Research Catalog

On any given Sunday : a life of Bert Bell

Title
On any given Sunday : a life of Bert Bell / Robert S. Lyons ; foreword by Don Shula.
Author
Lyons, Robert S., 1939-2013
Publication
Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2010.

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Details

Additional Authors
Shula, Don, 1930-2020
Description
xiv, 328 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 24 cm
Summary
"Bert Bell, a native of Philadelphia, has been called the most powerful executive figure in the history of professional football. He was responsible for helping to transform the game from a circus sideshow into what has become the most popular spectator sport in America. In the first biography of this important sports figure, historian Robert Lyons recounts the remarkable story of how de Benneville "Bert" Bell rejected the gentility of a high society lifestyle in favor of the tougher gridiron and rose to become the founder of the Philadelphia Eagles and Commissioner of the National Football League." "Bell, who arguably saved the league from bankruptcy by conceiving the idea for the annual player draft, later made the historic decision to introduce "sudden death" overtime - a move that propelled professional football into the national consciousness. He coined the phrase "on any given Sunday" and negotiated the league's first national TV contract. Lyons describes in fascinating detail Bell's relationships with leading figures ranging from such Philadelphia icons as Walter Annenberg and John B. Kelly to national celebrities and U.S. Presidents. He also provides insight into Bell's colorful personal life - including his hell-raising early years and his secret marriage to Frances Upton, a golden name in show business." --Book Jacket.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • collective biographies.
  • Biographies.
  • History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
1 The Early Years 1 -- 2 The Quarterback of the Quakers 6 -- 3 A War Hero Tastes the French Nightlife 12 -- 4 Back to Penn as Captain of the Quakers 16 -- 5 Bert Bell's Coaching Career Begins 22 -- 6 The Roaring Twenties-Off the Field 29 -- 7 Frances Upton: One of America's Brightest Stars 33 -- 8 The Yellow Jackets Become the Eagles 43 -- 9 The Eagles Struggle under Bell and Wrey 48 -- 10 The Prayer Draft Comes in 1936 56 -- 11 Additional Shock Waves from 1936 63 -- 12 The Struggle to Survive: 1937 to 1939 70 -- 13 Bert Bell and Art Rooney Get Together 79 -- 14 Bert Bell Ends Up in Pittsburgh 85 -- 15 Bracing for World War II 93 -- 16 The Steagles 97 -- 17 The Card-Pitts 106 -- 18 The New Commissioner 112 -- 19 Mysterious Negotiations with the AAFC 121 -- 20 A Gambling Scandal Nipped in the Bud 130 -- 21 Blizzards, Gamblers, and a Rebellious Club Owner 140 -- 22 A Dispute with Water Annenberg and a Truce with the AAFC 147 -- 23 Buffalo, Dominoes, and Television 158 -- 24 Finally a Home of Their Own 166 -- 25 The Dream Game Turns into a Shocker 170 -- 26 Problems with the Federal Government 173 -- 27 "Listen, Sonny, Just Sign the Contract!" 181 -- 28 Baltimore Rises from the Ashes 191 -- 29 More Warfare and the Sermon on the Mount 202 -- 30 Flare-Ups, Pile-Ups, and a Move to Oust the Commissioner 211 -- 31 The Commissioner's Working Style 223 -- 32 At Home in Narberth 233 -- 33 The NFL Welcomes Bubble Gum Cards and CBS-TV 236 -- 34 "You Can't Quit Now, Pete Rozelle!" 250 -- 35 The Players Finally Get a Union 261 -- 36 The "Hands-On" Commissioner 269 -- 37 "On Any Given Sunday " 286 -- 38 "Sudden Death" Finally Arrives 289 -- 39 Anxiety over the AFC, the Pension Plan, and the Pro Bowl 294 -- 40 A Poetic Ending at Franklin Field 306.
ISBN
  • 9781592137312
  • 1592137318
LCCN
2009020966
OCLC
  • ocn373474435
  • 373474435
  • SCSB-1536645
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library