Art Modell
A transformative yet polarizing NFL owner whose move of the Cleveland Browns ignited a lasting civic fury and reshaped the league's landscape.
1925–2012 (age 87)·American businessman·Birthday: June 23·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Art Modell was a complex, consequential figure whose 40-year ownership tenure in the NFL is forever defined by a single, seismic decision. A self-made advertising executive from Brooklyn, he purchased the Cleveland Browns in 1961 and became a league power broker, instrumental in negotiating the NFL's first major television contracts. He was a progressive owner for his time, integrating his front office and pioneering Monday Night Football. Yet, struggling with stadium finances and mounting debts in the 1990s, he made the fateful choice to relocate the beloved Browns to Baltimore in 1996. The move created the Baltimore Ravens, who would win a Super Bowl under his watch, but it also made him a pariah in Cleveland, burning his legacy in the eyes of many fans. His story is a stark American tale of business, ambition, and the profound emotional bond between a city and its team.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Art was born in 1925, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Art Was Born
The biggest hits of 1925
#1 Movie
The Gold Rush
Art's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1925Born
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1930Started school
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1938Became a teenager
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Could drive
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1943Could vote
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Turned 21
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1955Turned 30
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 40
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 50
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 60
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 70
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 80
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2012Died at 87
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- As owner of the Cleveland Browns, was instrumental in negotiating the NFL's landmark national television contracts in the 1960s and 70s.
- Helped pioneer the concept of Monday Night Football, agreeing to host the first-ever game in 1970.
- Relocated his NFL franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1996, creating the Baltimore Ravens.
- Won Super Bowl XXXV as the owner of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2000 season.
Did You Know?
He served as president of the NFL from 1967 to 1969.
He hired the first African American public relations director in the NFL (Kevin Byrne with the Ravens).
The move of the Browns to Baltimore led to a unique settlement where Cleveland kept the Browns' name, colors, and history, with a new team reactivated in 1999.
He was a close friend of comedian Don Rickles.
“A stadium deal is the lifeblood of a franchise in the modern NFL.”
