Paul Tagliabue Dies At 84, Pro Football Hall of Famer Served as NFL Commissioner

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue died Sunday at the age of 84.

Tagliabue's family announced he died as a result of heart failure.

The Hall of Famer succeeded Pete Rozelle as commissioner in 1989 and remained in the role until September 2006.

Commissioner Roger Goodell called Tagliabue "the ultimate steward of the game."

"He viewed every challenge and opportunity through the lens of what was best for the greater good, a principle he inherited from Pete Rozelle and passed on to me," Goodell said.

"During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Paul fostered labor peace with our players, oversaw the expansion of the league to 32 teams, ushered in an era of state-of-the-art stadiums and laid the important groundwork of establishing the league as a global brand.

"He helped modernize the structure of the league office and its business operations, providing the playbook for the NFL's strategic embrace of his era's emerging technologies including cable, satellite and the internet. Paul was a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion and guided the league through the challenges of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina."

With Goodell at the helm, the league is setting revenue records and widening its reach across the globe with more international games. Tagliabue helped to set the table for a lot of the success the NFL is currently enjoying.

During Tagliabue's reign, the league added the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans as new expansion franchises, and the Cleveland Browns were reborn as well.

The near-$3.7 billion media rights deal the NFL signed in March 1990 was a precursor of things to come on that front. According to Sports Business Journal, the league's rights fees climbed from $900 million in 1990 to more than $3 billion by 2006.

Tagliabue also had the vision to launch NFL Network in 2003, which over time had a sizable role in shaping the conversations around football.

The lack of any major labor strife was another hallmark of Tagliabue's tenure after the NFL had work stoppages in 1982 and 1987. His direct involvement in negotiations stood in contrast to Rozelle's approach and created a much different dynamic between the league and the NFL Players Association.

Rozelle is arguably the single most transformative figure in the history of the NFL, but Tagliabue left his own mark on football and built a legacy that extended well beyond his retirement.