Don Smolenski

Last updated
Don Smolenski
Philadelphia Eagles
Position:President
Personal information
Born: Pittsford, New York, U.S.
Career information
College: Amherst College and University of Hartford
Career history
As an executive:
  • International Hockey League (1994–1998)
    Chief financial officer
  • Philadelphia Eagles (1998–present)
    • Chief financial officer (1998–2000)
    • Senior vice president/chief financial officer (2001–2009)
    • Chief operating officer (2010–2011)
    • President (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards

Don Smolenski is an American businessman who is the team president of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He joined the franchise in 1998 as their chief financial officer before being promoted to his current role in 2012.

Smolenski grew up in Pittsford, New York. [1] He attended Amherst College and Hartford University. In 1994, he was hired as the CFO of the International Hockey League. [2] After five years in that position, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). [3] Smolenski served with the Eagles as their CFO from 1998 to 2009, then as their chief operating officer from 2010 to 2011 before being promoted to team president. [4] [5] [6] [7] He was part of the team that won the Super Bowl in 2017.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freddie Mitchell</span> American football player (born 1978)

Freddie Lee Mitchell II is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was chosen as a consensus All-American in 2000 while playing college football for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Philadelphia selected him in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and he spent four seasons as a member of the Eagles, culminating in an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Pihos</span> American football player and coach (1923–2011)

Peter Louis Pihos was an American football player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Nagy</span> American football coach and player (born 1978)

Matthew Nagy is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Kolb</span> American football player (born 1984)

Kevin Benjamin Kolb is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Houston Cougars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Banner</span> American football player

Joe Banner is an American football executive who was the former president of the Philadelphia Eagles (2001–2012), former chief executive officer of the Cleveland Browns (2012–2013), and former front office consultant for the Atlanta Falcons (2014–2015). Banner’s tenure in Philadelphia stacks up with the most accomplished executives in NFL history. Under his leadership, the Eagles went to five NFC Championship Games in eight seasons and played in Super Bowl XXXIX. During the 2000s, Banner’s Eagles had more playoff victories than any team other than the New England Patriots. In the regular season, the Eagles won more games than any team in the NFC, winning the NFC East eight times in ten seasons. He is also a co-founder of The 33rd Team, led the launch of Sharp Football Analysis, and has been an advisor to Patricof Co since its founding.

Antone Eugene Davis is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1990s. He played one year of football for Peach County High School in Fort Valley, Georgia, and was recruited out of high school by the Tennessee Military Institute, for whom he played one year of college football. He earned a full scholarship to play for the Tennessee Volunteers the following year and started at left guard during his sophomore year in 1988. He was moved to right offensive tackle before his junior year and earned unanimous All-American honors as a senior in 1990. He finished as a finalist for the 1990 Outland Trophy as well, and was drafted by the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles as the eighth overall selection in the 1991 NFL Draft.

Taivale "Junior" Tautalatasi Jr. is a former American football running back. He played college football at Washington State and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

Jason Licht is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL), a position he has held since 2014. Before joining the Bucs in 2014, Licht worked for the NFL's Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. In his 26-year executive career, Licht has appeared in 5 Super Bowls, winning 2 of them with the Patriots in 2002 and Buccaneers in 2021, both led by Tom Brady. His other appearances were in 2005 with the Eagles, 2009 with the Cardinals, and 2012 with the Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Philadelphia Eagles season</span> 78th season in franchise history

The 2010 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 78th season in the National Football League, and the twelfth under head coach Andy Reid. The Eagles failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 2009, finishing with a 10–6 record. However, they were able to win their division due to a tiebreaker over the New York Giants, who also finished 10-6. In the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Eagles lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. The Eagles played all of their home games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The off-season saw a significant roster overhaul as Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, two of the franchise's key players over the last decade, departed. McNabb was traded to Philadelphia's NFC East rival, the Washington Redskins, while Westbrook was cut from the roster and later signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Kevin Kolb was intended to be the Eagles' new franchise quarterback, however he was injured during the Week 1 game and replaced by Michael Vick, who started in 11 of 16 games With Vick at quarterback, they set franchise records, including a memorable comeback win against the New York Giants and a season-high 59 points in Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Lucas (American football)</span> American football player (1934–2020)

Dick Lucas was an American football player. He played college football at Boston College (1953–1955), military football for the Quantico Marines (1956–1957), and professional football for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1958) and Philadelphia Eagles (1960–1963). He died in April 2020, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Gamble</span> American football coach and executive

Harry T. Gamble was an American football coach and executive. He was the head coach at the Lafayette College and University of Pennsylvania and general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brett Veach is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to being the Chiefs general manager, he was the Chiefs' co-director of player personnel. He began his career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, eventually moving up and becoming a scout.

Patrick Henry Gibbs is a former American football defensive back who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).

James Gallagher was an American football executive who worked for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1949 to 1995.

Jack Sanders was an American football guard who played for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for SMU, he was drafted by the New York Giants in the 17th round of the 1939 NFL Draft. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1940 to 1942, before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima as a first lieutenant in March 1945, and had part of his left arm amputated due to injuries sustained from an explosion while testing underwater demolitions. On August 17, 1945, he signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, and became the first World War II disabled veteran to sign an NFL contract. He played in three games for the Eagles in 1945. In the first game of the season, against the Green Bay Packers, the United States Armed Forces paid to send 22,000 amputees to the game to watch Sanders play.

Dawn Marie DiFortuna-Aponte is an American football executive, accountant, and attorney. She is the chief administrator of football operations for the National Football League (NFL), having served in the position since June 2017.

Thomas Hamner is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Minnesota and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He was released the following season, before playing in any games, ending his professional career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill McKeever</span> American football player (1916–2000)

William Winton McKeever Jr. was an American football tackle who played one season for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL). He played college football for Cornell and was selected in the tenth round of the 1939 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lawrence Robert "Lonny" Calicchio is a former American football placekicker and punter who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for Northwest Mississippi and Ole Miss, going undrafted in 1996. He also had stints with the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts, but did not play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Thayer (American football executive)</span> American football player

Harry M. Thayer was an American football executive who served as general manager for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1941 to 1946, and for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949.

References

  1. "Smolenski, Don - Eagles Media Center". eagles.1rmg.com.
  2. "Don Smolenski" (PDF). lincolnfinacialfield.com.
  3. Bermann, Zach (June 9, 2013). "Eagles president reflects on an eventful first year". The Philadelphia Inquirer via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. Grotz, Bob (7 June 2012). "EAGLES: Introducing new team president Don Smolenski". The Times Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16.
  5. Staff, Daily News (7 June 2012). "Who is new Eagles president Don Smolenski?". www.inquirer.com.
  6. Graff, Chad (June 8, 2012). "Lurie admires new president's work ethic". The Philadelphia Inquirer via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. "Tackling a new job". Philadelphia Daily News . June 8, 2012 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg