Robert Lee Howsam (February 28, 1918 - February 19, 2008) was an executive in American professional sport who, in 1959, played a key role in establishing two leagues – the American Football League, which succeeded and merged with the National Football League, and baseball's Continental League, which never played a game but forced expansion of Major League Baseball from 16 to 20 teams in 1961-62. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Athletics Marathon August 15 &mdash Enschede Marathon, Netherlands Men's Winner Note There were three earlier and unrelated major American professional football leagues of the same name One in 1926, one in 1936-1937 and one in 1940-1941 The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Continental League (or formally the Continental League of Professional Baseball Clubs) was a proposed third major league for Baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled
Born in Denver, Colorado, Howsam served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In 1959, he founded the Denver Broncos – one of the eight charter members of the AFL – along with his brother, Earl Howsam, and father, Lee Howsam. The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. (The Howsams and the seven other original owners called themselves "The Foolish Club" for daring to take on the established NFL). The Howsams also built Bears Stadium, which after renovation and expanded capacity became famous as the Broncos' noisy, raucous and perpetually sold-out home from 1960-2001, Mile High Stadium. Mile High Stadium (known as Bears Stadium until 1968) was a Baseball, Soccer and football stadium that stood in Denver Mile High Stadium (known as Bears Stadium until 1968) was a Baseball, Soccer and football stadium that stood in Denver
The Broncos played in the AFL from 1960-69 and then joined the NFL with completion of the NFL/AFL merger in 1970. Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Eizo Kenmotsu, Japan Apart from a 7-7 season in 1962, the team suffered from poor results on the field, and the Howsam family sold the Broncos in 1964 to Gerald and Alan Phipps. Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Men's all-around champion Yuri Titov, USSR But it was developing a loyal fan base, and since its first Super Bowl appearance in 1977, the Broncos have become one of the most successful operations in the NFL. professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1977 in athletics (track and field Marathon August
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Efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Denver
The Broncos may have struggled in the early 1960s, but Bob Howsam would prove himself to be a highly successful baseball executive. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each He led the family-owned Denver Bears of the Class A Western League and Class AAA American Association from 1947-62. The New Orleans Zephyrs are a Minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a Suburb of New Orleans. The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American Minor league baseball. This article refers to the former minor league that existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 For building one of the most successful minor league franchises of the 1950s, Howsam was twice (1951 and 1956) named Minor League Executive of the Year by The Sporting News. Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports
Thwarted in his attempts to bring major league baseball to Denver, Howsam was one of the founders of the Continental League, which in 1959 planned to become the "third major league" following the epidemic of franchise shifts during the 1950s. MLB magnates, nervous about the possible rescinding of baseball's antitrust exemption by the U. S. Congress after the National League abandoned New York, agreed to study (and ultimately support) the formation of the new loop. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball
While the Continental League never got off the drawing board — key cities New York (NL), Houston (NL) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (AL) were admitted to major league baseball in 1961-62 — it again brought Howsam to the attention of league president Branch Rickey, the venerable, pioneering executive who had revolutionized baseball in his earlier career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers. Wesley Branch Rickey ( December 15 1881 &ndash December 9 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA (Howsam and Rickey had earlier worked together when Rickey's Pittsburgh Pirates had a working agreement with the Bears during the early 1950s. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. )
Reversal of fortune in St. Louis
In 1964, Rickey (then 82) was semi-retired but still in baseball as a top advisor to St. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees (4-3 Bob Gibson, MVP Louis owner August "Gussie" Busch. This page is for 3rd generation brewing magnate August A "Gussie" Busch Jr In mid-August 1964, with the Cardinals seemingly about to finish well behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, Busch fired general manager Bing Devine and replaced him with Howsam — reputedly at Rickey's urging. The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. General Manager or GM for short is a descriptive term for certain executives in a Business operation Vaughan Pallmore "Bing" Devine ( March 1 1916 &ndash January 27 2007) was an American front office executive in Major But the team Howsam inherited ended up winning the NL pennant and the 1964 World Series when the Phils collapsed in late September. The 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with
Howsam's two full years as Cardinals' general manager (1965-66) were not successful. The team fell back to . 500 and many St. Louisans resented the fact that he had replaced a well-liked hometown figure, Devine, who had been wrongly fired. Howsam installed popular Red Schoendienst as manager and acquired future Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Orlando Cepeda from the San Francisco Giants in 1966 and right fielder Roger Maris from the New York Yankees after the 1966 campaign ended. Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst (ˈʃeɪ̪ndinst born February 2, 1923) is an American former player coach and manager First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (born September 17 1937 in) is a former Major League Baseball First baseman. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. Position description Outfielders must cover large distances so speed instincts and quickness to react to the ball are key Roger Eugene Maris ( September 10 1934 &ndash December 14 1985) was an American Right fielder in Major League Baseball The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The Cardinals were poised to win back-to-back pennants in 1967-68, but when the opportunity arose to start fresh with the Cincinnati Reds as their general manager in January 1967, Howsam departed. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3 Bob Gibson, MVP
Engineering the 'Big Red Machine'
In Cincinnati, Howsam flourished. During his 11 years (1967-77) as general manager, he was one of the key figures (along with his predecessor, Bill DeWitt, and his manager, Sparky Anderson) behind "The Big Red Machine," which captured NL titles in 1970 and 1972 and world championships in 1975 and 1976. William Orville DeWitt Sr ( August 3, 1902 — March 4, 1982) was a longtime executive in Major League Baseball whose career spanned George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (born February 22, 1934 in Bridgewater South Dakota) is fifth on the all-time list for manager career wins Champions Major Leagues World Series MVP Brooks Robinson All-Star Game, July 14 at Riverfront Stadium Labor strife and more moving 1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Boston Red Sox (4-3 Pete Rose, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cincinnati Reds over New York Yankees (4-0 Johnny Bench, MVP
Although many of the Reds — such as Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Lee May and Tommy Helms — were already in place (or in the organization) in 1966, Howsam boldly promoted young pitchers such as Gary Nolan, Don Gullett and Wayne Simpson to the major leagues. Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is a former American Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to Atanasio Pérez Rigal, more commonly known as Tony Pérez (born May 14, 1942 in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba) is a former player in Lee Andrew May (born March 23 1943 in Birmingham Alabama) is a former First baseman in Major League Baseball. Tommy Vann Helms (born May 5, 1941 in Charlotte North Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of Gary Lynn Nolan (born May 27, 1948 in Herlong, California) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed Starting pitcher Donald Edward "Don" Gullett (born January 6, 1951 in Lynn Kentucky) is a former Major League Baseball Pitcher who played Wayne Kirby Simpson ( December 2, 1948 in Los Angeles California) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues He replaced a popular incumbent manager, Dave Bristol, with a then-unproven but a future Hall-of-Fame skipper in Anderson. James David Bristol (born June 23, 1933 in Macon Georgia) is a former manager in Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 1970s And he ensured that the fruitful Cincinnati farm system continued to churn out young position players, such as Dave Concepción and Ken Griffey. David Ismael Concepción Benitez (born June 17, 1948) better known as Dave Concepción, is a former Shortstop in Major League Baseball George Kenneth Griffey (born April 10, 1950 in Donora Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball star
Then, in two masterful 1971 trades, he acquired second baseman Joe Morgan (in a deal that included May and Helms) from the Houston Astros and outfielder George Foster from the Giants. Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that Joe Leonard Morgan (born September 19, 1943 in Bonham Texas) is a former Major League Baseball Second baseman who was inducted into The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas. Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter George Arthur Foster (born December 1 1948 in Tuscaloosa Alabama) is a former Left fielder and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball In Cincinnati, Morgan would win the NL Most Valuable Player award in 1975-76 and earn credentials as a member of the Hall of Fame. Foster would hit 52 home runs for the Reds in 1977 — the only player to crack the half-century HR mark in the 1970s or 1980s. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2 Reggie Jackson, The '76 Cincinnati club, which won 102 regular season games, then swept both the Phillies in the 1976 National League Championship Series and the Yankees in the 1976 World Series, is usually considered one of the strongest in baseball history. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cincinnati Reds over New York Yankees (4-0 Johnny Bench, MVP The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League The Sporting News named Howsam Major League Executive of the Year for 1973 — ironically, a season in which the powerhouse Reds dropped the NLCS to the underdog New York Mets. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4-3 Reggie Jackson, The National League Championship Series was played between the New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds from October 6 to October "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis.
The sun sets on a dynasty
Approaching his 60th birthday at the close of the 1977 season, Howsam (who had added the title of president of the Reds in 1973) turned over his general manager responsibilities to a longtime assistant, Dick Wagner. Dick Wagner ( October 19, 1927 – October 5, 2006) was a sports entertainment and broadcasting executive who spent twenty-five years in But the Reds' success ended when Howsam stepped aside. With the free agent era dawning, and with the Reds' stubborn refusal to play the big-money game, "The Big Red Machine" began to lose key players. In Professional sports a free agent is a team player whose contract with a team has expired and the player is able to sign a contract with another team if that player Howsam had already traded Perez to the Montreal Expos in the months following the 1976 title. Franchise history Creation of the franchise In 1960 Montreal lost its International League team the Montreal Royals (an affiliate of Gullett, Rose and Morgan were allowed to leave via free agency. Nolan developed arm problems. Anderson was fired after the Reds finished second in the NL West in both 1977 and 1978. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2 Bucky Dent, MVP
Howsam resigned as president in 1978, and Wagner was blamed by many for the team's decline - although Howsam, one of the most conservative voices in the game at that point, surely helped set fiscal policy for the club. Yet Howsam's contributions to the Reds' brilliant successes of 1970-76 could not be overlooked - he even briefly returned to the club presidency in 1983-84, after Wagner's firing - and Howsam was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2004. The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame was instituted in 1958 to recognize the career of former Cincinnati Reds players managers and front-office executives
In retirement, Howsam served on the Colorado Baseball Commission, which succeeded in bringing the Colorado Rockies to Denver as an MLB expansion team in 1993. The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Philadelphia Phillies (4-2 Paul Molitor, He had been elected to his home state's Sports Hall of Fame in 1971.
Howsam died at age 89 on February 19, 2008, in his Sun City, Arizona, home of a heart ailment. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Sun City is a Census-designated place and unincorporated town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States.
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame - 2008 Veterans Committee candidate profile
- Denver Post obituary for Bob Howsam
- Rocky Mountain News obituary for Bob Howsam
| Preceded by Bing Devine | St. Louis Cardinals General Manager 1964–1966 | Succeeded by Stan Musial |
| Preceded by Bill DeWitt | Cincinnati Reds General Manager 1967–1977 | Succeeded by Dick Wagner |
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