Getty ImagesAt NFL Films, Steve Sabol preferred to put the focus on the field, and not on himself. But Sabol, the NFL Films president who died in September, was the focus of an event on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft were among the league’s bigwigs in attendance, and Kraft paid tribute to the way Sabol was able to convince even the most secretive coaches — including Kraft’s own coach — to allow NFL Films to have access.
“In a league of clandestine coaches from Lombardi to even Bill Belichick,” Kraft said, via the Houston Chronicle, “Steve was able to gain their trust.”
NFL Films chief operating officer Howard Katz put together some of NFL Films’ best highlights and had a live orchestra play over them, in what he described as a night for Sabol that “would have made him laugh, made him cry, made him cheer and made him dream.”
That’s what Sabol made NFL fans do.
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I will miss his voice as the narrator of the NFL films presents show. I hope the successors at NFL films can keep up the quality of product that he and his father worked so hard to create. I am another who can give him a lot of credit for showing me the wonder of the game.
In the 60′s we had few sports shows. Wild World of Sports and the NFL Films. Eventually we got hi-lites on Monday Night Football.
If you weren’t around then you can’t even remotely understand how big a deal NFL films was to those who were into it.
The Sabols were the best…
A great man taken from us far too early. RIP Steve.
This man taught me so much about football. I cried when I heard he died.
RIP Steve. You are probably the main reason that football is as popular as it is today.
Sincerely, a football fan.
I was there and it was great!!!! I have a few friends at NFL Films and all I can say is he is beloved by the guys who worked for him. It was that way when he was alive too!!!! They really loved working for him.
Really he was a special man. His favorite saying was “Life is great Football is better!!!!”
There are very few people who have been involved with the NFL that I respect more than Steve Sabol and his father. The hours of entertainment they provided over the years and the quality of their work is immeasurable. The league and its fans lost something extremely special when he passed.
Rest in peace, Steve.
Steve Sabol’s contributions to the NFL really enriched the childhoods of so many of us, and make most of us profoundly grateful and appreciative.
It was, and remains, very sad to see him go before his richly deserved enshrinement in Canton.
That show 60 minutes sports on NBC Sports network had an awesome piece on Steve Sabol. Really hope they re-air it sometime for those who might have missed it. It revealed some interesting things about the family, including Ed’s real thoughts about being a HOFer.
Agree with those who said he and his father certainly enriched many many football fans’ knowledge especially pre cable and internet. The fact that they still continued to produce high quality and interesting shows even after those came into play is an even higher praise of their excellence.