After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism, and a four-year stint in the Air Force, Schramm got his start in the sports world as a sportswriter for the Austin American-Statesman. In 1947, Los Angeles Rams owner Dan Reeves offered him the Rams publicity director job. He was promoted to assistant to the president in 1952 and to general manager in 1956. Schramm became tired of the power struggle going on between Reeves and his partners and left the team in 1957 to join CBS Sports.
Hired in 1959 by Cowboys founder Clint Murchison, he groomed the Cowboys into one of the greatest dynasties in National Football League history. In 29 seasons in Dallas, Schramm’s Cowboys put together 20-consecutive winning seasons, 18 playoff appearances, 13 division titles and five Super Bowl appearances. After Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys and fired Tom Landry, the only head coach in Cowboys history at the time, Schramm decided to resign his position with the club.
He finished his pro career as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the World League of American Football in 1989 and 1990.
Tex Schramm's contribution to pro football goes much deeper than the success he brought to the Cowboys. These are among the many enhancements he brought to the NFL:
• 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
