erfectly cast in the role of the modern executive, Rozelle is a man who hardly ever raises his voice...Rozelle's aptitude for conciliation no longer deceives people into thinking he is a bootlicker, the puppet of string-pulling owners who have been described as "the most contrary bunch of individualists you ever saw." Photograph by Ben Rose Text by Kenneth Rudeen Pete Rozelle was still the commissioner of the National Football League in 1963. While in office, Rozelle negotiated several lucrative television contracts, making football one of the most visible sports in the world. He retired in 1989, and was a consultant to the league from his home in Southern California, where he died on December 6, 1996 from brain cancer.
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