IQFB Profile: Allie Sherman

Alexander “Allie” Sherman is most famous as the head coach of the New York Giants during the 1960s. He came on strong winning division titles for the Giants in his first three seasons (1961, 1962, 1963) before getting fired following the 1969 season after going 7-7. He won two NFL Coach of the Year Awards during his first two seasons as a coach in the NFL (1961 & 1962). Previous to coaching the Giants, he was head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, this was his only other head coaching experience. He had also served as a scout and assistant coach in the New York Giants organization.

Previous to his coaching career, Allie Sherman played in the NFL. He saw time as a quarterback, running back, and defensive back during a five year career with the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first season in the NFL in 1943, due to a labor shortage because of World War II, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merged to form one team. The league officially called the team Phil-Pitt, fans and the media nicknamed them the Steagles. The armed forces had determined that Sherman was not able to serve in the military, this made him available to play in the NFL. All the members of the Steagles not only played professional football, but they also worked full time jobs in defense plants.

Allie Sherman will go down as one of the favorite figures in New York Giants history and deservedly so.

IQFB Profile: Bud Adams

Bud Adams (Kenneth Stanley Adams) was born in 1923 in Oklahoma. After serving in the military in World War II, Adams settled in Houston and made his fortune in the petroleum business, eventually owning a number of automobile dealerships as well.

In 1959, Adams made an attempt to but the struggling Chicago Cardinals of the NFL, having been denied this opportunity he went on to partner with Lamar Hunt in the forming of the competing AFL and founded the Houston Oilers. The Oilers were one of the most successful AFL franchises, winning the first two championships, and he would eventually see his name listed in the AFL Hall-of-Fame. Adams, along with Hunt, played a major role in the AFL-NFL merger that combined the upstart league with its more established competitor.

Though popular and successful again in the late 1970’s and late 1980’s, the Oilers would never achieve the same level of success in the NFL as they did in the old AFL. Following disputes with the city of Houston over both the condition of their home stadium the Astrodome and a desire for a brand new stadium, Adams would move the team to Tennessee for the 1996 season. Upon arriving in Tennessee, the Oilers would have a rough start playing in the Liberty Bowl for their first year, at Vanderbilt University for their second year, before finally settling into their brand new stadium in their third year in Tennessee. The Titans (as they became known by this time) made the franchise’s first and so far only Super Bowl appearance following the 1999 season, their first in their new stadium in Nashville.

Adams saw the Oilers come into existence in the AFL, navigated through the merger with the NFL, and then relocated from Houston to Tennessee. Bud Adams has definitely left his mark on professional football.

The New England Patriots have become one of the most successful franchises in National Football League history. This was not always the case as in the thirty four years the team existed before being purchased by Robert Kraft in 1994 the most wins they had accumulated was eleven. Since Kraft’s purchase of the team, they have had seasons of 14 wins (twice) as well as the undefeated 2007 season when they accumulated 16 regular season victories.

Robert Kraft was born in 1941 in Brookline, Massachusetts and was a New England Patriots fan dating back to their early days as part of the American Football League (AFL). Kraft played on the lightweight football team and graduated from Columbia University in 1963 before receiving an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1965.

Kraft began his business career with a packaging company he would later acquire, the Rand-Whitney Group. He would also found International Forest Products, a physical paper commodities trading company, in 1972. These two companies combine to form the largest privately held paper and packaging in the United States. Kraft would look outside the paper and packaging industry for his next business deals as he went on to acquire both television and radio stations, primarily in the Boston area.

In 1985, Kraft purchased an option on the New England Patriots home field, Sullivan Stadium. This followed in 1988 with Kraft’s purchase of the stadium from bankruptcy court for $25 million. The stadium, home to the Patriots whom Kraft had held season tickets for since 1972, would be renamed Foxboro Stadium and then would play a big role in Kraft’s acquisition of the team. The Patriots were purchased by James Orthwein in 1992 and as he was a native of St. Louis, who had lost the Cardinals four years earlier, it was assumed he wanted to move the team. Two years later Kraft saved the team from being moved by purchasing the Patriots for $175 million dollars, up until then the highest price paid for an NFL team.

After six playoff appearances in 33 years before Robert Kraft purchased the team, the Patriots have gone on to make the playoffs nine times in the 13 years since he purchased the team. Kraft has built a successful team starting with his hiring of head coach Bill Parcells which directly led to his hiring of current head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots have gone on to win multiple Super Bowls under Kraft’s ownership, Belichick’s guidance, and star quarterback Tom Brady’s play.

Robert Kraft also founded the New England Revolution, who share their home stadium (the newly built Gillette Stadium) with the Patriots. Kraft is also a major contributor to various philanthropic causes, many in his home region of New England. Robert Kraft succeeded in living out a dream many football fans have for themselves; buying their favorite football team and turning it into a success. The successful years for the New England Patriots don’t appear to be ending any time soon either.