Dan Reeves (American football executive)

Last updated
Dan Reeves
Dan Reeves (American football executive).jpg
Born
Daniel Farrell Reeves

June 30, 1912
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 15, 1971(1971-04-15) (aged 58)
New York City, U.S.
Resting place Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)
Education Georgetown University (no degree)
Occupation(s)businessman and sports entrepreneur
Known forOwner of the NFL's Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams franchise, 1941–1971
SpouseMary V. Corroon Reeves (m.1935–1971, his death)
Children6

Daniel Farrell Reeves (June 30, 1912 – April 15, 1971) was an American sports entrepreneur, best known as the owner of the National Football League (NFL) franchise Los Angeles Rams. He owned the franchise when it was operating in Cleveland, Ohio in 1941, and he would own the team until his death in 1971. [1] [2]

Contents

Reeves is remembered for his move of the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946, where it became the first American major league sports franchise on the Pacific Coast. [3] He was also the first NFL owner to sign a black player in the post World War II era, inking deals with halfback Kenny Washington and end Woody Strode in 1946, as well as being the first to employ a full-time scouting staff.

Reeves was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

Early years

Born in New York City to Irish immigrants James Reeves and Rose Farrell, Reeves' father and an uncle, Daniel, had risen together from fruit peddlers to owners of a grocery-store chain, bringing wealth to the family.[ citation needed ]

Reeves was a graduate of the Newman School in Lakewood, New Jersey, and attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which he left before acquiring his degree. While attending Georgetown, Reeves met his future wife, Mary V. Corroon. The couple were married on October 25, 1935, and would together have six children.[ citation needed ]

The Reeves family's grocery chain was sold to Safeway Stores in 1941, generating capital and freeing the youthful Dan Reeves, age 29, to pursue his dream of owning a professional football franchise. [4]

Purchase of Cleveland Rams

Together with his friend and business partner Robert Levy, [5] [6] Reeves purchased the Cleveland Rams franchise in 1941 from a local ownership group for $135,000. [7] The team was a comparatively young one, launched in 1936, and finances were tight, with as few as 200 season ticket holders and no television revenue, forcing some players to work for as little as $100 per game. [7] The team did not operate in 1943, and Reeves became the sole owner in December, while serving stateside in the U.S. Army Air Forces. [8]

Despite its financial woes, the previously unsuccessful franchise began to turn around in 1944; the Rams won the Western division title in 1945 and the championship game behind rookie quarterback and league MVP Bob Waterfield, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [9]

Move to Los Angeles

Immediately following the conclusion of the 1945 season, with the championship game having been played in icy Cleveland before 32,000 fans on December 15, Reeves announced his intention to move his team to sunny Southern California: the League approved the move on January 12, 1946. [10]

On January 15, Rams team representatives went before the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission with a plan to lease use of the facility for home games, as it was already the home venue for college football for both UCLA and USC of the Pacific Coast Conference. [11] On January 23, the Coliseum Commission approved use of the 103,000-seat stadium for Rams' Sunday home games during the 1946 season. [12] The move did not immediately cure the team's financial woes, however: in 1947, Reeves found himself in need of co-owners to share the mounting losses while attempting a turnaround. Reeves brought Levy back in for a one-third stake in the team, while another third went to Edwin Pauley and Hal Saley.

Eventually, the team proved to be extremely successful on the field, with quarterback Bob Waterfield helping the team to three straight League Championship games from 1949 to 1951, culminating in the 1951 Championship trophy. [9] Boasting some of football's most glamorous stars, the Rams drew extremely well at the ticket office. Topped by a crowd of 102,368 for game against the San Francisco 49ers in 1957, attendance for Rams games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum topped 80,000 on 22 occasions during the teams' first two decades in California.

The previous closeness between Reeves and Levy fell away, though, and soon Levy was siding with Pauley against Reeves on most significant ownership decisions. Pauley eventually assumed Levy's stake, giving Pauley two-thirds ownership of the team but that did nothing to resolve the constant battles between Pauley and Reeves. Finally in 1962, the NFL stepped in to resolve the situation by holding a closed auction to result in one partner buying out the other. Reeves outbid Pauley for the team, valuing the Rams at $7.1 million against Pauley's bid of $6.1 million. Reeves once again assumed sole ownership.

He then raised the funds to support his bid by immediately selling 49% of the team to a group of minority owners that included Gene Autry. [13] By the time of Reeves' death in 1971, the team's value was estimated at $20 million.

Reeves also owned one of Los Angeles' first ice hockey teams, the Western Hockey League's Los Angeles Blades, which lasted from 1961 to 1967 and played nearby the Coliseum at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Given the Blades' success, Reeves was an early favorite to get a National Hockey League franchise during the 1967 NHL expansion, but the league awarded the team to Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke. [14]

Innovations

The innovative Reeves made several other significant contributions to pro football. He instituted the famed "Free Football for Kids" program that enabled youngsters to enjoy the game in their formative years and then, hopefully, become ardent fans as adults. His signing of the ex-UCLA great, Kenny Washington, in the spring of 1946 marked the first time a black player had been hired in the NFL since 1933.

Reeves' experimentation in the early days of television provided the groundwork for pro football's current successful TV policies. He was also the first to employ a full-time scouting staff.

Relationship with George Allen

In 1965, Reeves lured away defensive coordinator and head of player personnel George Allen from the Chicago Bears. Allen made key trades and draft choices, which returned the team back to prominence within the next three seasons of his tenure. Allen allegedly had agreed on the deal with Reeves with two years remaining on his contract with the Bears, and a protracted legal battle followed. [15]

By 1968, Reeves had sought to go in a new direction as far as to find a new head coach for the team. On Christmas Day, Reeves attempted to fire Allen, but due to the wide public outcry of the Rams' fans over the dismissal, he finally relented and retained Allen as the head coach for the next two years, then fired him again after the 1970 season. [16]

Pro Football HOF enshrinement and death

Reeves was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. For his contribution to sports in Los Angeles, he was honored with a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum "Court of Honor" plaque by the Coliseum commissioners. A longtime smoker, Reeves's health began to deteriorate by 1969. Reeves, who was also diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, succumbed to cancer in his New York City apartment on April 15, 1971.

After Reeves' death, Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom assumed control of the Rams in July 1972, [17] spinning off the Colts to Robert Irsay in a swap of franchises between the owners and their investors. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All-America Football Conference</span> Professional American football league operating from 1946–1949

The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations to the game. However, the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. After it folded, three of its teams were admitted to the NFL: the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns and the original Baltimore Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Allen (American football coach)</span> American football coach (1918–1990)

George Herbert Allen was an American football coach. He served as the head coach for two teams in the National Football League (NFL), the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 to 1970 and the Washington Redskins from 1971 to 1977. Allen led his teams to winning records in all 12 of his seasons as an NFL head coach, compiling an overall regular-season record of 116–47–5. Seven of his teams qualified for the NFL playoffs, including the 1972 Washington Redskins, who reached Super Bowl VII, losing to Don Shula's Miami Dolphins. Allen made a brief return as head coach of the Rams in 1978, but was fired before the regular season commenced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Waterfield</span> American football player and coach (1920–1983)

Robert Stanton Waterfield was an American professional football player and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. His No. 7 jersey was retired by the Los Angeles Rams in 1952. He was also a motion picture actor and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Dons</span> Football team of the AAFC from Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first professional football team to play a regular season game in Los Angeles, California, two weeks before the first game of the rival Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League, who had moved from Cleveland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1945 NFL Championship Game</span>

The 1945 NFL Championship Game was the 13th National Football League (NFL) championship game. Held on December 16, the Cleveland Rams defeated the Washington Redskins 15–14 at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Fears</span> American football player and coach

Thomas Jesse Fears was a Mexican-American professional football player who was a split end for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL), playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956. He was later an NFL assistant coach and head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins football team and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

The National Football League (NFL) has had a long and complicated history in Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the United States. Los Angeles was the first city on the West Coast to host an NFL team, when the Cleveland Rams relocated to Los Angeles in 1946 and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1946 until 1979. In 1960, a charter American Football League franchise, the Los Angeles Chargers began playing in the Coliseum. The Chargers moved to San Diego after their inaugural season, where they eventually joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger. The Rams moved to suburban Anaheim, California in 1980. A surprising move in 1982 brought the Oakland Raiders to the Coliseum to become Los Angeles Raiders.

The 1951 NFL Championship Game was the National Football League's 19th championship game, played December 23 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946 Los Angeles Rams season</span> NFL team season (first in LA)

The 1946 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's ninth year with the National Football League and the first season in Los Angeles. The team moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland immediately after winning the 1945 NFL Championship Game.

The 1945 Cleveland Rams season was the team's eighth year with the National Football League and the ninth and final season in Cleveland. Led by the brother tandem of head coach Adam Walsh and general manager Chile Walsh, and helmed by future Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield, the Rams franchise finished 9–1 before winning its first NFL Championship by defeating the Washington Redskins, 15–14, at Cleveland Stadium. Other stars on the team included receiver Jim Benton and back Jim Gillette, who gained more than 100 yards in the title game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Gehrke</span> American football player and executive (1918–2002)

Clarence Fred Gehrke was an American football player and executive. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Cardinals from 1940 through 1950. To boost team morale, Gehrke designed and painted the Los Angeles Rams logo in 1948, which was the first painted on the helmets of an NFL team. He later served as the general manager of the Denver Broncos from 1977 through 1981. He is the great-grandfather of Milwaukee Brewers left fielder and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Lewis (quarterback)</span> American football player (1923–2002)

Clifford Allen Lewis was a professional American football player for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference and National Football League. He was the team's first quarterback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chet Adams</span> American football player (1915–1990)

Chester Frank Adams was a professional American football tackle and placekicker who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and All-America Football Conference (AAFC), mainly with the Cleveland Rams and Cleveland Browns. He was selected to the NFL's All-Star game twice. In 1978, he was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Rams</span> National Football League franchise in Inglewood, California

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which they share with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Homer Marshman was the first owner of the Cleveland Rams, now known as the Los Angeles Rams. Mr. Marshman, a prominent Cleveland, Ohio lawyer and businessman who received his law degree from Harvard School of Law, served as special counsel to Ohio's attorney general from 1934 to 1947. He founded the Rams along with player-coach Damon "Buzz" Wetzel in 1936, when it played one successful yet financially disastrous year in the American Football League, then acquired a National Football League franchise for the team on February 13, 1937. Marshman and the other Rams stockholders paid $10,000 for the NFL franchise, then put up $55,000 to capitalize the new club.

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that plays and competes in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis, and were known as the St. Louis Rams from 1995 to 2015. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016. This article chronicles the franchise's history during their time in Los Angeles, from playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between 1946 and 1979, to playing at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim from 1980 to 1994, and its return to Southern California beginning with the 2016 to 2019 seasons playing temporarily at their old home the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in 2020 alongside the Los Angeles Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Rams</span> US professional football team from 1936 to 1945, predecessor to Los Angeles Rams

The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to 1945, winning the NFL championship in 1945, before moving to Los Angeles in 1946 to become the first of only two professional football champions to play the following season in another city.

References

  1. ↑ "Dan Reeves, LA Rams' owner, dies". Press-Courier. Oxnard, California. Associated Press. April 16, 1971. p. 24.
  2. ↑ "Services held for Dan Reeves". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. UPI. April 17, 1971. p. 5C.
  3. ↑ "Dan Reeves proved Indians were gone". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. Associated Press. April 18, 1971. p. C3.
  4. ↑ TOBIN, JACK (January 1969). "A MARRIAGE THAT WAS DOOMED".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ "Cleveland grid team to be sold". Pittsburgh Press. May 1, 1941. p. 32.
  6. ↑ "Cleveland Rams sold". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. INS. June 12, 1941. p. 9, section 2.
  7. 1 2 Tom Reed, "How Moving a Franchise from Cleveland to L.A. Benefited the Browns and Fostered Social Change," Cleveland Plain Dealer, www.cleveland.com, Feb. 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Reeves sole Rams' owner". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 9, 1943. p. 14.
  9. 1 2 "Bob Waterfield: Biography," Pro Football Hall of Fame, www.profootballhof.com/
  10. ↑ "Rams transfer to Los Angeles". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. January 13, 1946. p. 1, sports.
  11. ↑ "Rams to Go After Coliseum Lease," San Mateo Times, vol. 35, no. 13 (Jan. 15, 1946), pg. 7.
  12. ↑ "Los Angeles Pros to Use Coliseum," Tucson Daily Citizen, vol. 75, no. 20 (Jan. 23, 1946), pg. 12.
  13. ↑ Edwin Shrake (October 3, 1966). "A Private Eye on the New Rams". Sports Illustrated.
  14. ↑ Bass, Alan (2011). "Chapter 7: Los Angeles Kings". The Great Expansion: The Ultimate Risk That Changed the NHL Forever. pp. 87–93. ISBN   978-1-4502-8605-3.
  15. ↑ (Chicago) Bears take matter to court, AP article, The Miami News, Jan 12, 1966, accessed April 11, 2012.
  16. ↑ Florence, Mal (December 31, 1970). "Allen fired by Rams' owner for second time in 2 years". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. (Los Angeles Times). p. 1C.
  17. ↑ "Colts' owner now sole owner of Rams". The Bulletin. UPI. July 14, 1972. p. 12.
  18. ↑ Los Angeles (Rams) Owner Dan Reeves dies of cancer, UPI Article for The Palm Beach Post, Apr 16, 1971, accessed April 11, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.