Arthur B. Modell

Art Modell embodies the legacy of a true American success story. He has been described as a bold, competitive and compassionate entrepreneur. Modell finalized the sale of the 2000 World Champion Baltimore Ravens to majority owner Steve Bisciotti in April 2004. Art was one of 15 finalists for the Canton NFL Hall of Fame in 2001 and a semifinalist for the classes of 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Modell, who purchased the Cleveland Browns for what was an unprecedented price of $4 million in 1961, brought the NFL back to Baltimore in February of 1996…It was not an easy move to make for the longtime Clevelander, but Modell did not leave the fans of Cleveland empty handed…Art left the name “Browns,” the team colors and the great and storied Browns’ history.  

In his 43 seasons of full ownership of the Browns and Ravens, Modell won 2 NFL championships (1964 and 2000) and 3 other teams (1965, 1968 and 1969) played in NFL title games…Three more teams (1986, 1987 and 1989) lost memorable AFC Championship battles – all against John Elway and the Broncos… Ten other teams earned playoff berths, while 6 more entered the season’s final week with a chance to make the postseason. 

Modell was the only elected NFL president in league history, serving in that capacity from 1967 through 1969…He chaired the negotiations for the 1st collective bargaining agreement with the players in 1968, leading a committee that included Vince Lombardi and Jim Finks, both NFL Hall of Famers…Modell might be most noted for his tenure as the NFL’s broadcast chairman…The contracts he negotiated over a 31-year period (1962-93) set the standard for sports TV.

Key career highlights include:

• Chairman of the Owners Labor Committee (1968), which successfully negotiated the NFL’s 1st players’ collective bargaining agreement.
• Served on the NFL-AFL Merger Committee, breaking the impasse for realignment of the 2 leagues by moving the Browns to the AFC.
• Worked closely with Pete Rozelle to establish NFL Films and became its 1st chairman.
• In 1970, Art was an important negotiator with ABC to launch Monday Night Football and volunteered to host the 1st game in Cleveland. (The Browns won, 31-21, over the NY Jets.)

PERSONAL: Art and his wife, Pat, are the parents of John and David and 6 grandchildren…David lives in Baltimore with his wife, Michel, and helps run Modell Ventures…John and his wife, Tracy, live in L.A.…John is a composer/producer, and is president of Modular Entertainment, a music and multimedia production company…Art and Pat, residents of Cockeysville, MD and Vero Beach, FL, are active in the Baltimore community...The couple has donated millions of dollars to a variety of charities, most notably, the SEED School, a boarding school being developed in Baltimore for disadvantaged youth, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Kennedy Krieger Institute, St. Vincent’s Center, a home for abused children, and the House Of Ruth, a domestic violence center…Modell received the Generous Heart Award from the Dr. Ben Carson Scholarship Foundation, given annually for excellence in the community.