Jan Van Duser

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Jan Van Duser
Personal information
Born: Elmira, New York
Career information
College: Columbia University
Career history
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Jan Van Duser is an American sports executive who worked for the National Football League from 1971 to 1997.

Career

A native of Elmira, New York, Van Duser graduated from Columbia University in 1959. He was a sportswriter for the Tampa Times and St. Petersburg Times during the early 1960s. In 1964, he joined the staff of The Atlanta Constitution . [1]

In 1966, Van Duser was named public relations director of the expansion Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. [1] In 1971, he was appointed assistant to the president of the National Football Conference. In 1973, he became the NFL's director of personnel. [2] In this role, Van Duser managed the National Football League draft and processed all player contracts. [3] In 1979, Van Duser was offered the position of general manager of the New York Giants after Commissioner Pete Rozelle stepped in to resolve a stalemate between the team's feuding owners – Wellington Mara and Timothy J. Mara. Van Duser declined the job, which led to the position going to a second compromise candidate, George Young. [4] Van Duser remained in the league office until his retirement in 1997. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Former Times Sportswriter Joins Falcons". St. Petersburg Times. February 10, 1966. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  2. Katz, Michael (February 11, 1979). "Van Duser Rejected Giants' Job". The New York Times.
  3. "Giants' Family Feud Gets NFL Boss, Rozelle, Into Act". The Hour. February 10, 1979. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  4. Katz, Michael (February 15, 1979). "George Young Is Appointed General Manager of Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. Simers, T. J. (October 27, 1997). "Ferreting out NFL truths takes intrepid reporting". The Sporting News.