PERSON: Roger Goodell

National Football League

Commissioner

Roger Stokoe Goodell is the Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. <br> <br> He was chosen over four finalists for the position, winning a close vote on the fifth ballot before being unanimously approved by acclamation of the owners. He officially began his tenure on September 1, 2006, just prior to the beginning of the 2006 NFL season. Commentators have described him as “the most powerful man in sports.<br> <br> Roger Goodell was born in Jamestown, New York, the son of United States Senator Charles Ellsworth Goodell of New York, and Jean (Rice) Goodell of Buffalo, New York. <br> <br> He graduated from Bronxville High School where, as a three-sport star in football, basketball, and baseball, he captained all three teams as a senior and was named the school’s athlete of the year. Injuries kept him from playing college football. Goodell is a 1981 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania with a degree in economics.<br> Goodell is married to former Fox News Channel anchor Jane Skinner and they have twin daughters. He has four brothers; among them are Tim, who works for the Hess Corporation; and Michael, married to Jack Kenny, creator of the short-lived NBC series The Book of Daniel.<br> <br> — Wikipedia