January is always a big month for sports Hall of Fame discussion. Baseball announces their latest inductees in January, and the NFL ties theirs in with the Super Bowl, which is gradually sliding back toward Easter on the calendar, but I digress.
The first three members of the Baltimore Ravens’ Mt. Rushmore group-Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed-were quickly inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame upon their eligibility. There are no former Ravens on the 2022 list of finalists (I don’t count Devin Hester, who was at the end of his career when he came to Baltimore and made little impact), so it’s an opportunity to reengage in one of the existential questions relating to the Hall-does the late Art Model deserve to be inducted?
Modell was a contributor finalist in the expanded 2020 class, and his failure to gain enough support that year make it a very long shot for him to be selected in subsequent years, but I think it’s still worth considering his case on its own merits.
Art Modell enjoyed success in advertising, PR, and television production in New York after leaving the Army following World War II. He bought control of the Cleveland Browns for $4 million in 1961, investing only $250,000 of his own money. He exercised that control to fire legendary coach Paul Brown after the 1962 season, a move apparently some of the old-time Browns fans never forgave him for, even after Cleveland won the NFL championship two seasons later-still their most recent title.
Modell used his connections from New York to lead the NFL into much stronger television exposure, highlighted by helping sell the idea of Monday Night Football, which debuted in September 1970 with his Browns hosting Joe Namath’s Jets. For the young’uns out there, it is hard to overstate what a big deal Monday Night Football was-prime time football simply was not previously done on a regular, national, basis.
One of the greatest honors a person can receive is the acknowledgement of their peers. At a league meeting in 1990, Model was presented with the following proclamation:
“The league has always had its share of special people. They have been the founders, owners, officials and coaches who have stayed the course over long period of years, and who have made special contributions to the welfare of the league and its members. Art, you are one of those special people.”
Founding owner of the New York Giants, the late Wellington Mara, worked closely with Model on the television contract negotiations and said this in 2002 “I certainly believe Art belongs in the Hall of Fame. I don’t know a person who has done more for the league than Model, especially through television.” Mara had been inducted himself in 1997.
Modell was in Cleveland for 35 years. He was an icon in the community, a popular philanthropist and landlord of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium where his Browns and the baseball Indians played. It was that stadium, and the Indians’ departure for Jacobs Field in 1994, that ultimately resulted in Modell moving his Browns to Baltimore (you may have heard about that in passing)-not in the middle of the night but in broad daylight, much to the passionate chagrin of Browns fans.
There we come to the bump in the road, the elephant in the room, whatever you want to call it, that is likely keeping Modell out of the Hall of Fame. Yes, there were some inconsistencies (at least) in how Modell dealt with the city of Cleveland, but what harm, I ask, did the move really cause the NFL, or even Cleveland, in the long term after the horrible media attention died down?
In my estimation, not only was the damage minimal; the move actually HELPED the league in the long term.
Sure, Cleveland fans were hurt losing their team, and they went without football for a whole three years. That time without the team, however, enabled their brand new stadium to built on the same site as old Municipal Stadium without any disruption to a displaced team. Cleveland wound up getting its new stadium, and kept the history of the team, an arrangement that remains unique in United States pro sports. It is a resolution Baltimore Colts’ fans screamed for, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Baltimore obviously benefitted from receiving the team, and from Modell’s deft PR work connecting with the old Colts players to help fans overcome the guilt of “stealing” Cleveland’s team as Indianapolis had done with the Colts. The existing plans for a new stadium were executed and the facility remains top-notch almost 25 years later. The city’s passion for NFL football was rekindled, no small accomplishment after the league had treated the city in the same manner as a bird treats a newly washed can windshield.
Critically important, and I believe easily overlooked, was the succession planning Modell did by bringing Steve Biscotti in as a minority owner with a defined process and timeline for him to gain full control of the team. You won’t see a smoother transition of any organization from one owner to another than the Ravens pulled off-thanks to Art Modell.
The Baltimore Ravens have also become one of the more successful franchises in the league, winning two Super Bowls and become a perennial contender. They have also developed one of the best rivalries in sports with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which brings positive attention and boffo TV ratings twice every season. Notably, the Cleveland Browns have so far failed to approach the success previously enjoyed under Modell and before.
In recent years the Hall has placed more emphasis on inducting contributors (non-players and coaches). Among those receiving the call since that procedure change in 2014 are Edward DeBartolo, Jr, the former 49ers owner, and Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner.
By what possible standard can Jerry Jones be included and Art Modell not? I mean, really. Yes, Jerry built a palatial stadium but the Dallas Cowboys long ago ceased to be a model franchise and are often not even relevant except as a target for derision.
I think I have made a good case for including Art Modell in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s a shame he did not live long enough to see it happen-I hope I do.
Fascinating Factoid of the Week
Since this is my last column of the 2021-22 football season, I want to take a few lines and acknowledge that much of this piece and others was birthed in the discussions/rants that I’ve shared with my best friend, Robin Haines over the years. We met in 7th grade and immediately bonded over sports; a bond that remains strong to this day, even while we have shared births, deaths, career and health challenges, excruciating losses (see Ravens-2021 season) and glorious victories. He’s a Baltimore-area native and a proud PSL holder since 2000 (nice timing buddy) and drove with his son Adam to New Orleans to witness the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII win. Having him in my life to share this strangely compelling game of football is a blessing. Thanks for sharing these memories and more still to come Robin!
Don’t worry, this is not a swan song for me here at Baltimore Sports and Life-I bet that’s a load off. I’ll be popping up over the next few months while I’m preparing for another season of Baltimore football. I’m sure there will be plenty to talk about. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball and remember, it’s okay to look back as long as you live forward.
Jim Johnson spent most of his life in Maryland, growing up with the Orioles, the Colts, Terps, and later Ravens. He started his sports writing career as “The Courtmaster,” covering the Terps and ACC hoops and was a frequent guest on Bob Haynie’s old WNST show and other sports talk across the region. He is currently in his second run at BSL. After previously covering Maryland and Big Ten Football, he now writes about the NFL, primarily the action in the AFC North. Jim covers both current and historic stories, seeking perspective and having fun in the process.