Commissioner: The Legacy of Pete Rozelle (Hardcover)

~ John Fortunato (Author)
Key Phrases: blackout policy, league stability, being named commissioner, Los Angeles, Super Bowl, Pete Rozelle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, Pete Rozelle is largely given credit for creating the business model for modern professional sports, a paradigm that made the NFL a fabulously wealthy cartel that ultimately surpassed America's pastime, baseball, as the country's most popular sport. Elected NFL Commissioner in 1960 at the age of 33, Rozelle is most visibly known as the man who merged the AFL with the NFL, created the Super Bowl, and instituted games on Monday night.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; 1st Taylor Trade Pub. Hardback Ed edition (September 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589792912
• ISBN-13: 978-1589792913
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,120,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Read, A Little Disappointed, December 28, 2006

By	Tom Jacoubowsky - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have always been looking for a book on Pete Rozelle and I was happy to see this book come out. The book is a quick read and was a decent book, but as somebody who has read numerous books on the NFL, I was a little disappointed as I was expecting more. Two years ago I read Michael Maccambridge's "America's Game." That book has set the standard for books on the NFL.

In defense of the author, the biggest issue he probably faced was the fact that many of the people in the book were dead, including Rozelle. Because of this, I felt that much of the information I have already gathered from my own readings. The book just didn't have the freshness I was hoping for.

All in all, a good book if you're interested in Rozelle, especially if you haven't read many other books on the NFL.

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, September 26, 2007

By	Howard Wexler (White Plains, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

By most accounts, Rozelle is considered the greatest pro sports commissioner. If that is the case, then this books disappoints. Everybody (even Al Davis) thinks he was a nice guy with great persuasive abilities. He was also a great father. And you get a lot of detail about the Raiders leaving Oakland. But it looks like he had very few sources and the book really disappoints.

There is a new book by Jeff Davis on Rozelle, hope it is better.

2.0 out of 5 stars John D., January 4, 2007

By	John J. Delach "Big Blue" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a life-long Giants fan and a student of the game. Rozelle was a terrific commissioner especially because of all the events that happened on his watch. I always regretted that he never wrote about it. This book opens the door to his tenure. Unfortunately, it is far to santized to offer the real story of Al Davis, the AFL, JFK's death and the decision to play, the Hornong and Karas suspensions, race, drugs, the USFL, etc., etc. Hoprfully that book is still to be written.