William Clay Ford

The NFL became America's game under a collection of shrewd businessmen that included some of the biggest names in league history: Pete Rozelle, Vince Lombardi, Dan Rooney and arguably the most influential of all — Art Modell.Modell's insight thrust the struggling league into the public eye and onto the country's television screens on Sundays and Monday night.Modell, who helped transform the NFL into America's pre-eminent sport, died Thursday. He was 87."His legacy is spectacular," St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "When things like this happen, it takes you back historically to where you ... actually have a sense of appreciation for what he did and where we would be without him."Modell spent 43 years as an NFL owner, overseeing the Browns from 1961 until he moved the team to Baltimore in 1996. Modell served as league president from 1967-69, helped finalize the first collective bargaining agreement with the players in 1968 and was the point man for the NFL's lucrative contracts wit...

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