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Bert Bell
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Bert Bell
Bell (center) with Washington Redskins owner George Marshall (right) presenting President Harry Truman an annual pass to NFL games in 1949
Position:
Head coach
Personal information
Born:
(1895-02-25)February 25, 1895
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died:
October 11, 1959(1959-10-11) (aged 64)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Career information
High school:
Haverford (PA) School
College:
Pennsylvania
Career history
As coach:
Penn (1920–1928)
Assistant
Temple (1930–1932)
Assistant
Philadelphia Eagles (1936–1940)
Head coach
Pittsburgh Steelers (1941)
Head coach
As administrator:
National Football League (1946–1959)
Commissioner
Career highlights and awards
Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame
Head coaching record
Regular season:
10–46–2 (.190)
Postseason:
0–0–0 (–)
Career:
10–46–2 (.190)
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Bert Bell
Allegiance
United States
Service/branch
U.S. Army
Years of service
1917–1918
Rank
First sergeant
Unit
Mobile Hospital Unit
Battles/wars
World War I
Western Front
Designations
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Official name
Bert Bell
Type
City
Designated
November 22, 1997[1]
Location
224-226 Haverford Ave., Narberth
Marker text
National Football League Commissioner, 1946-1959. Popularized professional football; elevated its ethical standards. Eagles owner; Steelers part-owner. Resided in Narberth. Frequented Davis's store here to discuss sport with local people, coaches, athletes.
De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was the National Football League (NFL) commissioner from 1945 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he introduced competitive parity into the NFL to improve the league's commercial viability and promote its popularity, and he helped make the NFL the most financially sound sports enterprise and preeminent sports attraction in the United States (US). He was posthumously inducted into the charter class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bell played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where as quarterback, he led his team to an appearance in the 1917 Rose Bowl. After being drafted into the US Army during World War I, he returned to complete his collegiate career at Penn and went on to become an assistant football coach with the Quakers in the 1920s. During the Great Depression, he was an assistant coach for the Temple Owls and a co-founder and co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
With the Eagles, Bell led the way in cooperating with the other NFL owners to establish the National Football League Draft in order to afford the weakest teams the first opportunity to sign the best available players. He subsequently became sole proprietor of the Eagles, but the franchise suffered financially. Eventually, he sold the team and bought a share in the Pittsburgh Steelers. During World War II, Bell astutely argued against the league suspending operations until the war's conclusion.
After the war, he was elected NFL commissioner and sold his ownership in the Steelers. As commissioner, he implemented a proactive anti-gambling policy, negotiated a merger with the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), and unilaterally crafted the entire league schedule with an emphasis on enhancing the dramatic effect of late-season matches. During the Golden Age of Television, he tailored the game's rules to strengthen its appeal to mass media and enforced a policy of blacking out local broadcasts of home contests to safeguard ticket receipts. Amid criticism from franchise owners and under pressure from Congress, he unilaterally recognized the NFLPA and facilitated in the development of the first pension plan for the players. He survived to oversee the "Greatest Game Ever Played" and to envision what the league would become in the future.
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life (1895–1932)
1.1 University of Pennsylvania (1914–1919)
1.2 Early career (1920–1932)
2 NFL career
2.1 Philadelphia Eagles (1933–1940)
2.2 Pittsburgh Steelers (1940–1945)
2.3 NFL commissioner (1946–1959)
2.3.1 Election, Hapes-Filchock, and the NFL schedule (1946–1948)
2.3.2 AAFC-NFL merger (1948–1950)
2.3.3 Marketing of the NFL (1950–1956)
2.3.4 Compromise with the NFLPA (1956–1957)
2.3.5 Final days (1958–1959)
3 Legacy and honors
4 Head coaching record
4.1 NFL
5 Published works
6 References
7 Bibliography
7.1 Primary materials
7.2 Secondary materials
8 Further reading
9 External links
Early life (1895–1932)[edit]
Bell was born de Benneville Bell,[2] on February 25, 1895,[3] in Philadelphia to John C. Bell and Fleurette de Benneville Myers.[4] His father was an attorney who served a term as the Pennsylvania Attorney General.[5] His older brother, John C., Jr., was born in 1892.[5] Bert's parents were very wealthy,[6] and his mother's lineage predated the American Revolutionary War.[7] His father, a Quaker of the University of Pennsylvania (class of 1884) during the early days of American football,[8] accompanied him to his first football game when Bell was six years old.[9] Thereafter, Bell regularly engaged in football games with childhood friends.[10]
In 1904, Bell matriculated at the Episcopal Academy, the Delancey School from 1909 to 1911 and then the Haverford School until 1914.[10] About this time, his father was installed as athletics director at Penn[9] and helped form the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[11] At Haverford, Bell captained the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams,[12] and "was awarded The Yale Cup [for being] 'The pupil who has done the most to promote athletics in the school.'"[13] Although he excelled at baseball, his devotion was to football.[14] His father, who was named a trustee at Penn in 1911,[15] said of Bell's plans for college, "Bert will go to Penn or he will go to hell."[11]
University of Pennsylvania (1914–1919)[edit]
Bell (left) with Penn teammates Ben Derr (center) and Joe Berry in 1916
Bell entered Penn in the fall of 1914 as an English major and joined Phi Kappa Sigma.[16][17] In a rare occurrence for a sophomore, he became the starting quarterback for Penn's coach George H. Brooke.[16] On the team, he also was as a defender, punter, and punt returner.[18] After the team's 3–0 start, Bell temporarily shared possession of his quarterbacking duties until he subsequently reclaimed them later in the season,[19] as Penn finished with a record of 3–5–2.[20]
Prior to Penn's 1916 season, his mother died while he was en route to her bedside.[21] Nevertheless, he started the first game for the Quakers under new coach Bob Folwell, but mixed results left him platooned for the rest of the season.[21] Penn finished with a record of 7–2–1.[20] However, the Quakers secured an invitation to the 1917 Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks.[22] Although the best offensive gain for Penn during their 20–14 loss to Oregon was a 20-yard run by Bell, he was replaced late in the game at quarterback after throwing an interception.[23]
In the 1917 season, Bell led Penn to a 9–2 record.[20] Afterwards, he registered with a Mobile Hospital Unit of the US Army for World War I and was deployed to France in May 1918.[24] As a result of his unit participating in hazardous duty, it received a congratulatory letter for bravery from General John J. Pershing,[24] and Bell was promoted to first sergeant.[25] After the war, Bell returned to the United States in March 1919.[24] He returned to Penn as captain of the team in the fall and again performed erratically.[25] The Quakers finished 1919 with a 6–2–1 record.[20] Academically, his aversion to attending classes forced him to withdraw from Penn without a degree in early 1920.[26] His collegiate days ended with his having been a borderline All-American,[27] but this period of his life had proven that he "possessed the qualities of a leader."[28]
Early career (1920–1932)[edit]
Bell assembled the Stanley Professionals in Chicago in 1920, but he disbanded it prior to playing any games because of negative publicity received by Chicago due the Black Sox Scandal.[29] He joined John Heisman's staff at Penn as an assistant coach in 1920, and Bell would remain there for several years.[30] At Penn, he was well regarded as a football coach, and after its 1924 season, he drew offers for, but declined, head-coaching assignments at other universities.[30] At least as early as 1926, his avocation was socializing[31] and frequenting Saratoga Race Course, where he counted as friends Tim Mara, Art Rooney, and George Preston Marshall.[32] In 1928, Bell tendered his resignation at Penn in protest over the emphasis of in-season scrimmages during practices by Lud Wray, a fellow assistant coach.[33] Bell's resignation was accommodated prior to the start of the 1929 season.[33]
Bell was then an employee of the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. At one point, he tried his hand as a stock broker and lost $50,000 (presently, $712,597) during the Wall Street Crash of 1929.[34] His father bailed him out of his deprivation, and he returned to working at the Ritz.[34] From 1930 until 1932, he was a backfield coach for the Temple Owls football team.[35] In 1932, Marshall tried to coax Bell into buying the rights to a NFL franchise, but Bell disparaged the league and ridiculed the idea.[36] When Pop Warner was hired to coach Temple for the 1933 season, Warner chose to hire his own assistants and Bell was let go.[37]
NFL career[edit]
Philadelphia Eagles (1933–1940)[edit]
By early 1933, Bell's opinion on the NFL had changed, and he wanted to become an owner of a team based in Philadelphia.[38] After being advised by the NFL that a prerequisite to a franchise being rendered in Philadelphia was that the Pennsylvania Blue Laws would have to be mollified,[39] he was the force majeure in lobbying to getting the laws deprecated.[39] He borrowed funds from Frances Upton,[40] partnered with Wray,[40] and he procured the rights to a franchise in Philadelphia[40] which he christened as the Philadelphia Eagles.[41]
After the inaugural 1933 Philadelphia Eagles season,[42] Bell married Upton at St. Madeleine Sophie Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia.[43] Days later, his suggestion to bestow the winner of the NFL championship game with the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was affirmed.[44] In 1934, the Eagles finished with a 4–7 record,[45] The Eagles' inability to seriously challenge other teams made it difficult to sell tickets,[46] and his failure to sign a talented college prospect[47] led him to adduce that the only way to bring stability to the league was to institute a draft to ensure the weakest teams had an advantage in signing the preeminent players.[48] In 1935, his proposal for a draft was accepted,[49] and in February 1936, the first draft kicked off, at which he acted as Master of Ceremonies.[50] Later that month, his first child, Bert Jr., was born.[51]
In the Eagles' first three years, the partners exhausted $85,000 (presently, $1,499,017),[52] and at a public auction, Bell became sole owner of the Eagles with a bid of $4,500 (presently, $79,360).[53] Austerity measures forced him to supplant Wray as head coach of the Eagles,[54] wherein Bell led the Eagles to an 1–11 finish, their worst record ever.[55] In December, an application for a franchise in Los Angeles was obstructed by Bell and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Rooney as they deemed it too far of a distance to travel for games.[56] During the Eagles' 2-8-1 1937 season,[57] his second child, John "Upton", was born.[58] In the Eagles' first profitable season, 1938, they posted a 5–6 record.[59] The Eagles finished 1–9–1 in 1939 and 1–10 in 1940.[60]
Pittsburgh Steelers (1940–1945)[edit]
In December 1940, Bell conciliated the sale of Rooney's Steelers to Alexis Thompson,[61] and then Rooney acquired half of Bell's interest in the Eagles.[62] In a series of events known as the Pennsylvania Polka,[61] Rooney and Bell exchanged their entire Eagles roster and their territorial rights in Philadelphia to Thompson for his entire Steelers roster and his rights in Pittsburgh.[63] Ostensibly, Rooney had provided assistance to Bell by rewarding him with a 20% commission on the sale of the Steelers.[64] Bell became the Steelers head coach and Rooney became the general manager.[65]
During the training camp of the Pittsburgh's inaugural season with the nickname Steelers, Bell was buoyant with optimism about the team's prospect, but he became crestfallen after Rooney denigrated the squad and flippantly remarked that they looked like the "[s]ame old Steelers" (SOS).[66] After losing the first two games of the 1941 season, Rooney compelled Bell into resigning as head coach.[67] Bell's coaching career ended with a 10–46–2 record, his 0.179 winning percentage is second lowest in NFL history to only Phil Handler's 0.105 for coaches with at least five seasons. And at 36 games under .500 he held the record for futility until John McKay passed him in 1983 and Marion Campbell passed him in 1988.[68][69] His first daughter and last child, Jane Upton, was born several months after the season's conclusion.[70]
By 1943, 40% of the NFL rosters had been drafted into the United States Armed Forces for World War II.[71] The resulting difficulty in fielding a full-strength squad led some owners to recommend the league should shut down until the war ended. Bell auspiciously argued against this as he feared they might not be able to resume operations easily after the war, and since Major League Baseball was continuing unabated, then they should also.[72]
Throughout Bell's affiliation with the Steelers, he suffered monetarily and Rooney bought an increasing allotment of the franchise from him.[73] Compounding Bell's problems, Arch Ward organized the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1944 to displace the NFL's sovereignty in professional football.[74] Ward's AAFC promptly began luring players to join the league,[75] which resulted in salaries being driven up drastically.[76] In Bill Dudley's contract proceedings with the Steelers, he attributed Bell's anxiety during the negotiations to the rivalry from the AAFC.[77] Furthermore, by the end of 1945, the Steelers were in their most economically perilous situation in its history.[78]
NFL commissioner (1946–1959)[edit]
Election, Hapes-Filchock, and the NFL schedule (1946–1948)[edit]
Elmer Layden was appointed the first NFL commissioner in 1941, but Ward appeared as dictating his hiring.[79] Layden tendered his resignation for personal reasons January 1946.[80] Bell, who was not well respected in Pittsburgh,[81] was elected to replace him.[82] He received a three-year contract at $20,000 ($250,990) per year,[83] and transacted a sale of his stake in the Steelers to Rooney,[84] albeit for a price Bell did not construe was full-value.[85] He was then immediately placed at the center of a controversy wherein the owners denied Dan Reeves permission to relocate the Cleveland Rams to Los Angeles.[86] Bell moderated a settlement, and, as a result, the Los Angeles Rams were formed.[86] As a precondition to the Rams leasing the Los Angeles Coliseum, they signed Kenny Washington, which marked the beginning of the end of racial segregation on the field, but also caused "'all hell to break loose'" amidst the owners.[87]
The drawing up of a regular season schedule had been a perennial source of contention among the NFL owners since the league's inception.[88] The crux of the problem was the scheduling of games meant weighing the interest of owners who, early in the season, wanted their franchises to confront teams that drew the largest crowds, versus owners who wanted to play the weaker franchises to pad their team's win-loss record.[89] The resultant impasse coerced the owners, in 1946, to confer upon Bell the sole discretion in developing the league's schedule.[90] He utilized this responsibility to, early in the season, pit the weaker teams against other weak teams, and the strong teams against other strong teams.[91] His goal was to augment game attendances by keeping the difference in team standings to a minimum as deep into the season as possible.[91]
On the eve of the 1946 championship game, Bell was notified that Merle Hapes and Frank Filchock of the New York Giants had been implicated in a bribing scandal.[92] Filchock was sanctioned by Bell to play in the game but Hapes was suspended.[93] At the next NFL owners' meeting, Bell was worried the repercussions from this event would lead to his firing.[94] However, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that his contract would be elevated to five years at $30,000 per year.[95] Reinvigorated with renewed support, he persuaded the owners to allow him to put sudden-death overtime into the playoffs.[96]
Subsequently, he wrote an anti-gambling resolution into the league constitution,[97] which empowered him with the ability to permanently ban any NFL associated personnel for betting on a game or for withholding information on a game being possibly fixed.[98] Furthermore, to obstruct gamblers from getting inside information, he secreted the names of officials he would assign to games,[94] and he directed each team to promulgate a precursory injury report which listed anyone who might not participate in a game.[99] Eventually, he lobbied to get every state in the US to criminalize the fixing of sporting events[100] and put employees on the payroll of the NFL to investigate potential betting scams.[101]
AAFC-NFL merger (1948–1950)[edit]
The NFL's struggle against the AAFC generated stress on wages,[102] attendance,[103] marketing,[104] and by 1949, it had prevented the NFL for showing a profit for three consecutive years.[105] Bell and representatives from both leagues met to attempt a merger, but their efforts were fruitless.[106] In an unrelated matter, he apprised the owners that attendance records had shown televising games locally had a negative impact on the sale of home tickets.[107] Nevertheless, he actualized the NFL's first television contract[108]—the 1949 championship game.[109] Simultaneously, he dealt with a lawsuit from Bill Radovich, who had been blacklisted for leaving the Lions and gaining employment with the AAFC.[110] Bell and the owners were advised by John C. Jr. that this lawsuit was potentially not winnable, and the ramifications from the outcome of the case weighed heavily on Bell.[111]
One of the primary impediments in an AAFC-NFL merger was the supposed violation of "territorial rights" claimed by Marshall.[112] Eventually, Bell gathered enough support to effectuate a compromise with the AAFC.[113] In late 1949, the leagues merged,[114] and Bell would stay on as commissioner[114] with his contract extended from five to ten years[115] as three AAFC teams (the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts) were subsumed.[114] Seeking to capitalize on the publicity of the residual rivalry, he utilized "exquisite dramatic" and business sense and allocated the 1950 opening game to a contest between the 1949 champion Eagles versus the perennial AAFC champion Browns.[116] Feeling financially secure after the merger, he purchased his first home for himself and his family in Narberth, Pennsylvania.[85]
Marketing of the NFL (1950–1956)[edit]
In 1950, Bell originated a blackout rule into the NFL which forbid all teams to televise their home games within a 75-mile radius of their stadium – except for the Rams.[117] Consequently, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation into a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.[118] Ensuingly, the Rams attendance for 1950 dropped off by 50%,[119] and this signaled a potential financial disaster.[120] In 1951, he licensed the DuMont Television Network to air the championship games for the next five years, and he stipulated that teams were free to develop their own television contracts independently.[121]
However, preceding 1951 season, he reimposed the blackout rule on all teams in the league.[122] The DOJ filed suit over this and Bell publicly retorted, "You can't give fans a game for free on TV and also expect them to go to the ballpark"; nevertheless, the suit was ordered to trial for January 1952.[123] After the 1951 season ended, he gained unilateral control over the setting of a television strategy for the NFL.[124] He negotiated a deal with DuMont, which granted it the rights to nationally broadcast one regular season game every week,[125] and he directed that the income from this contract was to be shared equally between all the teams.[126] In the DOJ's case, the judge ruled that the blackout policy was legal, but both Bell, and the franchises collectively, were enjoined from negotiating a TV contract;[127] Bell was ecstatic.[128] Later that year, Bell forced one of the owners of the Cleveland Browns to sell all of his shares in the team after Bell determined the owner had bet on Browns' football games.[129] Although he hated to fly,[130] at some indeterminate point, he visited the training camps of every team and lectured on the danger gamblers posed to the league.[131]
Bell authorized a Pro Bowl to be held at the end of each season in order to showcase the talents of the best players.[132] But in the early 1950s, on the field activities sometimes denigrated to borderline assault and battery[133] with teams' star players being viciously targeted by opposing players.[134] He answered charges the league was too savage by saying, "'I have never seen a maliciously dirty football player in my life and I don't believe there are any.'"[135] Nevertheless, he ordered broadcasts to follow a strict rule of conduct whereby TV announcers would not be permitted to criticize the game, and neither fights, nor injuries, could be televised by virtue in his belief that announcers were "'salesman for professional football [and] we do not want kids believing that engaging in fights is the way to play football.'"[136]
Bell was criticized for censoring TV broadcasts, a charge he dismissed as not pertinent because he believed he was not impeding the print media but only advertising a product.[137] After CBS and NBC gained the rights to broadcast the games in 1956,[138] he advised the franchises to avoid criticizing the games or the officials, and forewarned that TV would give "'us our greatest opportunity to sell the NFL and everyone must present to the public the greatest games ... combined with the finest sportsmanship.'"[139] This relationship with television was the beginning of the NFL's rise to becoming America's most popular sport.[140]
Compromise with the NFLPA (1956–1957)[edit]
In Radovich v. National Football League, the Supreme Court ruled in Radovich's favor and declared the NFL was subject to antitrust laws,[141] and the implication was that the legality of the draft and reserve clause were dubious.[142] Bell pressed a case in the media that the NFL should be exempted from antitrust regulations and proffered the league was a sport and not a business.[143] He invited an investigation from Congress with respect to the court's ruling.[144] The House Judiciary committee, chaired by Emanuel Celler—who believed the draft was illegal and should be abolished, convened in July 1957 to discuss the ramifications of the Radovich decision.[145] Red Grange and Bell testified at the committee's solicitation and argued the draft was essential to the sport's success.[146] Representatives of the NFLPA contradicted these statements and said the draft and the reserve clause were anti-labor, and it seemed as if Congress was going to accept their position.[147] Faced with Congressional opposition, Bell formally recognized the NFLPA and declared he would negotiate with its representatives.[147]
However, Bell was speaking only for himself and without the auspices of the owners.[148] At the next owners' meeting, Rooney admonished they either had to recognize the NFLPA or remove Bell as commissioner.[149] In order to do this, they had to agree in a vote that required a super-majority.[150] Bell unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the owners to permit the NFLPA to act as a bargaining agent for the players.[151] However, he did reach a compromise with the owners to get them to acquiesce to some of the NFLPA's requests for salary standards and health benefits.[151]
Final days (1958–1959)[edit]
For the 1958 season, the durations of timeouts was extended from 60 to 90 seconds[152] and Bell mandated officials call a few TV timeouts during each game — a change which triggered criticism from sportswriters.[153] The 1958 championship game became the first NFL championship game decided in overtime[154] and it was considered to be the greatest football game ever played.[155] The game further increased football's marketability to television advertising,[156] and the drama associated with overtime was the catalyst.[157] Years later, after witnessing Bell openly crying after the game, Raymond Berry attributed it to Bell's realization of the impact the game would have on the prevalence of the sport.[158]
The death of Mara in February 1959 unsettled Bell and he experienced a heart attack later that month.[159] He converted to Catholicism in the summer of 1959 because of the lifelong urging of his wife,[100] Mara's death, and his enduring friendship with Rooney,[160] a practicing Catholic.[161] Bell was advised by his doctor to avoid going to football games, to which he quipped, "I'd rather die watching football than in my bed with my boots off."[159] Bell and his children attended an Eagles game at Franklin Field on October 11, 1959.[162] The Eagles held complimentary box seats for him and guests to watch the game, but he preferred to buy his own tickets and sit with the other fans.[162] Sitting behind the end zone during the fourth quarter of the game, he suffered a heart attack and died later that day.[163]
Afterwards, he was remembered as "a man of buoyant joviality, with a rough and ready wit, laughter and genuine humility and honesty, clearly innocent of pretense and [pretension]."[164] His funeral was held at Narberth's St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church and Monsignor Cornelius P. Brennan delivered the eulogy, as close friends and admirers attended the mass.[165] Dominic Olejniczak and all the extant owners of the NFL franchises were pallbearers.[166] Bell was interred at Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.[167]
Legacy and honors[edit]
Bell was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame,[168] the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame,[169] the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame,[170] and Haverford's Athletic Hall of Fame.[13] The Maxwell Football Club, which he founded in 1937,[171] has presented the best NFL player of the year with the Bert Bell Award since 1959.[172] The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl was exhibited in his honor from 1960 through 1969.[168]
Though his career spanned the desegregation and reintegration of the NFL, as an owner, he never had an African American on any of his teams, but Bert Jr. believed the mere discussion of whether his father was prejudiced was absurd.[100] Bell's handling of the merger with the AAFC was acclaimed as a personal triumph.[173] Although he did not have the wherewithal to prevent the wholesale betting on games,[174] he was proactive in ensuring games were not tampered with by gamblers,[175] and he created the foundation of the contemporary NFL anti-gambling policy.[176]
Bell was criticized as being too strict with his refusal to let sold-out games to be televised locally.[177] Nevertheless, his balancing of television broadcasts against protecting game attendance made the NFL the "healthiest professional sport in America",[94] and he was the "leading protagonist in pro football's evolution into America's major sport."[178] He had understood that the league needed a cooperative television contract with revenue-sharing, but he failed to overcome the obstacles to achieve it.[179] He was portrayed by sportswriters as ensuring the owners treated the players fairly,[180] and his decision to recognize the NFLPA in the face of adversity from owners was a "master stroke" in thwarting Congressional intervention.[147] After he initiated terms for a pension plan with the players in 1959, little progress was made with the NFLPA,[181][182] however, the first players' pension plan-the Bert Bell National Football League Retirement Plan, was approved in 1962.[183]
Bell's implementation of the draft did not show immediate results,[184] but it was "the single greatest contributor to the [league]'s prosperity" in its first eighty-four years.[185] His original version of the draft was later ruled unconstitutional,[186] but his anchoring of the success of the league to competitive balance has been "hailed by contemporaries and sports historians".[187] Bell had often said, "[o]n any given Sunday, any team in the NFL can beat any other team."[188]
Head coaching record[edit]
NFL[edit]
Team
Year
Regular season
Postseason
Won
Lost
Ties
Win %
Finish
Won
Lost
Win %
Result
PHI
1936
1 11 0 .083 5th in NFL Eastern – – – –
PHI
1937
2 8 1 .227 5th in NFL Eastern – – – –
PHI
1938
5 6 0 .455 4th in NFL Eastern – – – –
PHI
1939
1 9 1 .136 5th in NFL Eastern – – – –
PHI
1940
1 10 0 .091 5th in NFL Eastern – – – –
PHI Total
10
44
2
.196
–
–
–
–
PIT
1941
0 2 0 .000 5th in NFL Eastern – – – –
PIT Total
0
2
–
.000
–
–
–
–
Total
10
46
2
.190
–
–
–
–
Published works[edit]
Bell, Bert, "The Money Game." Liberty Magazine, XIII (November 28, 1936), pp. 59–60.
Bell, Bert, "Offensive Football." Popular Football, (Winter 1941), p. 111.
Bell, Bert, "This is Commissioner Bell Speaking." Pro Football Illustrated, XII (1952), pp. 60–63.
Bell, Bert; with Martin, Paul, "Do the Gamblers Make a Sucker Out of You?." Saturday Evening Post, CCXXI (November 6, 1948), p. 28.
Bell, Bert; with Pollock, Ed, "Let's Throw Out the Extra Point." Sport, XV (October 1953), p. 24–25.[189]
Bell, Bert (1957). The Story of Professional Football in Summary. Bala Cynwyd, PA: National Football League.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Bert Bell". PHMC Historical Markers. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Didinger with Lyons: 6; cf. Claassen: 163, Yost: 54
Jump up ^ MacCambridge: 41; cf. Didinger with Lyons: 6, Rothe: 34, King: 20, Lyons: 1
Jump up ^ Lyons: 1; cf. Didinger with Lyons: 6
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 3
Jump up ^ MacCambridge 2005: 41; cf. Lyons: 1–3
Jump up ^ Lyons: 2
Jump up ^ "Penn Football: Origins to 1901".
^ Jump up to: a b Sullivan: 23–24
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 3–4.
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 2–3, 5.
Jump up ^ Lyons: 4; cf. King: 21.
^ Jump up to: a b "Bert Bell heads Haverford School Hall of Fame induction class". Main Line Times. Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. 14 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012.
Jump up ^ Lyons: 5
Jump up ^ Marquis: 286
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 5–7
Jump up ^ Rothe: 34
Jump up ^ Zeitlin, Dave (July 28, 2009). "The Man Who Modernized Pro Football".
Jump up ^ Lyons: 6–7
^ Jump up to: a b c d MacCambridge 2009: 1080
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons:7-8
Jump up ^ King: 21; cf. Lyons: 9
Jump up ^ Lyons: 10
^ Jump up to: a b c Lyons: 11–15
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 16–20.
Jump up ^ "All American Selection Quits Quaker College". New-York Tribune. 1920-01-13. p. 12. ; cf. Lyons: 20–21, MacCambridge 2005: 42, Willis: 310–311
Jump up ^ Lyons: 20; cf. Umphlett: 143–144
Jump up ^ "How Did it Strike You". Evening Public Ledger. 1922-11-17. p. 30. ; cf. Colleges Already Preparing for Football by Cleaning Out Cash Registers and Polishing Up Stars
Jump up ^ "Widespread Baseball Probe Harmful for Pro Grid Sport; Bell Disbands Local Eleven". Evening Public Ledger. 1920-10-05. p. 18. ; cf. Stanley Football Team Disbands
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 22–23.
Jump up ^ Lyons: 23–29
Jump up ^ Lyons writes, against all common sense, it was Jack Mara, Tim's son, as the person he befriended. Lyons: 23, 29
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 25–27
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 30–32
Jump up ^ "Bell Signed by Temple". The New York Times. 1929-12-04. p. 42. ; cf. Rothe: 34, Lyons: 28, Willis: 310
Jump up ^ Lyons: 49
Jump up ^ Lyons: 28; cf. MacCambridge 2009: 1081
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 56, 95.
^ Jump up to: a b Westcott: 101; cf. Willis: 303–304, Algeo: 13–15, Ruck; Patterson, and Weber: 95
^ Jump up to: a b c Lyons: 46–47; cf. Claassen: 336, MacCambridge 2005: 42, Peterson: 112, Westcott: 101
Jump up ^ Lyons: 47; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 42
Jump up ^ Willis: 310–311; cf. Coenen: 237, Didinger with Lyons: 255
Jump up ^ Lyons: 33–38, 41.
Jump up ^ Willis: 327–328
Jump up ^ Didinger with Lyons: 255
Jump up ^ Lyons: 54
Jump up ^ Lyons: 56; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 43
Jump up ^ Peterson: 119; cf. Williams: 41
Jump up ^ Willis: 341–343; cf. Lyons: 57–58, DeVito: 84, Didinger with Lyons: 256
Jump up ^ Williams: 41–42; cf. Peterson: 119
Jump up ^ Lyons: 60
Jump up ^ MacCambridge 2005: 43; cf. Lyons: 63
Jump up ^ MacCambridge 2005: 43; cf. Claassen: 335, Lyons: 63
Jump up ^ Lyons: 63; cf. Claassen: 342
Jump up ^ ;Didinger with Lyons: 256
Jump up ^ Willis: 355
Jump up ^ Didinger with Lyons: 257
Jump up ^ Lyons: 70
Jump up ^ Lyons: 72–73.
Jump up ^ Didinger with Lyons: 258
^ Jump up to: a b Algeo: 16
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 183–184; cf. Herskowitz: 149, Lyons: 81–82
Jump up ^ Lyons: 87; Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 187
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 303; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 45
Jump up ^ Ruck; with Patterson and Weber: 187; cf. Lyons: 88, MacCambridge 2005: 45
Jump up ^ "Rooney and Bell Views Differ After Early Look at Steelers". August 10, 1941. ; cf. Claassen: 247, Lyons: 90, Leblanc: 62
Jump up ^ Lyons: 90–91
Jump up ^ "Coaches, Records, and Coaching Totals".
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 225; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 45
Jump up ^ Lyons: 92
Jump up ^ Algeo: 29, 35, 46.
Jump up ^ DeVito: 103
Jump up ^ Rooney; Halaas and Masich: 71
Jump up ^ MacCambridge 2005: 13; cf. Davis 2005: 196–197
Jump up ^ Davis 2005: 199; cf. Piascik: 11, Littlewood 166, Staudohar: 56
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 228; cf. Davis 2005: 200–201
Jump up ^ Whittingham: 229
Jump up ^ Claassen: 251–252
Jump up ^ Littlewood: 133
Jump up ^ Davis 2005: 199; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 15, Peterson: 159
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 225; cf. Davis 2005: 201
Jump up ^ Williams: 41; cf. Lyons: 116–117, MacCambridge 2005: 15
Jump up ^ "Layden Quits; Bell New Czar". Milwaukee Sentinel. 1946-01-12.
Jump up ^ Lyons: 114
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 166–167
^ Jump up to: a b MacCambridge 2005: 15–16; cf. Davis 2005: 201–202, Yost: 57–58: Lyons: 117–118
Jump up ^ Rathet; Brown: 210
Jump up ^ Willis: 302, 303, 308, 371, 383
Jump up ^ Yost: 61; cf. Sullivan: 26.
Jump up ^ MacCambridge 2005: 40; cf. Maule: 242, Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 248
^ Jump up to: a b Sullivan: 26; Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 248
Jump up ^ "Merle Hapes, 75, Ex-Giant Fullback". The New York Times. July 21, 1994. ; cf. Coenen: 127, Peterson: 159–160, MacCambridge 2005: 48, Pervin: 15, Lyons: 130
Jump up ^ Lyons: 130–131; cf. Pervin: 16, Davis 2005 p. 207
^ Jump up to: a b c Hirschberg, Al (1958-11-23). "He Calls the Signals in Pro Football". The New York Times Magazine. pp. 23+.
Jump up ^ Lyons: 129
Jump up ^ Lyons: 289; cf. DeVito: 83, Willis: 301, Maule: 242
Jump up ^ Lyons: 131–132; cf: Bell Planning Campaign to Kill Gambling
Jump up ^ Lyons: 203–204; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 48–49
Jump up ^ Lyons: 134–135; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 48–49
^ Jump up to: a b c Lyons: 142
Jump up ^ Yost: 60; cf. Daley: 193
Jump up ^ Lyons: 129; cf. Davis 2005: 203–204
Jump up ^ Coenen: 125–126
Jump up ^ Coenen: 125
Jump up ^ Lyons: 171
Jump up ^ Piascik: 125; cf. Lyons: 146
Jump up ^ Coenen: 154
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 290
Jump up ^ Lyons: 156–157
Jump up ^ Lyons and the New York Times incorrectly list Radovich for playing with the Los Angeles Seals. U.S. House Committee III, 1957, pp. 2778–2779; cf. Piascik: 27, Carrol with Gersham, Neft, and Thorn: 1197, Lyons: 154
Jump up ^ Lyons: 154–155
Jump up ^ Heller, Dick (25 October 1997). "Washington-Baltimore should be a hatefest for the ages". The Washington Times. HighBeam Research (subscription required). Retrieved 16 March 2013.
Jump up ^ Davis 2005: 229
^ Jump up to: a b c Lyons: 150, 163; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 52
Jump up ^ Lyons: 147
Jump up ^ Peterson: 191–192; cf: Brown with Clary: 197
Jump up ^ Coenen: 154; cf. Davis 2005: 259–260, 266, 268–269, LaBlanc p. 10.
Jump up ^ Coenen: 157.
Jump up ^ Peterson: 197; cf. Hessions: 45, MacCambridge 2005: 70
Jump up ^ Rader: 86–87
Jump up ^ Hall, Dan (1951-05-22). "Hallucinations". St. Petersburg Times. p. 17. [Bell said the] $475,000 [received from the contract] goes into the players' pool. ; cf. Pro Football and DuMont Sign a $475,000 TV Pact, MacCambridge 2005: 73, 480, Rader: 86–87; contra: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Lyons and Patton report the title game receipts were only $75,000 for the 1951 NFL Championship Game. Fans Rush for Tickets to NFL Game, Lyons: 179, Patton: 35
Jump up ^ Davis 2005: 271; cf. MacCambridge, 2005: 73
Jump up ^ Coenen: 157–158
Jump up ^ Rader: 86; cf. Peterson: 197
Jump up ^ "Westinghouse to Sponsor Professional TV Football". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 14, 1953. ; cf. Lyons: 196
Jump up ^ Coenen; 156, 162; cf. Lyons: 196
Jump up ^ Patton: 55; cf. Peterson: 198, Lyons: 199–200
Jump up ^ Rader: 86
Jump up ^ Brown with Clary: 230–232
Jump up ^ Patton: 48
Jump up ^ U.S. House Committee III, 1957, p. 2587; cf. Summerall with Levin: 36–37
Jump up ^ Brown with Clary: 214
Jump up ^ Ratterman; with Deindorfer: 125
Jump up ^ Graham, Otto (October 11, 1954). "Football Is Getting Too Vicious". Sports Illustrated. ; cf. Piascik: 155
Jump up ^ Maule, Tex (January 21, 1957). "I Don't Believe There Is Dirty Football". Sports Illustrated.
Jump up ^ King: 37; cf. I Don't Believe There Is Dirty Football
Jump up ^ Lyons: 282
Jump up ^ Patton: 37; cf Rader: 87
Jump up ^ Maraniss: 168–169
Jump up ^ Lomax: 16
Jump up ^ Coenen: 182; cf. Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 293
Jump up ^ Coenen: 182; cf. Lyons: 255–256
Jump up ^ Lyons: 261
Jump up ^ "Pro Football Would Welcome Probe, Says NFL Commissioner Bert Bell". The Tuscaloosa News. February 27, 1957. p. 8.
Jump up ^ Carroll: 199
Jump up ^ U.S. House Committee III, 1957, p. 2596; cf. Carroll: 199
^ Jump up to: a b c Larsen, Lloyd (2 Aug 1957). "Bell's Player Recognition Could be Real Winner for Pro Football". The Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2:3.
Jump up ^ Rooney; Halaas and Masich: 78
Jump up ^ Rooney; Halaas and Masich, 2007, p. 78.
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 294; cf. U.S. House Committee III, 1957, p. 2580a–2580at
^ Jump up to: a b Staudohar, 1986, 63; cf. Oriard: 57
Jump up ^ Gifford; with Richmond: 121; cf. Maule: 245
Jump up ^ Powers: 84
Jump up ^ Gifford uses literary license when he writes "The overtime rule had been instituted for this game ..." p. 210 Gifford; with Richmond: 207–208, 210, 214
Jump up ^ Maule, Tex (January 19, 1959). "Here's Why It Was The Best Football Game Ever". Sports Illustrated. ; cf. Gifford; with Richmond: 230
Jump up ^ Patton: 41
Jump up ^ Powers: 88; cf. Gifford; with Richmond: 213
Jump up ^ Gifford; with Richmond: 229; cf. Greatest Game: Remembering '58 NFL finale, The Man Who Modernized Pro Football
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 308
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 311
Jump up ^ Rooney; Halaas and Masich: 26; cf. Ruck; Patterson, and Weber: 84
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 275
Jump up ^ Bernstein, Ralph (October 12, 1959). "Heart Attack Is Fatal To Bert Bell". Times Daily. Other authors alternately list his age at death (e.g., Ruck p. 313, Lyons p. 306) and his date of death (Lyons p. 306).
Jump up ^ Red Smith (1959-10-14). "Bell Never Got Too Big to Laugh at Himself". Milwaukee Journal. p. 18.
Jump up ^ Lyons: 312
Jump up ^ "Bell Funeral This Morning". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 14, 1959. ; cf. Lyons: 311–312
Jump up ^ Lyons: 311–312
^ Jump up to: a b Lyons: 315
Jump up ^ "Penn Athletics Hall of Fame". Penn Athletics. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011.
Jump up ^ "Inductees". Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012.
Jump up ^ Rooney; Halaas and Masich: 238
Jump up ^ Pagano, Robert (May 1998). "Robert 'Tiny' Maxwell" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. I (IV): 1–3. ; cf. Lyons: 314
Jump up ^ MacCambridge 2005: 53; cf. Brown with Clary:194
Jump up ^ Oriard: 13; cf. Gifford with Richmond: 29, Brown with Clary: 230–232
Jump up ^ Lyons: 131–132; cf. MacCambridge 2005: 48–49
Jump up ^ Yost: 60–61
Jump up ^ "Wonderful World Of Sport". Sports Illustrated. January 6, 1958. ; cf. Coenen: 167, Detroit Free Press
Jump up ^ Ruck; Patterson and Weber: 222
Jump up ^ Patton: 52–53; cf. Herskowitz Spreading the wealth rings a Bell
Jump up ^ Riger with Maule: 9
Jump up ^ Berry deprecates the importance of the NFL's agreement to a pension plan with the owners in 1959. Berry; with Gould and Staudohar, 1986, p. 96.
Jump up ^ Staudohar writes: "In 1959 the [NFLPA] achieved another breakthrough when it persuaded the owners to provide a pension plan for the players." Staudohar, 1986, p. 63.
Jump up ^ "NFL Adopts Pensions for Five Year Vets". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. May 25, 1962.
Jump up ^ Coenen: 90; cf. MacCambridge 2005,: 41
Jump up ^ Yost: 55
Jump up ^ Staudohar: 79–81; cf. Smith v. Pro Football, Inc., 420 F. Supp. 738, 593 F. 2d 1173 (1978)
Jump up ^ Coenen: 89
Jump up ^ Lyons: 287; cf. MacCambridge 2005, 107
Jump up ^ Smith: 156
Bibliography[edit]
Primary materials[edit]
Lyons, Robert S. (2010). On Any Given Sunday, A Life of Bert Bell. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-59213-731-2
Secondary materials[edit]
When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi, by David Maraniss, 1999, ISBN 978-0-618-90499-0
Organized Professional Team Sports: Part 1. United States House Committee on the Judiciary I, Subcommittee on Antitrust (1957).
Organized Professional Team Sports: Part 3. United States House Committee on the Judiciary III, Subcommittee on Antitrust (1957).
District Judge Allan Kuhn Grim (1953-11-12). "United States v. National Football League, 116 F. Supp. 319 – Dist. Court, ED Pennsylvania 1953".
Algeo, Matthew (2006). Last Team Standing. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81472-3
Berry, Robert C.; with Gould, William B. and Staudohar, Paul D. (1986). Labor Relations in Professional Sports. Dover, MA: Auburn House Pub. Co. ISBN 0-86569-137-1
Brown, Paul; with Clary, Jack (1979). PB, the Paul Brown Story. New York: Atheneum.
Carroll, Bob; with Gershman, Michael, Neft, David, and Thorn, John (1999). Total Football:The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-270174-6
Carroll, John M. (1999). Red Grange and the Rise of Modern Football. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02384-6
Claassen, Harold (Spike) (1963). The History of Professional Football. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Coenen, Craig R. (2005). From Sandlots to the Super Bowl: The National Football League, 1920–1967. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-447-9
Daley, Arthur (1963). Pro Football's Hall of Fame. New York: Grosset and Dunlap.
Danzig, Allison (1956). The History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players, and Coaches. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Davis, Jeff (2005). Papa Bear, The Life and Legacy of George Halas. New York: McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-146054-3
DeVito, Carlo (2006). Wellington: the Maras, the Giants, and the City of New York. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-872-9
Didinger, Ray; with Lyons, Robert S. (2005). The Eagles Encyclopedia. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-449-1
Gifford, Frank; with Richmond, Peter (2008). The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-171659-1
Herskowitz, Mickey (1990). The Golden Age of Pro Football. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87833-751-2
Hession, Joseph (1987). The Rams: Five Decades of Football. San Francisco: Foghorn Press. ISBN 0-935701-40-0
Hibner, John Charles (1993). The Rose Bowl, 1902–1929. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. ISBN 0-89950-775-1
King, Joe (1958). Inside Pro Football. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Layden, Elmer; with Snyder, Ed (1969). It Was a Different Game: The Elmer Layden Story. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall, Inc.
LaBlanc, Michael L.; with Ruby, Mary K. (1994). Professional Sports Team Histories: Football. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. ISBN 0-8103-8861-8
Levy, Alan H. (2003). Tackling Jim Crow, Racial Segregation in Professional Football. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., Inc. ISBN 0-7864-1597-5
Littlewood, Thomas B. (1990). Arch: A Promoter, not a Poet: The Story of Arch Ward. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-0277-6
Lomax, Michael E. (April 2001). "Conflict and Compromise: The Evolution of American Professional Football's Labour Relations 1957–1966" (PDF). Football Studies. 4 (1): 5–39.
MacCambridge, Michael (2005). America's Game. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 978-0-307-48143-6
MacCambridge, Michael (2009). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game. New York: ESPN Books, Inc. ISBN 1-4013-3703-1
Marquis, Albert Nelson (1934). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States, Vol., 18, 1934–1935, Two Years. Chicago: The A. N. Marquis Company.
Maule, Tex (1964). The Game; The Official Picture History of the National Football League. New York: Random House
Oriard, Michael (2007). Brand NFL: Making and Selling America's Favorite Sport. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-3142-7
Patton, Phil (1984). Razzle-Dazzle: The Curious Marriage of Television and Professional Football. Garden City, NY: The Dial Press. ISBN 0-385-27879-9
Paul, William Henry (1974). The Gray-Flannel Pigskin: Movers and Shakers of Pro Football. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Pervin, Lawrence A. (2009). Football's New York Giants. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4268-3
Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507607-9
Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
Powers, Ron (1984). Supertube: The Rise of Television Sports. New York: Coward-McCann. ISBN 0-698-11253-9
Rader, Benjamin G. (1984). In its Own Image: How Television Has Transformed Sports. New York: The Free Press. ISBN 0-02-925700-X
Rathet, Mike; with Smith, Don R. (1984). Their Deeds and Dogged Faith. New York: Balsam Press. ISBN 0-917439-02-3
Ratterman, George; with Deindorfer, Robert G. (1962). Confessions of a Gypsy Quarterback; Inside the Wacky World of Pro Football. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc.
Riger, Robert; with Maule, Tex (1960). The Pros. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Rooney, Dan; with Halaas, David F. and Masich, Andrew E. (2007). My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-7867-2603-5
Rothe, Anna; with Prodrick, Elizabeth (1951). "Bert Bell" in Current Biography: Who's News and Why 1950. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company.
Ruck, Rob; with Patterson, Maggie Jones and Weber, Michael P. (2010). Rooney: A Sporting Life. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2283-0
Smith, Myron J. Jr. (1993). Professional Football: The Official Pro Football Hall of Fame Bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-28928-X
Staudohar, Paul D. (1986). The Sports Industry and Collective Bargaining. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press. ISBN 0-87546-117-4
Sullivan, George (1968). Pro Football's All Time Greats. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Summerall, Pat; with Levin, Michael (2010). Giants: What I Learned about Life from Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-0-470-90908-9
Umphlett, Wiley Lee (1992). Creating the Big Game: John W. Heisman and the Invention of American Football. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-28404-0
Westcott, Rich (2001). A Century of Philadelphia Sports. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-861-4
Whittingham, Richard (2002). What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8032-9819-4
Williams, Pete (2006). The Draft: A Year Inside the NFL's Search for Talent. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-35438-1
Willis, Chris (2010). The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-7669-9
Yost, Mark (2006). Tailgating, Sacks and Salary Caps. Chicago: Kaplan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4195-2600-8
Further reading[edit]
Biography portal
Philadelphia portal
World War I portal
Lower Merion Historical Society (2000). The first 300 : the amazing and rich history of Lower Merion. Ardmore, Pa. : The Society
External links[edit]
Bert Bell at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Bert Bell at Find a Grave
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Bride Wars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the 2009 U.S. romcom film. For the 2015 Chinese film, see Bride Wars (2015 film).
Bride Wars
Promotional film poster
Directed by
Gary Winick
Produced by
Kate Hudson
Matt Luber
Alan Riche
Peter Riche
Julie Yorn
Screenplay by
Greg DePaul
June Diane Raphael
Casey Wilson
Story by
Greg DePaul
Starring
Kate Hudson
Anne Hathaway
Candice Bergen
Chris Pratt
Bryan Greenberg
Steve Howey
Kristen Johnston
Music by
Edward Shearmur
Cinematography
Frederick Elmes
Edited by
Susan Littenberg
Production
company
Fox 2000 Pictures
Regency Enterprises
New Regency
Firm Films
Dune Entertainment
Distributed by
20th Century Fox
Release date
January 9, 2009 (2009-01-09)
Running time
89 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$30 million
Box office
$114.7 million[1]
Bride Wars is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick and written by Greg DePaul, June Diane Raphael, and Casey Wilson.[2] The film stars Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Candice Bergen, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey, and Kristen Johnston.
A Chinese remake of the same name was released in 2015.[3]
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
3.1 Music
4 Reception
4.1 Critical reception
4.2 Box office performance
5 Awards
5.1 Won
5.2 Nominated
6 References
7 External links
Plot[edit]
Emma Allen and Olive 'Liv' Lerner are best friends who have planned every detail of their weddings, since first witnessing a wedding 20 years ago at the Plaza Hotel. They both have made it a priority to be married in the same location in June.
The two get engaged at 26, and are expected to be each other's maid of honor. They schedule their weddings with New York's most famous wedding planner, Marion St. Claire, but due to a clerical error they are scheduled to have a wedding on the same day, June 6 (three and a half months later). A week of passive aggressive hostility passes before the two women make it clear that neither will compromise, especially after the headstrong Liv hopes that Emma's passive nature would end their wait of who will surrender their date while Emma rejects the suggestion of a double wedding as she wants a day that is all about herself rather than sharing everything with Liv. Emma's fiancé, Fletcher, begins to show signs of being controlling. The two women declare war after a slight misunderstanding that Liv already set her wedding date, outraging Emma who sets her date as well, which Liv becomes aware of at their shared shower party. The two exchange threats and insults in front of their friends who decide not to take sides.
Both women attempt to sabotage each other's wedding, including Liv changing Emma's dance instructor, Emma secretly sending Liv candy to make her too fat to fit into her dress, Liv making Emma's tan turn bright orange, Emma tampering with Liv's hair dye to turn Liv's hair a shocking blue-white color, Liv registering Emma on Babies-R-Us as pregnant, and Emma showing up to Liv's bachelorette party to out-dance her. Emma and Fletcher get into an argument regarding Emma's maniac behavior of sabotaging Liv's wedding and their friendship, including how Emma has changed since they first met. Emma and Fletcher are shown to undergo strains in their relationship because of Emma's new found opinionated and confident trait, a depart from her usual people-pleasing characteristics. Liv has learned to be more sensitive and expressive, which gives her a sense of relief to finally have the luxury of being able to let go and be less controlling. However, due to her stress about the wedding and strained friendship with Emma, she ends up demoted.
Both brides-to-be are shown to be in the Plaza very shortly before they are due to be wed, separately. Right before Liv leaves to begin her march to the altar, she encounters Emma's father and receives his blessing; immediately she regrets setting up a wild spring break DVD to play at Emma's wedding. She sends her assistant Kevin to replace the DVD with the right one, filled with childhood memories. Thinking that the DVD is for a prank, he does not do so. Before the brides enter their respective venues, they share a moment of reconciliation as they both smile at each other.
Emma begins her walk down the aisle but stops when the footage of her spring break is shown. She loses her temper and tackles Liv after sprinting to the other section of the Plaza. The two brides wrestle in their dresses on the floor while the people closest to the brides having decided to let the brides resolve the problem. After tussling, Emma and Liv lie on the ground panting, and then make up. Emma stands up and walks over to Fletcher who is upset at Emma's behavior. Emma tells him that she is not the same person he fell in love with ten years ago and that she has now changed, as it has been apparent that she learned to be more assertive. With that, the two tearfully call off their wedding. Liv's wedding resumes with Emma participating and dancing with Nate, Liv's brother and a well known magazine journalist.
The movie picks up a year later when Liv and Emma meet up for drinks, where it's revealed that Emma married Nate. Emma and Liv also reveal to each other that they are pregnant and that their due dates are the same, March 3, and both friends get excited.
Cast[edit]
Kate Hudson as Olive "Liv" Lerner, a successful attorney at Ropes & Gray who is used to getting her way, and won't settle for anything else. She attempts to be perfect instead of taking things lightly, ever since her parents died when she was a child. It was shown that she is protective and extremely caring of Emma.
Zoe O'Grady as Young Liv
Anne Hathaway as Emma Allen, a middle school teacher who takes care of everyone, but forgets about having some time for herself due to her sweet but slightly meek nature. Liv remarked that she is the one who always "gives in" when they both have conflicts with each other.
Shannon Ferber as Young Emma
Chris Pratt as Fletcher Flemson, Emma's fiance. Fletcher is an accountant and the two of them met ten years prior to the film's events. Throughout the film, he is shown to be very controlling, becoming aggravated by Emma's assertive behavior, and begins to have a lot of differences with her.
Bryan Greenberg as Nathan "Nate" Lerner, Liv's younger brother who is in love with Emma.
Steve Howey as Daniel Williams, Liv's fiance and a hedge fund manager. Unlike Fletcher and Emma, he became closer with Liv during the wedding planning process and embraced his fiance's changes in her attitude particularly her newly discovered vulnerability.
Candice Bergen as Marion St. Claire, New York's most sought-after wedding planner, to whom both girls turn when planning their wedding. She also serves as the narrator of the story.
Kristen Johnston as Deb: An obnoxious, lazy woman who is one of Emma's colleagues. She continually unloads her entire workload on Emma. She eventually becomes Emma's maid of honor. She is the one who suggested to Emma that she should fatten Liv with expensive chocolates.
Michael Arden as Kevin, Liv's assistant at work, whom she recruits to be her "Mister of Honor." He gave Liv the suggestion that she should mess up with Emma's dance lessons by replacing her instructor with an eccentric one. He is seen getting romantically involved with Amie near the end of the film.
June Diane Raphael as Amanda, a friend of Emma and Liv's who gets married at the start of the film. She is shown to be frank and expresses her regret in getting married in comical ways, ending with her and her husband getting divorced at the end of the film.
Casey Wilson as Stacy Kindred, another bride and one of Marion St. Claire's clients. Liv and Emma tried to persuade her to give up her date, which end up in a fiasco in a store.
Paul Scheer as Ricky Coo, dance choreographer who calls himself "The Doctor of Dance"
John Pankow as John Allen, Emma's dad.
Hettienne Park as Marissa, one of Emma and Liv's closest friends.
Lauren Bittner as Amie, one of Emma and Liv's closest friends. She is seen getting romantically involved with Kevin near the end of the film.
Dennis Parlato as Dance Instructor
Billy Unger as Additional voices
Colin Ford as Additional voices
Production[edit]
Raphael and Wilson completed the shooting script of Bride Wars, from an original script by Greg DePaul,[4] before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began.[5] Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith also contributed to the screenplay.[2][5]
Some principal photography took place at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.[6] Most filming occurred in Boston, New York City, and in Salem, Massachusetts.[citation needed]
Music[edit]
The score to Bride Wars was composed by Edward Shearmur, who recorded his score with a 77-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox.[7]
In the beginning of the film, the song "Somethin' Special" by Colbie Caillat was played, however this version had different lyrics than the Beijing Olympic Mix, suggesting that it was the original mix. As the film did not have a soundtrack, the original version remained unreleased until Caillat's album Breakthrough was released, where the song appears as a bonus track on the Rhapsody edition.[8] There is also the song "Dream" by Priscilla Ahn. And "Scared" by Duffy.
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Bride Wars has been almost universally panned by critics. The film has received a 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 141 collected reviews.[9] Time named it one of the top 10 worst chick flicks.[10]
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called the film "dopey if largely painless". She said that Hathaway's presence meant "that there’s a little acting in it, along with a few human emotions" and wondered what the film might have been if the writers had explored a potential lesbian subtext suggested by the opening scenes.[11] Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "How bad can a movie be, with Goldilocks Hudson and Cinderella Hathaway? So excruciating that Hudson's sunshine can't warm it and Hathaway's rose redolence can't mask its stink."[12] Ty Burr of the Boston Globe was disturbed by the film, claiming that it was "...a chick flick that makes its chick characters — and by extension its chick audience — look like hateful, backward toddlers, and there is something wrong with that."[13]
Longtime BBC Radio 5 Live critic Mark Kermode was notably harsh toward the film on his Kermode and Mayo's Film Review show, going so far as to say that he would quit film criticism if Bride Wars did not end up in his list of 10 worst films of 2009.[14] By the end of the year, even when Kermode included Terminator Salvation and Couples Retreat on his list by popular demand, Bride Wars still finished eighth, allowing him to keep his job.[15]
In one of the few positive reviews of the film, Time critic Mary Pols wrote, "At least, and this is something to be grateful for, Bride Wars deviates from the usual wedding-flick routine of maids of honor who should be the bride (or groom). And even though the catfighting goes over the top, the notion that a passionate female friendship can turn ugly in a heartbeat is, sadly, realistic."[16]
Apart from negative reviews, the film was nominated for 2 awards at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards: Best Fight (Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson)[17] and Anne Hathaway for Best Female Performance.[18] It also had several Teen Choice Award nominations.[citation needed] Candice Bergen was nominated for a Razzie Award as Worst Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.
Box office performance[edit]
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $21,058,173 ranking #2 at the box office.[1] As of May 26, 2009, it has made $58,715,510 in the United States and Canada, $55,982,521 in foreign countries and a total of $115,049,554 worldwide — a financial success despite its largely negative reviews.[1]
Awards[edit]
Won[edit]
2009 - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Comedy Movie Actress (Anne Hathaway)
Nominated[edit]
2009 - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Comedy Movie Actress (Kate Hudson)
2009 - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Hissy Fit (Kate Hudson)
2009 - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Rockstar Moment (Anne Hathaway)
2009 - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Rumble (Anne Hathaway) & (Kate Hudson)
2009 - MTV Movie Awards for Best Female Performance (Anne Hathaway)
2009 - MTV Movie Awards for Best Fight (Anne Hathaway) & (Kate Hudson)
2010 - Razzie Awards for Worst Supporting Actress (Candice Bergen)
2010 - People's Choice Awards for Favourite Comedy Movie
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c "Bride Wars (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
^ Jump up to: a b Siegel, Tatiana (April 6, 2008). "Bergen hitches "Bride"". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
Jump up ^ Maggie Lee (August 24, 2015). "Film Review: 'Bride Wars'". variety.com. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
Jump up ^ Fleming, Michael (November 12, 2006). ""Bride" nears the altar". Variety. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
^ Jump up to: a b Fleming, Michael; Tatiana Siegel (December 6, 2007). "Hathaway hops on "War" path". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
Jump up ^ Cassidy, Chris; Tom Dalton (July 25, 2008). "Heard Around Town: The six degrees of Lizzie Borden". The Salem News. Eagle Tribune Publishing Company. Retrieved 2008-08-09. [permanent dead link]
Jump up ^ Goldwasser, Dan (January 14, 2009). "Edward Shearmur scores Bride Wars". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
Jump up ^ "Breakthrough". Rhapsody.
Jump up ^ "Bride Wars". Rotten Tomatoes.
Jump up ^ Romero, Frances (May 26, 2010). "Top 10 Worst Chick Flicks - Bride Wars". Time. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
Jump up ^ Dargis, Manohla (January 9, 2009). "Two Weddings and a Furor". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 11, 2009. [I]t's too bad that [Winick] doesn't (or can't) venture down the more interesting avenues opened up in the screenplay ... The opener — a gauzy scene from childhood that finds Liv and Emma, dressed as a bride and groom, tenderly dancing with each other — and an adult catfight, which looks like a prelude to a kiss, suggest that there may be more to this friendship (and the fury underlying its rupture) than either the women or the movie can admit.
Jump up ^ "Winsome Twosome Turns Gruesome". Philly.com. Retrieved 2005-05-26.
Jump up ^ Burr, Ty (January 9, 2009). "Bride Wars Movie Review". Boston.com. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
Jump up ^ "Mark Kermode threatens to quit over Bride Wars". January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
Jump up ^ Mark Kermode. "BBC Blogs - Kermode Uncut - The Bride Wars Challenge Divorce". Kermode Uncut.
Jump up ^ Pols, Mary (January 8, 2009). "Bride Wars: One Bride Too Many". Time. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Best Fight".
Jump up ^ "Best Female Performance".
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Bride Wars
Bride Wars on IMDb
Bride Wars at AllMovie
Bride Wars at Box Office Mojo
[hide]
v
t
e
Films directed by Gary Winick
Curfew (1989)
Out of the Rain (1991)
Sweet Nothing (1995)
The Tic Code (1999)
Sam the Man (2000)
Tadpole (2002)
13 Going on 30 (2004)
Charlotte's Web (2006)
Bride Wars (2009)
Letters to Juliet (2010)
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2009 films
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Regency Enterprises films
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This page was last edited on 10 December 2017, at 18:56.
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values: Հարսնացուների պատերազմ – Armenian

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