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Paul Tagliabue, who served as NFL commissioner from 1989 to 2006, has died after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, his family said on 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.
“All of us in the NFL are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Tagliabue, whose principled leadership and vision put the NFL on the path to unparalleled success,” Goodell said, via ESPN. “Throughout his decades-long leadership on behalf of the NFL, first as outside counsel and then during a powerful 17-year tenure as commissioner, Paul served with integrity, passion and an unwavering conviction to do what was best for the league. Paul was the ultimate steward of the game — tall in stature, humble in presence and decisive in his loyalty to the NFL. He viewed every challenge and opportunity through the lens of what was best for the greater good, a principle he inherited from Pete Rozelle and passed on to me.
“During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Paul fostered 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 groundwork of establishing the league as a global brand. He helped modernize the structure of the league office and its business operations, providing the playbook for the NFL’s strategic embrace of his era’s emerging technologies 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 forever grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I cherished the innumerable hours we spent together where he helped shape me as an executive but also as a man, husband and father. Jane and I extend our heartfelt condolences to entire Tagliabue family, especially Chan, his wife of 60 years, and their children Drew and Emily.”
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The New Jersey native guided the NFL through exciting and tough times over the course of 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 Sept. 11 terror attacks and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The NFL’s popularity exploded during Tagliabue’s time as commissioner as well. 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 attendance over the course of the season. Only the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals had fewer than 1 million in attendance.
While the league expanded domestically, he helped turn the NFL into a globally recognized game with the founding of the World League of American Football and NFL Europe. Though the leagues failed, it helped pave the way for regular-season games taking place overseas yearly.
Tagliabue also went head-to-head 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.
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