Tex Schramm died today -former Cowboys Pres & GM

Former Cowboys president, GM Schramm dies at 83

Schramm (right) with Tom Landry at the Cowboys' practice facility in 1983. (AP) Without playing a down, Tex Schramm -- who died Tuesday at his Dallas home -- did as much to shape today's NFL as anyone in the game. The showboating innovator helped build the Dallas Cowboys into "America's Team" during his 29 years with the franchise.

Instant replay, sideline radios in quarterback helmets and starting the play clock immediately after the previous play were his ideas, among other innovations.

Pioneer, innovative ....and a cool name!

Tex knew where it was at .....

Did more for NFL and Dallas in particular than anyone else.

Had no equal in football as an innovator.

To go into Dallas Ring of Honor this year. I do hope Jones can live with himself for not getting him Up there while he was alive.

Murchison-Schramm-Landry WOW

Always a name symbolic with foots.

God bless.

He was also instramental in the NFL-AFL merger.


Had Pete Rozelle's ear more than anyone else during the NFL's explosion between 68-83.


There are no more Tex Schramm's in sports. He is one of the most underrated Sports figures of all time.

(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

Tex Schramm, one of the most influential executives in NFL history and the marketing visionary who put the star on the Dallas Cowboy helmet and transformed the franchise into "America's Team," died Tuesday at his Dallas home. He was 83.
The cause of his death was not immediately known, although Schramm had been in failing health since the death of his wife, Marty, in December. He had recently been under hospice care.

As president of the Cowboys and the team's guiding force for 29 seasons, Schramm focused much of his attention on catering to the paying customer. He is credited with developing the largest radio network of any sports franchise -- more than 200 stations -- and was perhaps the first in professional football to institute Spanish-language broadcasts. He put the game time on the scoreboard clock, and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, the first of their kind in pro sports, on the sidelines.

"Mr. Schramm was Barnum and Bailey all rolled into one," former Cowboy player Charlie Waters said. "He was a great salesman."

A onetime $30-a-week sportswriter who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, Schramm was named Texas after his father. After graduating from the University of Texas and serving in the Air Force during World War II, Schramm began his football career as publicity director for the Los Angeles Rams. He worked his way up to general manager and gave Pete Rozelle his first job in football, hiring the eventual NFL commissioner to replace him as publicity director.

As president and general manager of the Cowboys from 1960 through 1989, Schramm hired Tom Landry as coach and personally drafted such leading players as Roger Staubach, Bob Hayes, Tony Dorsett and Herschel Walker. Under Schramm's watch, the Cowboys had 20 consecutive winning seasons and appeared in five Super Bowls, winning two.

But his realm of influence extended well beyond the Cowboys.

He played a significant role in the 1966 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, meeting with Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt to meld the rival leagues and create the championship game that would become the Super Bowl.

He was chairman of the league's Competition Committee from 1966 through '88. He promoted the wild-card playoff system that is still in use. As head of the inaugural competition committee, he led a group composed of NFL legends Vince Lombardi, Paul Brown and Al Davis. Like those three, Schramm is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When NFL players went on strike in 1987, Schramm came up with the idea of hiring replacement players. There has been no player work stoppage in the NFL since the 1987 strike.


http://www.cincypost.com/2003/07/16/tex07-16-2003.html