JewishSportsCollectibles

Obituary: Art Modell, 'One of the Most Influential Owners in the History of the NFL'

Art Modell celebrated the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl win. Photo courtesy of SportsIllustrated.com, by Laura Rauch/AP.

Art Modell, the Jewish former owner of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns and Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, died Thursday, September 6, as reported by Kaplan's Korner on Jews and Sports. He was 87-years-old.

ESPN describes Modell as "one of the most influential owners in the history of the NFL," writing that "Modell helped mold the foundation of the league."

An advertising and television executive prior to buying the Browns, Modell served as Chairman of the NFL’s Television Committee for 31 years, from 1962 to 1993. He negotiated TV deals worth billions of dollars to the NFL, according to the New York Times. This included working with ABC Television Network to create Monday Night Football and helping to create NFL Films.

Modell was also an ardent supporter of football's expansion. He pushed for new games (including pre-season games and Thanksgiving Day matches), assisted with the 1970 merger of the American Football League and the National Football League, and led league expansion (the Browns moved to Baltimore as an expansion team), according to ESPN. 

Fellow owners respected Modell immensely, according to a statement from the Baltimore Ravens. From 1969 through 1969, he served as the only elected NFL president in league history, serving in that capacity in 1967-69. As Chairman of the Owners' Labor Committee in 1968, Modell helped negotiate NFL’s first collective bargaining agreement with players.

Despite his prowess as a 43-year team owner and promoter of football, Modell was vilified by Ohio fans, some of whom never forgave him for relocating the Browns to Baltimore.

That's why, despite his more-than-worthy credentials, Modell has not yet been enshrined in Canton, according to Sports Illustrated. Modell has been nominated repeatedly for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but has yet to be elected. JewishSportsCollectibles.com hopes this egregious oversight will be rectified posthumously.

Off the field, Modell was a generous philanthropist, according to the Baltimore Sun. He gave millions of dollars to a variety of causes, including Jewish and Catholic religious organizations, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a variety of arts and cultural groups.

***

Jewish football collectors can honor Modell's enormous legacy with a variety of collectibles.

Beckett.com lists several football cards for Modell. These include 1974 and 1984 Browns team issues, a 1995 Sports Illustrated card, and a 2009 Sportskings Series C "Owner's Box" cut signature card (#TOB-AM).

The last card is particularly intriguing. Sportskings are a modern revival of the 1930s cards by the same name. The vintage design is colorful and eye catching. A Sportskings company spokesperson tells JewishSportsCollectibles.com that the cut signature inserts were issued as one-of-a-kind, single printing cards, making this the rarest of Modell memorabilia.

Unfortunately, no Beckett Marketplace retailerss or eBay sellers are offering any of the cards at the time of this posting.

Art Modell Signed Photo. Photo courtesy of eBay.

As so often happens after a celebrity death, however, eBay is awash in auctions featuring Art Modell memorabilia.

Listings include Browns and Ravens autographed footballs and mini-helmets, team signed items featuring Modell's autograph, along with a variety of signed photos, business cards and art prints. 

Among the more interesting collectibles are vintage press photos of Modell and a group of signed items offered by seller "jewish-collector" that includes an autographed photo inscribed "Shalom!"

There are also dozens of programs, yearbooks and media guides, tickets stubs, etc. from both the Browns and Ravens for collectors who prefer more generic Modell memorabilia.  

Art Modell Sports Illustrated Cover. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Modell was featured on the cover of the December 4, 1995 issue of Sports Illustrated. The magazine details Modell's battle with Cleveland to relocated the Browns to Baltimore. The image is a unflattering caricature of Modell, and the headline reads: "Art Modell Sucker-Punched Cleveland." The cover is not for sale on SICovers.com. Collectors can, however, purchase it on eBay and Amazon.com.

Amazon also offers numerous books about Modell, including histories of Browns and Ravens, along with biographies of Modell. Sadly, there's even a song about Modell -- Blame It On Art Modell -- available for download. On a more positive note, collectors can also purchase a JSA certified Modell autographed index card on Amazon.com.

***

What Art Modell memorabilia do you have in your Jewish football collection? Did you ever have occasion to meet the Browns and Ravens owner? Share your thoughts on the legendary football man by commenting below.

Obituary: Art Heyman, Duke Basketball's 'Ultimate Warrior'

Art Heyman. Photo courtesy of The Herald Sun.

Art Heyman, the Jewish Sports Hall of Famer who helped the Duke Blue Devils to their first NCAA Final Four appearance and later played in the NBA and ABA, died on August 27, 2012, according to an obituary published on Duke's web site. He was 71-years-old.

Heyman is a Duke immortal, in no small part because he chose the school after committing to play hoops for in-state rival University of North Carolina, as recounted in a Charlotte Observer remembrance. The move, viewed as traitorous by the Tar Heels, led to an ongoing feud throughout Heyman's Duke career.

During his 1960 freshman season, while playing for Duke's JV squad (NCAA rules then prohibited underclassman from playing on varsity teams), UNC players hurled religious insults at Heyman. According to a story in the Durhamn (NC) Herald-Sun, Carolina freshman Dieter Krause went beyond smack talking and attacked Heyman, leading to a fight that spilled over to the coaching staff.

The bad blood carried over to the 1961 season, according to the New York Times.

On February 4, Heyman committed a hard foul against UNC's Larry Brown, a fellow New Yorker and landsman who would later go on to a Hall of Fame coaching career, while Brown attempted a layup.

Brown retaliated by throwing the ball, and a punch, at Heyman. A legendary, 10-minute brawl erupted (the video of which is preserved on YouTube and can be seen below), leading to the suspension of Heyman, Brown and UNC's Donnie Walsh (then a bench player and now head of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers) for the remainder of the ACC season.

 

Heyman rose above the drama, and proved his dominance on the hard wood during his stellar 1962-1963 senior campaign, finishing his Duke career with a season that would go down as legend. He led the Blue Devils to their first appearance in the "March Madness" Final Four. Although Duke lost to Loyola to finish third in the tourney, Heyman was named the tournament's "Most Outstanding Player."

Duke teammates carry Art Heyman off the court. Photo courtesy of NYTimes.com,
by Herald-Sun/AP.

Heyman's Duke tenure included a 69-14 record, an average of 25.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and ACC Player of the Year and The Sporting News' NCAA Player of the Year honors in 1963.

“As much as any other human being, Art was responsible for Duke University becoming a national power in college basketball,” former Duke coach Vic Bubas said in a statement released by the university and quoted in the New York Times' obituary for Heyman.

In an article on SportsIllustrated.com, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says Heyman was "one of the elite players to ever wear a Blue Devil uniform." The school retired Heyman's number - #25 - on March 4, 1990, according the Herald-Sun.

Following his college career, Heyman was drafted number one overall by the New York Knicks. Heyman scored 15.4 points per game in the 1963-1964 season, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team, according to his Wikipedia biography.

His star quickly faded, though, in part because of his temper, reports the NY Times. Heyman played just two seasons in New York, before going to the Cincinnati Royals and Philadelphia 76ers.

In 1967, Heyman jumped to the American Basketball Association, where he played three seasons with the New Jersey Americans, Pittsburgh Pipers (where he won a league title in 1968) and Minnesota Pipers, and Miami Floridians. 

Heyman retired from basketball in 1970 with 4,030 combined NBA/ABA points, according to Wikipedia.

***

Heyman's list of available sports collectibles does not match his stature on the basketball court.

Jewish basketball collectors can, however, find a limited, but by no means scarce, amount of Heyman memorabilia. 

Art Heyman and Jerry Lucas on the cover of SI.
Photo courtesy of eBay.

Beckett.com lists just a single basketball card for Heyman, a 1968-1969 Minnesota Pipers ABA team issue. No Beckett Marketplace sellers offer the card, however, as of this posting.

An eBay search yields several photos featuring Heyman in his Duke playing days, including one autographed lot. Collectors can also purchase a reproduction Duke #25 jersey on the auction site. 

Patient collectors can no doubt find vintage Duke tickets, yearbooks, game programs and other program memorabilia on eBay.

The Duke online photo store offers a single image of Heyman. Others, no doubt, exist.

Heyman is featured on the cover of the October 28, 1963 Sports Illustrated with Jerry Lucas (read the list of MOTs to grace the cover of SI in this 2011 JewishSportsCollectibles.com posting). SIcovers.com does not appear to offer the cover for sale; collectors can find it easily on eBay or Amazon.com, though, especially by searching for "Jerry Lucas."

 

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Given his prominence in the history of Duke basketball, Heyman is also featured in numerous books about the storied program, though he is not the subject of an individual biography.

 

A search of Amazon.com shows nearly 200 books on the history of Duke hoops, including An Illustrated History of Duke Basketball: A Legacy of Achievement and Duke Basketball: A Pictorial History.

***

What other Art Heyman memorabilia exists? Do you have any Heyman autographs or memorabilia in your Jewish basketball collection? What's your favorite piece? Do you have an in-person experience meeting Mr. Heyman? 

Share your thoughts with JSC readers by leaving a comment below.

RIP Al Davis

Al Davis, the Jewish owner of the Oakland Raiders, died on Yom Kippur, October 8, 2011. He was 82 years old.

Davis, whom the New York Times described as a "genius in silver and black," was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From 1963 through his death, Davis served as the Raiders coach, general manager and principal owner. He was also the Commissioner of the American Football League, and helped create the Super Bowl, which his teams won three times.

The Raiders have posted a tribute video to Davis on their web site.

Davis is the subject of several football cards, and his autograph is among the most sought after of the football hall of fame members.

Stay tuned to JewishSportsCollectibles.com for an upcoming posting about Al Davis memorabilia.

In the meantime, rest in peace, Al Davis. May your memory be for a blessing.

To all JSC readers, I wish you all the best for a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year.

Obituary: LPGA Player Erica Blasberg

As reported on Jewish sports blog The Great Rabbino and FOXnews.com, police found Jewish LPGA player Erica Blasberg dead in her Las Vegas area home on Mother's Day.

For anyone wishing to send condolences to the Blasberg family, Erica's web site offers suggestions.

Erica was a popular golfer on the LPGA tour -- in part because of her photogenic nature.

***

While LPGA memorabilia and collectibles is certainly not a booming market, as often happens in the wake of celebrity deaths, Erica's memorabilia has seen a spike on eBay.

Among the items up for bid in the days after her death:

• A Canadian trading card
• Signed golf gloves
• Signed golf balls
• And, several signed photos.

Prices range from a few dollars up to about $100. This is likely an immediate reaction to her passing; expect prices to stabilize in the coming months as additional items come to market.

Image courtesy: LPGA.com.