor Committee, he successfully negotiated the NFL’s first players’ collective bargaining agreement.
- He served on the NFL-AFL Merger Committee, breaking the impasse for realignment of the two leagues by agreeing to move his Browns to the American Football Conference.
- Modell was constantly looking for innovative ways to help make the league more successful. Some of them, like Modell's idea to host doubleheaders in Cleveland Stadium, didn't stick. Others helped shape the future of the league. Modell served as the NFL's broadcast chairman for 31 years, and was instrumental in aligning the NFL and television. Modell strongly pushed for the NFL to play football on Monday nights, worked closely with ABC, and eventually had his team play in and host the first MNF game ever. He also agreed to be the opponent in the first ever Thanksgiving Day doubleheader; the Lions had been playing on Thanksgiving ever since they moved to Detroit in 1934, but beginning in 1966, football in Dallas would become a Turkey Day tradition, too.
- Modell worked with Commissioner Rozelle to help create the tremendous NFL films; Modell would become its first chairman.
- For what it's worth, he and Al Davis were the only two owners who voted against Robert Irsay's decision to move the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. And, of course, Modell brought football back to Baltimore, a terrific football city in its own right. As much as Clevelanders hate him, Baltimoreans love him.
- Modell was well respected by his fellow owners. John Mara, speaking of the Ravens Super Bowl victory over his Giants, recalled: "As painful as it was to lose a Super Bowl, I remember sitting with my father, who said, 'If I had to lose to someone, I'm glad it was Art."
- Before hoards of draft picks and proven players were given up for the rights to select college stars such as Eli Manning, Ryan Leaf, Ricky Williams, Jeff George, Irving Fryar, John Elway or Earl Campbell, there was Art Modell. He made the blockbuster trade for the first black Heisman Trophy winner and #1 pick in the '62 draft, Ernie Davis. The Browns traded eventual Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell, but Davis was the power back the Browns loved. Teaming Davis with Jim Brown, Modell said, "would have been the greatest backfield in the history of the NFL. We would have surpassed the Paul Hornung-Jim Taylor backfield for the old Green Bay Packers. We would have been better than that." When Davis died of leukemia before ever playing a down for the Browns, Modell flew players, coaches, reporters, photographers and front office personnel to upstate New York for Davis' funeral. The Browns retired Davis' #45, and no one has worn that number since.
- His Browns won an NFL championship in 1964 and his Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV.
- After drafting Ozzie Newsome the player, Modell made Ozzie Newsome the first black GM in NFL history.
What about the big elephant in the room? There's no denying that Modell's lasting legacy may not be any of the above, but rather will be his decision to take the Browns out of Cleveland. But if Modell is indeed enshrined into the HOF, his decision to move his football team wouldn't put him in rare company. There are currently 10 men in the Pro Football HOF who were inducted primarily because of their accomplishments as owners or founders. Five of them -- Art and Dan Rooney, Ralph Wilson, Jr., Tim and Wellington Mara -- come from three families, and are synonymous with football in Pittsburgh, Buffalo and New York. Of course, Wellington Mara took his team from the Bronx 70 miles northeast to New Haven, Connecticut for two seasons, then back another 70 miles to Queens for a one-year pit-stop, before finally crossing two more rivers and landing permanently in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The other owners in the Hall made more Modell-like moves. Dan Reeves, the owner of the Rams, also robbed Cleveland of its football team and relocated in Los Angeles. Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, also took his team to L.A., before bringing them back to Oakland. The great Lamar Hunt moved his championship franchise from Dallas to Kansas City. George Preston Marshall, in addition to being openly racist even for his era, took his team from Boston to D.C. and renamed them the Redskins. Charles Bidwill was the owner of the Chicago Cardinals for 15 seasons, and while his team stayed put during his lifetimes, the Cardinals would move to St. Louis and then to Arizona under his family's ownership. Moving football teams is never fun, but it is a part of NFL history. On the other hand, the Browns were arguably the most storied franchise to ever leave behind its fanbase.
Modell's decision to move the Browns from Cleveland was a complicated one. At the time, some thought Modell was an evil, incompetent owner who robbed one of the greatest fanbases of one of the league's legendary franchises. Others thought the city of Cleveland wronged Modell several times over, and Modell did what any prudent owner would have done. Several years ago I read Fumble: The Browns, Modell, & the Move, a terrific book that documents the detailed history between Modell and Cleveland. I don't recall many of the specifics anymore, but I came away (I think) with the impression that Cleveland was wrong, Modell was wrong, and it was just an unfortunate situation that kept spiraling out of control. As time passes, only the loud voices remain, and the most vocal historians of that time period are (understandably) angry Browns fans. Even if the City of Cleveland deserved more blame than Modell, Browns fans had football stolen from them, and will never forgive Modell for what happened. Should that be enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame?
Ultimately, I think I side more with argument #1 for keeping Modell out of the Hall of Fame than argument #2. I'll always have a tough time keeping a deserving NFL player out for a year to get in a contributor. But I think Modell qualifies as what a Hall of Famer should be. Even if you didn't know what Modell's role was, it would be impossible to discuss the history of the NFL without mentioning the AFL-NFL merger, Monday Night Football, the collective bargaining agreement or NFL Films. Modell's fingerprints are all over NFL history.
Chances he'll make the HOF in 2010? Very low.
Chances he'll ever make the HOF? Low.
Chances he'll be posthumously inducted, after the Browns win a Super Bowl: A whole lot better than his chances are of making it beforehand.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 8:44 am and is filed under HOF, Player articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
If Abba ,Queen, and Kiss can make the rock and roll hall of fame then I guess Art is a deserving candidate,Forty years of mediocraty should be recognized as such.
Am thinking that Contributors/Coaches should be voted on as a separate category rather than lumped in with all the players. That might get in folks like the Sabols, who one could argue are deserving, but never seem to get the opportunity.
The obvious problem here is mixing players and contributors. Modell was obviously instrumental in large parts of NFL history and deserves to be recognized as such. But it's understandable to not want to ignore a deserving player as well. Maybe a contributor spot should be elected every other year or some such.
It's a Hall of Fame, not infamy. Modell's poor business decisions forced him to choose between selling the Browns or selling out the city that loved them. It would diminish the Hall to include that kind of "contributor."
Also, it was Paul Brown who drafted Ernie Davis. Modell then pressured his coach to play the dying man for the PR value. Brown refused, surely one more reason Modell fired a coach that had only one losing season in his 17 in Cleveland.
As Modell became a more hands-on owner, he did things like trade Paul Warfield, in his prime, to draft Mike Phipps. The team's mediocrity throughout the '70s is a direct result of a non-football man taking too large a part in his team's operations.
His petulance also prompted Jim Brown to retire too early and sent Marty Schottenheimer packing after he reached the playoffs in his first four seasons.
There's no way Browns fans will -- or should -- let the meddling, mendacious Modell enter Canton with honor, dead or alive.
Kiss is not in the R&R Hall of Fame.
Neither is Abba, but Ike Turner is. It wouldn't be rock if there was character disqualification. (I guess this is relevant because the Hall is right up the street from Frazier Azoff Stadium)
http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/alphabetical-list/
OHHH NOOO!
http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/alphabetical-list/
Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced ABBA, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies and The Stooges as its 2010 artist inductees.
Ernie Davis' number is retired? That's ridiculous to retire the number of a guy who never even played for the team.
I generally think it's lame to retire the number for a guy who died young - but doubly so to do it for somebody who never even played.
Re Ed & Steve Sabol: Ed Sabol received the Rozelle Award in 1991, and Steve Sabol earned the Daniel F. Reeves Pioneer Award in 2007 for their work with NFL Films. They've both been honored by the HOF already, so it's not necessary for basically the same organization to award them twice for the same thing.
http://www.profootballhof.com/story/2009/7/7/irv-cross-named-rozelle-award-winner/
http://www.profootballhof.com/story/2007/7/18/2469/
I'm not even a Browns fan and all I'll ever remember Modell for is moving them off to Baltimore and firing Paul Brown apparently because he could.
Mentioning the fact he voted against Irsay moving the Colts doesn't exactly help his case. If anything it looks like the only reason he and Cryptkeeper Al voted against it is so Irsay wouldn't upstage them as "Biggest Jerk Owner".
Pretty much everything else he did would've been done eventually by someone else anyway, and even at the time he surely wasn't the only person who thought of doing any of it.
Would be interested to know why winning an award from the PFHoF automatically makes it unnecessary to vote Ed and/or Steve Sabol in, or makes either undeserving of this honor.
Re:11
I'm not saying they don't deserve the honor, I'm saying that they have already received it. They have been given lifetime achievement awards for their work with NFL Films by the HOF.
The media awards given by the HOF are for print and television what was mentioned in #2 & #3, a separate category and selection process for contributors to Pro Football.
Re: #12
I think it's great that Steve Sabol was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PFHoF. I also think it's great that Ed Sabol has received a Pete Rozelle Radio and Television Award from the same organization.
But as nice as this is, it not the same thing as being elected in the Contributor category, which is how they would qualify. Perhaps it's a semantic point, but I don't see that this means the Sabols have "already received" the honor of being elected to the PFHoF by receiving the awards above. They're not on the Contributor list.
No one's mentioned perhaps the biggest issue about an Art Modell induction -- where would it take place? If they tried to do it in Canton during the normal ceremonies, there would be a riot. Modell wouldn't dare to show his face in Ohio. Would they hold a separate induction ceremony in Maryland somewhere just for him? And they'd have to keep a security camera on his bust in the Hall of Fame to prevent people from vandalizing it or stealing it.
The eventual induction of Ray Lewis may be problematic as well. Not only is Lewis the face of the Ravens franchise, he was once accused of killing two people from Akron, a city just 20 minutes from the Hall of Fame. (You may remember he escaped jail with a plea bargain.)
Being a Ravens fan, I can understand the frustration of the Cleveland fans when it comes to Art Modell. We felt the same way when Irsay moved the Colts from Baltimore during the middle of the night in a snowstorm. The interesting thing was just the day before, he had stood with Baltimore Mayor Donald Schaffer and announced he would not move the team. Not only did he move the team, he took the Colts name, our records, trophies, etc. so that he stripped Baltimore clean. We still believe the NFL should have required him to rename the team the Pilgrams since they left town in Mayflower moving vans. That's why Baltimore fans did not want Modell to use the name Browns when he came to Baltimore. We didn't want the name or the records. As a matter of fact, we didn't want Cleveland's team - we knew the hurt of losing our Colts. However, Tagliabutt and Irsay kept Baltimore from getting an expansion team, although Baltimore was told it would be awarded the next expansion team - after 13 years that never happened. We only got a team after Mr. Modell could not reach an agreement with the city of Cleveland regarding a new stadium. If you look back at what Mr. Modell did for football and the NFL BEFORE he moved the team, anyone with any knowledge of professional football would agree he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. We've moved on since the Colts left town and it's about time Cleveland put on it's big boy pants and do the same. Get over it. Mr. Modell deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Butchie, it's kind of hard to "get over it" when the "new" Browns have been a disaster while the Ravens have been one of the most successful franchises in the league over the past 14 years. That should have been our Super Bowl, our playoff appearances, our division titles. And guess which then-highly regarded owner pushed Jacksonville over Baltimore for expansion in the early 90s?
Butchie, as I've researched this over and over. What I've found is that Ravens fans have no clue as to the real story behind the move. You guys get your info from Modell, The Baltimore Sun, and that Nester guy. Take off your "Modell is god glasses" and do some real reserch. Don't start the get over it crap with us. Mike Preston of the Balimore Sun, wrote a entire artical on why he doesn't want anyone from outside Baltimore telling him to get over the Colts move. Yet you guys have no problem telling us to. You guys are the biggest hypocrites in the WORLD. Baltimore hasn't gotten over anything. That was proven when the Colts won the SuperBowl and beat the Ravens along the way. Baltimore hasn't moved on from anything. You guys whine more then any sports city in history. It never ends with you peole.
1) You whine about how Irsay ran the Colts so you stoped suporting the team.
2) You whine about Irsay moving the team, even though Baltimore wouldn't build him a stadium and the fans stopped supporting the team (Something that never happened in Cleveland).
3) I think I'm going to puke if I have to hear anymore whining about Mayflower trucks, snow, and a midnight moves. Whine whine whine. NO ONE CARES WHAT TIME THEY MOVED, WHAT THE WEATHER WAS LIKE, AND WHAT MOVING COMPANY THEY USED. By the way ART MODELL TOLD CLEVELAND HE WOULD NEVER MOVE THE BROWNS ALSO.
4) You still whine about the NFL not giving you another team, even after stealing a team from another and winning a Suber Bowl.
5) When the NFL gave Cleveland a new team after 3 years, You guys whined about that. "why did Cleveland get a team so quickly? Whaa Whaa Whaa..." We got a team because we fought for it and the NFL knows Modell was wrong.
6)You whine about the Colts history and colors.
7)Now you're whining about Art Modell not being in the HOF.
8)Now you have the nerve to whine about Cleveland not wanting him in. Standing you your saop box's and shaking you blood stained fingers a use like we're evil people. I
This guy Lied to Cleveland, took our team due to his bad business dealings, then lies on Cleveland to the rest of America. All this after speaking out against Al Davis, Irsay, and the Dodgers for changing cities. He goes broke AGAIN after getting his big payday from Baltimore (thus proving what a lousy businessman he is)and the NFL has to step in make him sell part of the team.
What the hell do you people want for Goodness sake? Ha? It's time for Baltimore to put on their big boy pants and STFU.....
Mr Modell, destroyed the Cleveland Browns... There is only one coach whoever had a team named after him, that is Paul Brown who Modell fired. Mr Modell has fired every coach to coach in Cleveland. I could name every coach he fired from Paul Brown to Bill Belichick, then moving the team. The Cleveland Browns have not yet to this day 12/29/09 recovered. I say no to NFL HOF.
There is zero chance that the Cleveland Browns would have won the Super Bowl in 2001 had the franchise stayed put. Don't dare say it was "your" championship!
The Ravens won that championship due to the influx of solid veterans (Siragusa, McCrary, Sam Adams) and future HOFers (Sharpe, Woodson, Coates?) via free agency. Cleveland repels those type of players. They never would have traveled to the flaming dung heap of Cleveland had the same situation been there.
Luke: I'm sure a city known as "Murderland" is just the kind of place most free agents want to raise their kids.
I used to know a guy who lived near Johns Hopkins. He said the sounds of gunshots used to keep him up at night.
If they can get people to come to Baltimore with enough cash, they can get people to go anywhere.
I hate that guy. He's a suit! Suits don't belong on this voting list. They belong in another room than players. I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan and I'd trade Tex Schramm for Chuck Howley, Cliff Harris, or Lee Roy Jordan any day of the week.
Furthermore, even if we decided to judge him, how about judging him by his success like Al Davis. Two championships in 40 years and one of them was built by Paul Brown. Hmmm... Sorry. He doesn't even sniff the qualifications.
HE deserves to go whether you think he should or not! He finally led his franchise to a superbowl and thus it qualifies him for getting into Canton! He contributed to the National Football League and he was the main reason why that franchise was still going on strong in the 90's even though he has subpar talent and players like Andre Rison who were not team-oriented guys! He has my vote whether he gets in or not and I think that he will get in this year!
Just to correct an above point. George Preston Marshall actually renamed the Redskins while they were still in Boston. They actually played 4 seasons as the Boston Redskins at Fenway Park. In 1932 the franchise was known as the Boston Braves.
UGH. The man moved the team to Baltimore using shady deals and secret handshakes. He's a cheat and an ingrate. To put him in the hall of fame with honorable people who rightfully deserve to be in the HOF is a disgrace. It diminishes the efforts of the men who were honestly contributed to the sport. To think that this is even an option is very disturbing.
Does anyone really believe that the NFL would not have survived, prospered, and obtained a lucrative TV contract WITHOUT the "great businessman" Art Modell? Put Art Modell in the Hall of Fame directly after you put Robert Irsay in the Hall of Fame.