Art Modell
Encyclopedia
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League
team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns
franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens
franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast sporting goods store chain Modell's
in 1889. He is also the son of late Modell's executive Henry Modell.
. He purchased the Cleveland Browns
in 1961 for $4 million, investing only $250,000 of his own money (he borrowed $2.7 million and found partners for the rest).
on January 9, 1963. He did so because Brown ignored his suggestions and overshadowed Modell. Paul Brown had won 7 league championships prior to Modell's acquisition of the team. After firing Brown, Modell quickly named Brown's assistant, Blanton Collier
, as the new coach on January 16, 1963.
NFL Championship Game against a heavily favored Don Shula
coached Baltimore Colts
team with
Pro Football Hall of Fame
quarterback Johnny Unitas
as its signal caller.
The Browns whitewashed the Colts 27-0 in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This particular Browns team consisted of many players initially drafted and acquired by Brown. During the next 30 years in Cleveland, not a single Modell team won the league title, although they would go on to appear in a total of 7 NFL/AFC
championship title games during the period. Prior to Modell's arrival, the Browns had dominated the NFL and AAFC
, winning 7 championships in 17 years.
. In addition, Modell became active in NFL leadership, serving as NFL President and using his television connections to help negotiate the league's increasingly lucrative television contracts
. Modell also was willing to provide his team as an opponent for both the first prime time Thanksgiving
game in 1966 and the opening Monday Night Football
broadcast in 1970.
candidates. He married TV soap opera
star Patricia Breslin
in 1969, having previously been a well-known
bachelor and man about town. For many years he was able to disarm newspaper and TV reporters with his quick wit. For example, with regard to the NFL's innovative policy of sharing all network television revenue on an equal basis per team, so that the Green Bay Packers
and New York Giants
each got an equal slice of the revenue, he joked, "We're 26 Republicans who vote Socialist!"
members of the Browns involved in a contract dispute refused to report to training camp. Modell eventually traded or released four of the players, with only standout running back Leroy Kelly
staying. Kelly would go on to "play out his option" but the restrictive nature of free agency in the NFL at the time severely limited his options.
Subsequent contract battles with defensive end Jack Gregory in 1971 and second-round draft pick Tom Skladany
in 1977 only served to damage Modell's image among Cleveland fans. Feeling that the constant sellouts the team had enjoyed should be used to bolster the team, fan animosity manifested itself with anti-Modell stadium banners that were quickly removed by Cleveland Stadium management.
in 1973, which had been owned by the City of Cleveland but had become too expensive for the city to operate or maintain. He worked out a deal with the city whereby his newly formed entity, dubbed Stadium Corp., would rent the stadium from the City for $1 per year, assume all operating and repair costs and would sublease the stadium to its two primary tenants, the Browns and the Cleveland Indians
, Cleveland's franchise in the American League of Major League Baseball.
), by imposition of new taxes.
as a potential site for a new stadium. The lawsuit, Gries Sports Enterprises v. Cleveland Browns Football Co., 26 Ohio St. 3d 15 (1986), was a leading Ohio case concerning a corporate officer's fiduciary duty toward shareholders.
, instead asking for improvements to Municipal Stadium. Because Modell's Stadium Corp. still controlled Municipal Stadium, it may have made more business sense for Modell to try to keep the Indians at Municipal, particularly as the baseball team began to show signs of improvement both on the playing field and at the box office. (The Indians went on to play in the World Series
in 1995
and 1997
, and sold out 455 straight games at Jacobs Field from 1995 until 2001.) The City of Cleveland agreed to make the improvements to Municipal Stadium which were to be funded through an extension of the sin tax, which was used to provide funding for the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex.
, Modell issued a public moratorium on discussions relating to the stadium issue or the future of his franchise. It was during this time that Modell entered into secret discussions with the State of Maryland to move the franchise to Baltimore
for the 1996 season
. The announcement of the move occurred several days before the public referendum on the extension of the sin tax that would fund the improvements on Municipal Stadium as Modell had originally requested. But, Modell wrote a letter to Cleveland's mayor and Ohio's governor saying that the passing of the referendum may not be enough to keep the Browns. Modell also wanted that information to be made public. Plain Dealer Nov 7, 1995. Commentators have speculated that the timing of the announcement was to cause the referendum to go down in defeat and thus allow Modell to make the case that he was not receiving the public support he needed to remain viable in Cleveland. Nonetheless, the referendum was passed by a wide margin. Modell was assisted in the move by Alfred Lerner, who would go on to become the new owner of the reactivated Cleveland Browns franchise in 1998. Modell's move returned the NFL to Baltimore for the first time since the Colts
left for Indianapolis
after the 1983 season
.
in 1957. He had also publicly criticized the Baltimore Colts
' move to Indianapolis, and he had testified in favor of the NFL in court cases where the league unsuccessfully tried to stop Al Davis
from moving the Oakland Raiders
from Oakland to Los Angeles. Numerous reports of quotes from Modell circulated stating that he would not visit Cleveland during games between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns because he feared for his life and physical being.
, and the authority's director, John A. Moag Jr., in City of Cleveland v. Cleveland Browns, et al., Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CV-95-297833, for breaching the Browns' lease, which required the team to play its home games at Cleveland Stadium for several years beyond 1995. Surprisingly for Modell, many Baltimore fans sympathized with Clevelanders' outrage.
. Cleveland received a loan from the NFL to help with the cost of a new stadium. The Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 with Lerner, a friend of Modell as well as a minority owner of Modell's original franchise and MBNA
CEO and owner, assuming ownership, after Lerner outbid other interested parties for the right to buy the reactivated Browns' franchise.
The Minnesota Twins signed a deal with Hennepin County, Minnesota for Target Field in 2006, where they agreed to a provision that was later codified into law which allows the state of Minnesota the right of first refusal to buy the team if it is ever sold, and requires that the name, colors, World Series trophies and history of the team remain in Minnesota if the Twins are ever moved out of state, a deal similar to what Modell agreed to with the city of Cleveland during the move.
In December 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer moved to Houston, Texas to become the Houston Dynamo. At the time, it was announced by the league that while players and staff would move with the team, the team name, colors, logo, and records (including two championship trophies) would stay in San Jose for when a new expansion team arrives.[3] In 2008, the Earthquakes returned under the ownership of Lew Wolff.
When the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 2008, the owners agreed to leave the 'SuperSonics' name, logo, and colors in Seattle for a possible future NBA franchise; however the items would remain the property of the Oklahoma City team along with other "assets" including championship banners and trophies.[4] The team was subsequently renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both the Thunder and any future Seattle NBA team will also "share" the SuperSonics' history.
Many sportswriters and commentators in and outside of Cleveland reviled him, saying the honorable course would have been to sell the team to local interests. It is widely believed that the acrimony from the move has kept Modell out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
(he was an also-ran in the 2006 voting). After all, the original Browns were considered one of the NFL's flagship franchises, as well as an institution by many Northern Ohioans. To this day, he is considered to be persona non-grata
in Cleveland by many in the local media and business circles, and probably because of the local-wide acrimonious sentiment towards him, has not returned to the city since 1996. For example, when Browns kicking legend Lou "The Toe" Groza
, died in 2000, Modell didn't feel safe attending the funeral, so he did not appear.
said, "...these are the best fans in the NFL. I said that when I came here with my Bears
. They (the Cleveland sports fans) don't deserve this. If Modell had any sort of sense of dignity he would have sold the team."
, had mixed emotions about the Ravens' arrival: happiness that the great fans of the city now had an NFL team to cheer for again, but also sadness that Cleveland had felt the same loss that Baltimore had in 1984, and a neutral view of the new team itself.
as its new head coach. Marchibroda, who also had been the head of the Colts when they were in Baltimore during the late 1970s, had coached them the previous three seasons in Indianapolis, and they were fresh off of an appearance in a memorable 1995 AFC Championship loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, the new Ravens still struggled to be competitive and suffered in mediocrity for the first 3 seasons in Baltimore, missing the playoffs each year. In 1999, they hired former NFL assistant coach Brian Billick
as the head coach, replacing Marchibroda. Like Marchibroda, Billick, an Ohio native, had been considered one of the brightest offensive minds among the league's offensive coaches, and also had been considered by Modell as a possible Browns head coaching candidate.
, they would go on to defeat the NFC Champion New York Giants
in the Super Bowl
, 34–7. Shortly after the Super Bowl XXXV
victory, Modell handed the rein
s of the day-to-day operations of the team over to his son, David
. The Ravens qualified again for the postseason in 2001 as defending Super Bowl Champions, and once more in 2003, winning their first division title. The Ravens' regular season record during Modell's tenure as team owner stands at 72–63.
, have 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.
. Under the deal, Modell retained a small interest (approximately 1% share) upon the team's sale as a legal maneuver to avoid a claim by the Andrews trust, which was controlled by family of a former business adviser who sought to collect an estimated $30 million finder's fee upon Modell's sale of the team. The Andrews trust essentially claimed that under a 1963 agreement, Modell owed a finder's fee for his original purchase of the team which was to be paid when Modell sold his entire interest. In July 2005, Modell prevailed in court and defeated the Andrews trust's claim. At the time of sale the franchise's worth was estimated at approximately US$600 million.
Soon after Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore in 1996, he had sold a small minority interest to Bisciotti. After owning the NFL franchise for 44 seasons, Modell sold controlling interest of the team to Bisciotti, citing ill health. However, Bisciotti had the option to buy the team fully in right (approximately 99%) until March 2004, this upon becoming a minority owner (about 45%) outright in 1999. Bisciotti exercised his purchase option in January 2004. Modell currently retains his 1% share and has an office at the Ravens' headquarters in Owings Mills, Maryland
as a team consultant.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4183/is_20050726/ai_n14803421
titled "Battle for the Browns", there is a cartoon of Modell punching a Browns fan, adorned with a Browns Helmet/dog and dogbone mask in the stomach. He was portrayed in the 2008 movie The Express
, which was about Syracuse running back and Browns draftee Ernie Davis
.
An episode of The Drew Carey Show
(whose title character is a native Clevelander) referenced Modell. During a party at Drew's house, which featured many Cleveland personalities, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar
asks Drew where the bathroom is. Drew directs Kosar to the bathroom, following with the instruction, "Just don't take a Modell."
, married in 1969 it was the second marriage for both; Breslin had brought two sons, John and David, Jr., from her first marriage to actor David Orrick McDearmon (1914–1979). Modell adopted both John and David. David would later work for the Browns/Ravens' franchise, eventually become team president and CEO before the team's sale in 2004. Modell, who had been considered one of northeastern Ohio's most eligible bachelors as well as a man about town before marrying Patricia, had three children from his first marriage. As of 2009, Modell and his wife lived in Cockeysville, Maryland
. They also retained residences in nearby Owings Mills, Maryland
, where son David lives with his family, and Vero Beach, Florida
. They had a total of six grandchildren. Patricia died on October 12, 2011 at the age of 80.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast sporting goods store chain Modell's
Modell's
Modell's is a sporting goods retailer with locations in the Northeastern United States. Modell's carries both sporting goods and related apparel. Modell's currently has more than 140 retail locations in ten states and the District of Columbia as of 2008...
in 1889. He is also the son of late Modell's executive Henry Modell.
As Cleveland Browns owner (1961-1995)
During the 1940s and 1950s, Modell worked in the advertising, public relations businesses and television production in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He purchased the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1961 for $4 million, investing only $250,000 of his own money (he borrowed $2.7 million and found partners for the rest).
Coach Paul Brown's firing (1963)
Unlike the Browns' previous owners, Modell immediately took an active role in the management of the team, and fired legendary coach Paul BrownPaul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
on January 9, 1963. He did so because Brown ignored his suggestions and overshadowed Modell. Paul Brown had won 7 league championships prior to Modell's acquisition of the team. After firing Brown, Modell quickly named Brown's assistant, Blanton Collier
Blanton Collier
Blanton Long Collier was an American football coach who led the University of Kentucky and the Cleveland Browns...
, as the new coach on January 16, 1963.
Browns win NFL Championship Game (1964)
After three non-playoff seasons, The 1964 Browns' team would finish 10-3-1 and appear in the 19641964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
NFL Championship Game against a heavily favored Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
coached Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
team with
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
quarterback Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
as its signal caller.
The Browns whitewashed the Colts 27-0 in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This particular Browns team consisted of many players initially drafted and acquired by Brown. During the next 30 years in Cleveland, not a single Modell team won the league title, although they would go on to appear in a total of 7 NFL/AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
championship title games during the period. Prior to Modell's arrival, the Browns had dominated the NFL and AAFC
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League 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...
, winning 7 championships in 17 years.
Modell's team promotions
Using his background in advertising to market the team, Modell showed a flair for promotions, with one popular innovation coming in 1962 by scheduling pro football preseason doubleheaders at Cleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
. In addition, Modell became active in NFL leadership, serving as NFL President and using his television connections to help negotiate the league's increasingly lucrative television contracts
NFL on television
The television rights to broadcast National Football League games are the most lucrative and expensive rights of any American sport. It was television that brought professional football into prominence in the modern era after World War II...
. Modell also was willing to provide his team as an opponent for both the first prime time Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
game in 1966 and the opening Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
broadcast in 1970.
Community involvement in Cleveland area
Modell took an active role in Cleveland community life and was a leading fundraiser for charities and various Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates. He married TV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
star Patricia Breslin
Patricia Breslin
Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress known for her guest roles in various television series in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
in 1969, having previously been a well-known
bachelor and man about town. For many years he was able to disarm newspaper and TV reporters with his quick wit. For example, with regard to the NFL's innovative policy of sharing all network television revenue on an equal basis per team, so that the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
and New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
each got an equal slice of the revenue, he joked, "We're 26 Republicans who vote Socialist!"
Player contract battles
However, that ingratiating manner did not always translate into smooth relationships with his employees. In 1967, five African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
members of the Browns involved in a contract dispute refused to report to training camp. Modell eventually traded or released four of the players, with only standout running back Leroy Kelly
Leroy Kelly
Leroy Kelly was an American football player. A Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, he played for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League from 1964-73....
staying. Kelly would go on to "play out his option" but the restrictive nature of free agency in the NFL at the time severely limited his options.
Subsequent contract battles with defensive end Jack Gregory in 1971 and second-round draft pick Tom Skladany
Tom Skladany
Thomas Edward Skladany was an American football punter with a six-year career in the National Football League from 1978 to 1983. Skladany was a three-time All-American at The Ohio State University—. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1981 season.Simmons....
in 1977 only served to damage Modell's image among Cleveland fans. Feeling that the constant sellouts the team had enjoyed should be used to bolster the team, fan animosity manifested itself with anti-Modell stadium banners that were quickly removed by Cleveland Stadium management.
Modell as head of Stadium Corp. (1973)
Modell took control of Cleveland Municipal StadiumCleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
in 1973, which had been owned by the City of Cleveland but had become too expensive for the city to operate or maintain. He worked out a deal with the city whereby his newly formed entity, dubbed Stadium Corp., would rent the stadium from the City for $1 per year, assume all operating and repair costs and would sublease the stadium to its two primary tenants, the Browns and the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, Cleveland's franchise in the American League of Major League Baseball.
Cleveland Indians baseball
As head of Stadium Corp., Modell was the landlord of the Indians organization. This was a sound business decision even though the Indians played poorly and drew small crowds throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s. The Browns were paying rent to themselves and Modell, by constructing loges in the ballpark, generated significant cash flow from the loge rentals not shared with the Indians. Modell later alleged that the loge rentals were unprofitable because he had financed their construction at the prevailing high interest rates, though he failed to explain why the rental income that was earned was not used to offset the debt.Indians grow dissatisfied with Modell
The Indians organization became dissatisfied with Modell's Stadium Corp. as its landlord. Modell did not share the loge revenues earned from baseball games with the Indians. Also, rock concerts damaged the stadium playing field during baseball season, and Modell refused to improve the clubhouse. The Indians attributed to this their inability to attract high-quality free-agent players. Eventually the Indians persuaded City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County voters to fund a new ballpark (which became known as Jacobs FieldJacobs Field
Progressive Field is a ballpark located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the home of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball and the American League. Along with Quicken Loans Arena, it is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex...
), by imposition of new taxes.
Modell's dissatisfaction with Jacobs Field
In turn, Modell was dissatisfied with the Indians' new ballpark because Stadium Corp.'s suite rental revenue decreased once Jacobs Field opened. Many suite customers switched their business from Cleveland Stadium's older suites to Jacobs Field's newer suites, due to the Indians' new-found success and popularity in the mid 1990s and because Modell's Stadium Corp. refused to decrease the annual rent for the suites even though the events for which the suites could be used decreased substantially (81 home games) with the loss of the Indians as a tenant.Other tenants
Modell's Stadium Corporation, in conjunction with Belkin Productions, also promoted well-attended rock concerts at the stadium, including The World Series of Rock. In 1977, Cleveland Stadium hosted more than 83,000 patrons for the only Pink Floyd concert between New York City and Chicago. These concerts drew large crowds that unfortunately damaged the baseball playing field.Gries Sports Enterprises lawsuit
In 1979, Stadium Corp. and Modell were implicated in a lawsuit brought by Browns minority shareholder Robert Gries of Gries Sports Enterprises, who successfully alleged that Stadium Corp. manipulated the Browns' accounting records to help Stadium Corp. and Modell absorb a loss on real property that had been purchased in the Cleveland suburb of StrongsvilleStrongsville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,858 people, 16,209 households, and 12,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,779.6 people per square mile . There were 16,863 housing units at an average density of 684.2 per square mile...
as a potential site for a new stadium. The lawsuit, Gries Sports Enterprises v. Cleveland Browns Football Co., 26 Ohio St. 3d 15 (1986), was a leading Ohio case concerning a corporate officer's fiduciary duty toward shareholders.
Gateway Sports project clash
Modell declined to become a tenant in Cleveland's new Gateway Sports and Entertainment ComplexGateway Sports and Entertainment Complex
The Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex is a multipurpose campus located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It comprises two sports facilities, a transitional space known as Gateway Plaza, and two parking garages...
, instead asking for improvements to Municipal Stadium. Because Modell's Stadium Corp. still controlled Municipal Stadium, it may have made more business sense for Modell to try to keep the Indians at Municipal, particularly as the baseball team began to show signs of improvement both on the playing field and at the box office. (The Indians went on to play in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in 1995
1995 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta ace Greg Maddux pitched a two-hit complete game victory in his first World Series appearance ....
and 1997
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
, and sold out 455 straight games at Jacobs Field from 1995 until 2001.) The City of Cleveland agreed to make the improvements to Municipal Stadium which were to be funded through an extension of the sin tax, which was used to provide funding for the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex.
Modell relocates to Baltimore (1996)
While the City of Cleveland, Ohio agreed to improve Municipal StadiumCleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
, Modell issued a public moratorium on discussions relating to the stadium issue or the future of his franchise. It was during this time that Modell entered into secret discussions with the State of Maryland to move the franchise to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
for the 1996 season
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
. The announcement of the move occurred several days before the public referendum on the extension of the sin tax that would fund the improvements on Municipal Stadium as Modell had originally requested. But, Modell wrote a letter to Cleveland's mayor and Ohio's governor saying that the passing of the referendum may not be enough to keep the Browns. Modell also wanted that information to be made public. Plain Dealer Nov 7, 1995. Commentators have speculated that the timing of the announcement was to cause the referendum to go down in defeat and thus allow Modell to make the case that he was not receiving the public support he needed to remain viable in Cleveland. Nonetheless, the referendum was passed by a wide margin. Modell was assisted in the move by Alfred Lerner, who would go on to become the new owner of the reactivated Cleveland Browns franchise in 1998. Modell's move returned the NFL to Baltimore for the first time since the Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
left for Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
after the 1983 season
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
.
Hostile fan reaction to move
The reaction in Cleveland was, not surprisingly, very hostile. Modell had promised numerous times never to move the team. The Brooklyn native mentioned numerous times how saddened and betrayed he and other Brooklynites had felt when the Dodgers moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1957. He had also publicly criticized the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
' move to Indianapolis, and he had testified in favor of the NFL in court cases where the league unsuccessfully tried to stop Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
from moving the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from Oakland to Los Angeles. Numerous reports of quotes from Modell circulated stating that he would not visit Cleveland during games between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns because he feared for his life and physical being.
The City of Cleveland vs. Cleveland Browns
The City of Cleveland sued Modell, the Browns, Stadium Corp, the Maryland Stadium AuthorityMaryland Stadium Authority
The Maryland Stadium Authority, MSA, was created by Chapter 283, Acts of 1986 Maryland General Assembly. Its initial mission was to return the National Football League to Baltimore. Maryland sought a new football team after former Baltimore Colts owner, Robert Irsay, moved the Colts out of the...
, and the authority's director, John A. Moag Jr., in City of Cleveland v. Cleveland Browns, et al., Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CV-95-297833, for breaching the Browns' lease, which required the team to play its home games at Cleveland Stadium for several years beyond 1995. Surprisingly for Modell, many Baltimore fans sympathized with Clevelanders' outrage.
Browns franchise deactivated, to resume in '99
Eventually the NFL and the parties worked out a deal. The Browns' franchise would be deactivated for three years. Modell knew the Baltimore Browns name wouldn't go over well in Baltimore. So he used the name as a bargaining chip with the NFL. He would leave behind the Browns' name, colors and heritage (including team records) for a replacement franchise, in the form of either a new team or a relocated franchise. In return, Modell was allowed to take the franchise rights, players and organization to Baltimore as the new expansion RavensBaltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. Cleveland received a loan from the NFL to help with the cost of a new stadium. The Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 with Lerner, a friend of Modell as well as a minority owner of Modell's original franchise and MBNA
MBNA
MBNA Corporation was a bank holding company and parent company of wholly owned subsidiary MBNA America Bank, N.A., headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, prior to being acquired by Bank of America in 2006...
CEO and owner, assuming ownership, after Lerner outbid other interested parties for the right to buy the reactivated Browns' franchise.
The Browns' record under Modell
During Modell's 35 seasons as team owner the Browns qualified for the postseason 17 times, winning 11 division titles and the NFL championship in 1964. The team's overall regular season record during Modell's tenure was 252-233-10, (winning percentage .507), and its post-season record was 7 wins against 14 losses (winning percentage .333).Impact of move
The move fueled a proliferation of 12 new stadiums throughout the NFL. Using the NFL-City of Cleveland agreement's promise to supply a team to Cleveland by 1999, several NFL franchises used the threat of relocation to coerce their respective cities to build new stadiums with public funds. Such franchises include the Broncos, Eagles, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Bengals, Steelers, Lions, Cardinals, and Colts. The NFL's deal with Cleveland would set a legal precedent with other sports teams, as well.The Minnesota Twins signed a deal with Hennepin County, Minnesota for Target Field in 2006, where they agreed to a provision that was later codified into law which allows the state of Minnesota the right of first refusal to buy the team if it is ever sold, and requires that the name, colors, World Series trophies and history of the team remain in Minnesota if the Twins are ever moved out of state, a deal similar to what Modell agreed to with the city of Cleveland during the move.
In December 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer moved to Houston, Texas to become the Houston Dynamo. At the time, it was announced by the league that while players and staff would move with the team, the team name, colors, logo, and records (including two championship trophies) would stay in San Jose for when a new expansion team arrives.[3] In 2008, the Earthquakes returned under the ownership of Lew Wolff.
When the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 2008, the owners agreed to leave the 'SuperSonics' name, logo, and colors in Seattle for a possible future NBA franchise; however the items would remain the property of the Oklahoma City team along with other "assets" including championship banners and trophies.[4] The team was subsequently renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both the Thunder and any future Seattle NBA team will also "share" the SuperSonics' history.
Many sportswriters and commentators in and outside of Cleveland reviled him, saying the honorable course would have been to sell the team to local interests. It is widely believed that the acrimony from the move has kept Modell out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
(he was an also-ran in the 2006 voting). After all, the original Browns were considered one of the NFL's flagship franchises, as well as an institution by many Northern Ohioans. To this day, he is considered to be persona non-grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
in Cleveland by many in the local media and business circles, and probably because of the local-wide acrimonious sentiment towards him, has not returned to the city since 1996. For example, when Browns kicking legend Lou "The Toe" Groza
Lou Groza
Louis Roy Groza was an American football placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns....
, died in 2000, Modell didn't feel safe attending the funeral, so he did not appear.
Browns' final game at Municipal Stadium (1995)
When the final game was played in Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1995, there were more people outside it protesting the move and the comments spoken by Modell about it than inside enjoying their last Browns game before the three year deactivation. The protesters were acknowledged by the NBC announcing crew. Former NFL head coach Mike DitkaMike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
said, "...these are the best fans in the NFL. I said that when I came here with my Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. They (the Cleveland sports fans) don't deserve this. If Modell had any sort of sense of dignity he would have sold the team."
1990's
By the 1990s, Modell was disturbed at what he saw as the financial distress of the Browns and the Stadium Corp., as recounted in detail in the book Fumble: The Browns, Modell, & the Move by Michael G. Poplar with James A. Toman (ISBN 0-936760-11-7) which was written by a Modell associate and longtime Browns employee. Less charitable portraits of Modell are contained in the books Glory for Sale: Inside the Browns' Move to Baltimore & the New NFL by Jon Morgan (ISBN 0-9631246-5-X) and Pay Dirt: the Business of Professional Team Sports by James Quirk and Rodney D. Fort (ISBN 0-691-01574-0).Former Colts players, fans rally around team
Many Baltimore fans, including several prominent old-time Colts players who live in the area, considered the Ravens to be the successors of the Baltimore Colts. Other retired stars, like Art DonovanArt Donovan
Arthur Donovan, Jr. is a former American football defensive tackle, better known as Art 'How much does dat guy weigh?' Donovan, who played for three National Football League teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts...
, had mixed emotions about the Ravens' arrival: happiness that the great fans of the city now had an NFL team to cheer for again, but also sadness that Cleveland had felt the same loss that Baltimore had in 1984, and a neutral view of the new team itself.
Head coaching changes
Upon the team's move in 1996, Modell selected former NFL head coach and offensive guru Ted MarchibrodaTed Marchibroda
Theodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
as its new head coach. Marchibroda, who also had been the head of the Colts when they were in Baltimore during the late 1970s, had coached them the previous three seasons in Indianapolis, and they were fresh off of an appearance in a memorable 1995 AFC Championship loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, the new Ravens still struggled to be competitive and suffered in mediocrity for the first 3 seasons in Baltimore, missing the playoffs each year. In 1999, they hired former NFL assistant coach Brian Billick
Brian Billick
Brian Harold Billick is a National Football League game analyst for Fox, and is also an analyst for the network's Bowl Championship Series coverage. He was previously an NFL coach, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens from January 19, 1999 to December 31, 2007...
as the head coach, replacing Marchibroda. Like Marchibroda, Billick, an Ohio native, had been considered one of the brightest offensive minds among the league's offensive coaches, and also had been considered by Modell as a possible Browns head coaching candidate.
Super Bowl XXXV
In 2000, the Ravens, under the coaching of Billick, qualified for the postseason for the first time, winning the AFC Wild-Card position with a 12–4 record. (Tennessee won their division that year.) Led by a stingy defense anchored by team captain and NFL All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis, and quarterbacked by Pro-Bowler Trent DilferTrent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
, they would go on to defeat the NFC Champion New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, 34–7. Shortly after the Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
victory, Modell handed the rein
Rein
Reins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding or driving. Reins can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband.-Use for riding:...
s of the day-to-day operations of the team over to his son, David
David Modell
David Modell is an American business executive, attorney, and sports team owner who has served as President and CEO of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens...
. The Ravens qualified again for the postseason in 2001 as defending Super Bowl Champions, and once more in 2003, winning their first division title. The Ravens' regular season record during Modell's tenure as team owner stands at 72–63.
Community involvement in Baltimore area
Modell and his wife, former television actress Patricia BreslinPatricia Breslin
Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress known for her guest roles in various television series in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
, have donated millions of dollars to a variety of charities, most notably the SEED School
SEED School
SEED Alternative School is a small Toronto District School Board alternative high school now located in Toronto's east end.Previous locations include Yonge and College, McCaul St, and Bloor and Spadina, in downtown Toronto...
, a boarding school being developed in Baltimore for disadvantaged youth; Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
; Kennedy Krieger Institute
Kennedy Krieger Institute
The Kennedy Krieger Institute is an internationally recognized organization improving the lives of children and adolescents with learning disabilities, disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system...
; St. Vincent’s Center, a home for abused children; and the House Of Ruth
House of Ruth
House of Ruth, founded in 1976, is a non-profit organization that serves more than 600 women and children who are abused and homeless in Washington, DC....
, a domestic violence center. Modell received the Generous Heart Award from the Dr. Ben Carson Scholarship Foundation, given annually for excellence in the community.
Ravens sold to minority owner Bisciotti
Despite a no-cost stadium lease, all revenues from parking, concessions, and TV, as well as a reported $25M Maryland subsidy, Modell's ownership of the Ravens resulted in continual financial hardships, and the NFL stepped in and directed Modell to sell his franchise. In 2003, Modell sold the Ravens to minority owner, Maryland businessman Steve BisciottiSteve Bisciotti
Stephen J. Bisciotti is the current majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.-Background:...
. Under the deal, Modell retained a small interest (approximately 1% share) upon the team's sale as a legal maneuver to avoid a claim by the Andrews trust, which was controlled by family of a former business adviser who sought to collect an estimated $30 million finder's fee upon Modell's sale of the team. The Andrews trust essentially claimed that under a 1963 agreement, Modell owed a finder's fee for his original purchase of the team which was to be paid when Modell sold his entire interest. In July 2005, Modell prevailed in court and defeated the Andrews trust's claim. At the time of sale the franchise's worth was estimated at approximately US$600 million.
Soon after Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore in 1996, he had sold a small minority interest to Bisciotti. After owning the NFL franchise for 44 seasons, Modell sold controlling interest of the team to Bisciotti, citing ill health. However, Bisciotti had the option to buy the team fully in right (approximately 99%) until March 2004, this upon becoming a minority owner (about 45%) outright in 1999. Bisciotti exercised his purchase option in January 2004. Modell currently retains his 1% share and has an office at the Ravens' headquarters in Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 20,193 at the 2000 census. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus for the Baltimore Metro Subway and to Owings Mills Mall....
as a team consultant.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4183/is_20050726/ai_n14803421
Modell in popular culture
The hostile fan reaction to Modell's planned move of the franchise to Baltimore has been lampooned and chroniclized in many media circles, particularly in print and television. On the cover of the December 4, 1995 issue of Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
titled "Battle for the Browns", there is a cartoon of Modell punching a Browns fan, adorned with a Browns Helmet/dog and dogbone mask in the stomach. He was portrayed in the 2008 movie The Express
The Express
The Express is a 2008 American sports film produced by John Davis and directed by Gary Fleder. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Charles Leavitt from a book titled Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, authored by Robert C. Gallagher...
, which was about Syracuse running back and Browns draftee Ernie Davis
Ernie Davis
Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland...
.
An episode of The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
(whose title character is a native Clevelander) referenced Modell. During a party at Drew's house, which featured many Cleveland personalities, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
asks Drew where the bathroom is. Drew directs Kosar to the bathroom, following with the instruction, "Just don't take a Modell."
Personal
When Modell and his wife, actress Patricia BreslinPatricia Breslin
Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress known for her guest roles in various television series in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
, married in 1969 it was the second marriage for both; Breslin had brought two sons, John and David, Jr., from her first marriage to actor David Orrick McDearmon (1914–1979). Modell adopted both John and David. David would later work for the Browns/Ravens' franchise, eventually become team president and CEO before the team's sale in 2004. Modell, who had been considered one of northeastern Ohio's most eligible bachelors as well as a man about town before marrying Patricia, had three children from his first marriage. As of 2009, Modell and his wife lived in Cockeysville, Maryland
Cockeysville, Maryland
Cockeysville is a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 19,388 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. They also retained residences in nearby Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 20,193 at the 2000 census. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus for the Baltimore Metro Subway and to Owings Mills Mall....
, where son David lives with his family, and Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
. They had a total of six grandchildren. Patricia died on October 12, 2011 at the age of 80.