Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League (NFL) team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens franchise, which he owned for eight years.
Assuming control of the Browns franchise in 1961, Modell was a key figure in helping promote the NFL and was initially popular in Cleveland for his active role in the community and his efforts to improve the team. However, he made controversial actions during his ownership, which included the firing of Paul Brown, the franchise's first coach and namesake, and the release of Jim Brown from the roster. In 1995, Modell faced widespread scorn in Cleveland when he attempted to relocate the Browns to Baltimore. Under the terms of an NFL-brokered settlement, Modell left the Browns' name and heritage in Cleveland, which was assumed by a new Browns team in 1999. In return, Modell retained the contracts of all Browns personnel and reconstituted his organization as the Baltimore Ravens, who are officially recognized as a 1996 expansion team.
Praised in Baltimore for returning football to the city after the departure of the Colts, Modell remains a controversial figure in Cleveland due to the relocation and, in particular, for his decision-making around the management of Cleveland Stadium and the construction of a replacement.
Early life and education Modell was born to a Jewish familyOhio.com: "Art Modell 1925-2012: His life story will always be tied with Browns move to Baltimore" By Jason Lloyd September 6, 2012The Catholic Review: "Remembering Art Modell, champion of Catholic education" by George P. Matysek Jr September 6, 2012 in Brooklyn, New York. His father George was a wine sales manager who went bankrupt after the stock market crash of 1929 and later died when Modell was 14. Modell attended New Utrecht High School. Modell saw his first football game when he was nine years old. At the age of 15, Modell left high school to help support his family. His first job was cleaning the hulls of ships in a Brooklyn shipyard.Baltimore Ravens.com: "Art Modell Passes Away At 87" September 6, 2012
In 1943, when he was 18, he joined the United States Army Air Forces. After his service during World War II, he enrolled in a New York City television school under the G.I. Bill. In 1947, he founded his own production company with a fellow student and in 1949, they produced one of the first daytime shows in the country, Market Melodies, dedicated to cooking and decorating. Modell sold the idea of his show to the Grand Union grocery store chain and Modell installed televisions, at his expense, in the aisles of the chain's stores where the show soon became very popular. At the time, very few households had televisions so the store format was wildly successful. In 1954, using the lucrative Grand Union account as leverage, he was hired as a senior account executive at the advertising company L.H. Hartman Co. in New York City, eventually becoming a partner. Formed after the Prohibition era, L.H. Hartman was primarily involved in liquor advertising. In 1958, Modell bought an upstate New York champagne maker, Gold Seal Vineyards Inc. In 1960, L.H. Hartman was dissolved, and Modell again used his Grand Union account to land a job as senior vice president at the advertising firm Kastor, Hilton, Chesley, Clifford & Atherton.
Owner of the Cleveland Browns (1961–1995) During the 1940s and 1950s, Modell worked in advertising, public relations, and television production in New York City. In 1960, Modell had heard from someone close to Fred "Curly" Morrison, a former Browns running back who worked as an advertising executive for CBS television, that the Cleveland Browns were going to be up for sale. The two most prominent parties interested in the Browns (which had the Nationwide Insurance Company as the largest Browns shareholder among various Cleveland businessmen such as Dave R. Jones) was a group led by Bill Evans of Diamond Alkali and the other was a group headlined by a group of Rudy Schaefer of the Schaefer Brewing Company and various investors to go with Modell. It was noted that head coach Paul Brown, present since the team was founded, was the key last word on any potential sale of the team, as league executives trusted him best about maintaining stability, particularly since Brown was negotiating a contract that would pay him $50,000 a year for eight years with the new group. At any rate, it was announced in January 1961 that the Modell group would purchase the team for roughly $4 million, with Modell having contributed a portion from his own personal funds and also taking out a loan for several thousands of dollars more. Named as the chairman of the team, he was quoted at the time as having called the team "my only business and I am going to keep my hands on it."
Modell & Paul Brown (1961–1963) In Modell's first season as owner in 1961, though the number of each NFL team's regular-season games increased from 12 in to 14 in , the Browns won the same number of games that they had won in 1960: eight, which was only good enough for third place. Right before the start of the 1962 season, without Modell's knowledge, Brown traded away All-Pro Bobby Mitchell and first-round draft pick Leroy Jackson for Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, who had been selected first overall in the NFL draft by the Washington Redskins but refused to play for Redskins owner George Preston Marshall. Brown had enjoyed more or less a free hand in football matters for 16 years, and never told Modell about the trade. Modell first heard about the trade afterwards from Marshall, who was surprised to realize that Modell hadn't known about it. Modell recalled being told by Marshall that he "better get out of the business if you don't know what's going on in your own franchise." Modell proceeded to chide Brown about the deal made behind his back. Davis was shortly thereafter diagnosed with terminal leukemia, and some doctors felt that Davis playing football would not exacerbate his condition. He began a conditioning program in preparation to play in the regular season and desired to be a part of the team. Brown and Modell's working relationship was permanently strained after Brown then, against Modell's wishes, continuously refused to play Davis. Davis died the following year without ever playing a snap. By that point, the rift between Brown and some of his players, such as quarterback Milt Plum and Jim Brown, who openly questioned Brown's coaching methods and demeanor, grew too much to bear. Players took concerns to Modell. The new owner was closer to the players' age, and they felt they could better relate to him than the older, more disciplinarian head coach. Three weeks after a season that saw the Browns win seven games and finish in third place again, Modell had made up his mind. Modell fired Brown on January 9, 1963, which happened to occur in the middle of a newspaper strike in Cleveland. When asked at the time about his reasoning, he stated that there were two important ones among the "maybe 25 reasons why", which involved his belief that the maximum potential of the team was not being realized and that at least seven players were not willing to come back to the team for 1963 under the same conditions as 1962. He later named Brown's longtime assistant, Blanton Collier, as the new head coach on January 16, 1963.
Browns win NFL Championship Game (1964) After three non-playoff seasons, the 1964 Browns finished 10–3–1 and appeared in the 1964 NFL Championship Game against a heavily favored Don Shula-coached Baltimore Colts team with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas as its signal caller. The Browns beat the Colts 27–0 in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This particular Browns team consisted of many players initially drafted and acquired by Brown.
During the next 30 years in Cleveland, not a single Modell team would win the league title. The Browns would advance to the NFL/AFC championship title games six more times during his ownership in Cleveland and lose them all.
Modell's team promotions Using his background in advertising to market the team, Modell showed a flair for promotions, with one popular innovation coming in 1962 by scheduling pro football preseason doubleheaders at Cleveland Stadium. Modell also became active in NFL leadership, serving as NFL President from to , and using his television connections to help negotiate the league's increasingly lucrative television contracts. Under his tenure, the NFL Players Association was formally recognized by the owners in 1968 as a representative of the players that (after a brief strike) resulted in the first NFL collective bargaining agreement being reached.
It was he who agreed to move his team (alongside the Baltimore Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers) to the newly formed American Football Conference as part of the AFL–NFL merger in . Modell was willing to provide his team as an opponent for both the first prime time Thanksgiving game in 1966 and the opening Monday Night Football broadcast in 1970. He was chairman of the league Television Committee from 1962 to 1993. At the time he joined the committee, the league was negotiating deals for TV at a price of $14 million. By the time of the last deal Modell was involved with in , the league had made a television deal for $3.6 billion.
Community involvement in Cleveland area
Modell took an active role in Cleveland community life and was a leading fundraiser for charities and various Republican Party candidates. He married TV soap opera star Patricia Breslin in 1969, having previously been a well-known bachelor and man about town. For many years he was able to disarm newspaper and TV reporters with his quick wit. For example, with regard to the NFL's innovative policy of sharing all network television revenue on an equal basis per team, so that the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants each got an equal slice of the revenue, Modell joked that the NFL is run by "a bunch of fat-cat Republicans who vote socialist on football."
Player contract battles In the offseason after the 1965 season, Jim Brown was in England for the shooting of The Dirty Dozen. Modell threatened him with fines when it came to the question of missing portions of training camp. Insulted, Brown retired from football in July 1966.
In 1967, five African American members of the Browns involved in a contract dispute refused to report to training camp. Modell eventually traded or released four of the players, with only standout running back Leroy Kelly staying. Kelly would go on to "play out his option" but the restrictive nature of free agency in the NFL at the time severely limited his options. Subsequent contract battles included various stars and free agents that did not pan out. In 1977, the Browns drafted a punter, Tom Skladany, in the second round. His agent was Howard Slusher, who was described by Modell as a significant thorn in the side of pro football. When Modell wouldn't budge on the pay for Skladany in the contract discussion, Skladany sat out the whole season. Chip Banks, who won the 1982 Defensive Player of the Year honors with the team, went through consecutive contract holdouts (one of which was to try and negotiate a loan forgiven by Modell) and was even considered to be traded for a supplemental draft pick. It eventually resulted in a trade away from Cleveland.