NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Paul Tagliabue, who served as NFL commissioner from 1989 to 2006, has died after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, his family said Sunday. He was 84.
Tagliabue’s cause of death was heart failure complicated by the disease, according to ESPN.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on Tagliabue’s death.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue walks the red carpet ahead of the NFL Honors at Radio City Music Hall on February 1, 2014. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
“During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Paul promoted labor peace with our players, oversaw the expansion of the league to 32 teams, ushered in an era of state-of-the-art stadiums, and laid the important foundation for establishing the league as a global brand. He helped modernize the structure of the league office and its business strategies for the NFL’s corporate operations. The new technologies of the era, including cable, satellite and the Internet. Paul was a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion and guided the league through the challenges of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
“I am eternally grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I loved the countless hours we spent together as he helped shape me as a leader, but also as a man, husband and father. Jane and I extend our condolences to the entire Tagliabue family, especially Chan, his wife of 60 years, and their children Drew and Emily.”
Paul Tagliabue, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, receives his gold jacket during the gold jacket dinner in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
NFL ASKS ALL TEAMS TO KEEP MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR COWBOYS’ MARSHAWN KNEELAND AFTER SHOCKING DEATH: REPORT
The New Jersey native guided the NFL through exciting and tough times during his tenure as the face of the Shield. He saw the Browns leave and then return to Cleveland as well as the additions of the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans to the field.
He helped the league navigate the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The NFL’s popularity also exploded during Tagliabue’s tenure as commissioner. The Buffalo Bills were among seven teams that saw more than 1 million people attend games during the season. By the end of the 2005 season, 30 of the league’s 32 teams had more than 1 million in-season attendance. Only the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals had fewer than 1 million spectators.
As the league expanded domestically, he helped make the NFL a globally recognized game with the founding of the World League of American Football and NFL Europe. Although the leagues failed, it helped pave the way for regular season games to take place overseas each year.
Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue arrives on the red carpet during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 6, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Tagliabue also clashed with the state of Arizona after officials initially refused to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. as a state holiday. He moved Super Bowl XXVII from the state to California. Arizona eventually hosted Super Bowl XXX.
Tagliabue was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
