(KRT) - Contrary to rumors that have made the rounds over the years, former Dallas Cowboys' general manager Tex Schramm did not introduce the first group of professional cheerleaders to the NFL, and he didn't think up the "America's Team" title for the 1978 highlight film.
The old Baltimore Colts were the first to put professional cheerleaders on the sidelines, and NFL Films created what remains the Cowboys' unofficial team slogan after "Champions Die Hard" was rejected by Schramm and late coach Tom Landry.
Now that we've gotten that bit of housecleaning out of the way, it's safe to say that Schramm, who died Tuesday, had a hand in just about everything else that helped the NFL pass Major League Baseball in the 1980s and become the nation's favorite professional sports league.
In retrospect, Schramm's stated goals were modest when he became president and general manager of the expansion Cowboys in 1960. He wanted to make Dallas a model organization off the field, a champion on it, and he wanted to do it in a way where everybody connected with the franchise felt he or she had played a role.
He, along with Landry and personnel director Gil Brandt, did all of that. But, during his 22-year stint as chairman of the important NFL Competition Committee, he was influential in painting the face of the game that is enjoyed today.
Instant replay? That was his creation, as was the 30-second clock between plays, radio helmets and even the wind-direction ribbons on goal posts. He was the first to use computers to analyze college talent, but the league took notice in 1978 when the computer told him to take little-known defensive tackle Larry Cole of Hawaii in the 16th round. Cole was a starter for most of his 13 seasons.
Other stories in this section will probably list more of his achievements, including his secret meetings with Kansas City Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt that led to the NFL-AFL merger in 1966. They might even mention that Schramm was the first to hire a female to a front-office position in the NFL when he made Kay Lang the ticket manager in 1960.
But Schramm's story is about style as much as substance.
The former newspaper writer, public relations head and CBS television executive was aware that image and public perception were important parts of a truly successful organization.
He loved the powder blue and silver uniforms with the understated, but powerful, Lone Star on the helmet. The Cowboys' radio network had 225 stations by 1979, including a Spanish-speaking network that included 16 stations, and he made himself perhaps the most accessible executive in the NFL.
Writers could call him at home and get a comment on a subject. I did it twice. But that coin had two sides. If he saw a mistake in a story, he wouldn't hesitate to call the writer at home and correct it. Dallas writers say that from 1960 until 1989, when he resigned after Jerry Jones bought the team, Schramm's home number was listed in the local phone book.
Another thing that set Schramm apart from other league executives was his reluctance to fire people. He chose to relocate underachievers to other departments.
After five unsatisfactory seasons, then-owner Clint Murchison pressured Schramm to fire Landry before the 1966 season. Schramm refused and then gave his coach a 10-year contract extension, setting the stage for 20 consecutive winning seasons, 18 playoff berths, and five Super Bowl appearances.
In the mid-1980s, new owner Bum Bright offered Schramm a lot of money to be the guy who fired Landry. Schramm said he was offered twice his salary, plus Landry's salary, to make the call and take the heat. But, again, he refused. To Schramm, stability was important.
When I think about Schramm, I think about a guy who was probably the most important executive in the history of the NFL. From television contracts and instant replay, to the profit-sharing structure that keeps franchises solvent and the labor peace that keeps the teams on the field, he played a role.
It's unlikely the NFL will produce a guy like Schramm anytime soon, if ever. The new breed of owners are too involved in the financial side to be innovative, and the current crop of general managers are too involved in managing the salary cap.
But the NFL is strong enough to survive and prosper the way it is. People like Schramm, especially Schramm, built the foundation that makes it the most successful and entertaining sports league on the planet.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6310810.htm
