Tagliabue led the league from 1989 to 2006, guiding it through years of growth, labor peace and major national events.
WASHINGTON — Paul Tagliabue, who led the NFL as commissioner for 17 years during a period of immense growth and stability, died Sunday morning at age 84.
According to his family, Tagliabue died in his house in Chevy Chase, Md., after suffering heart failure complicated by Parkinson’s Disease.
Tagliabue became commissioner in 1989, succeeding Pete Rozelle, and served until 2006, when he was followed by current commissioner Roger Goodell. Under his leadership, the league expanded from 28 to 32 teams, adding franchises in North Carolina, Jacksonville, Cleveland and Houston. More than two-thirds of NFL teams also built or moved into new stadiums during his tenure.
During his time as commissioner, Tagliabue helped guide the league through major national crises, including the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when he canceled that weekend’s games, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, ensuring the New Orleans Saints’ eventual return to their home city after being displaced to San Antonio.
Tagliabue was also credited with maintaining labor peace by strengthening relations with the NFL Players Association after years of strikes, introducing free agency and a salary cap and securing record-breaking television contracts.
He later served as chairman of Georgetown University’s board of directors and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
“Expansion, labor peace, new stadiums, international operations, unprecedented television coverage and revenues, internet and new technology development are just some of the successes accomplished during his tenure,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame wrote of Tagliabue in 2020. “Today, the NFL is not only the template for success among sports leagues, it is the standard by which all other leagues aspire.”
Tagliabue is survived by his wife, Chandler, their son, Drew, and daughter, Emily.