Born:
June 2, 1920, San Gabriel, California
Died: July 15, 2003
Best Known For :
Tex Schramm is best known for transforming the Dallas Cowboys expansion franchise of the 1960s into "America's Team".
Career Highlights and Accomplishments:
• Coordinated the merger of the established NFL and the American Football League in 1966
• Created the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
• Brought the NFL to the nation on Thanksgiving Day
• Spearheading the involvement of instant replay in the officiating of the game
• Gave the head referee a microphone for penalty announcements
• Shortened the play-clock
• Helped to develop a six-division wild-card playoff system
• Originated the idea of using a sports anchorman for major athletic events on television
• Built the NFL’s first bona fide scouting system
• Moved the official game time to the clock on the scoreboard
• Moved hash marks toward the middle of the field to open the field up more for offenses
• Developed the sudden-death overtime concept for breaking ties
• Implemented the in-the-grasp rule to protect quarterbacks
• Enabled quarterbacks to stop the clock by throwing the ball directly into the ground
• Made defensive linemen's head slaps illegal
Other notables:
• Developed the Cowboys' Ring of Honor
• Gave Pete Rozelle his first NFL job as Los Angeles Rams’ public relations director
• Chaired the NFL Competition Committee from 1966 to 1988
• Named NFL Executive of the Year by The Sporting News in 1977
• Received the Bert Bell award for outstanding executive leadership in the NFL in 1978
• Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on January 26, 1991, and formally enshrined on July 27th of that year