Bert Rose

Bert E. Rose Jr. (September 26, 1919 – October 14, 2001) was an American football executive who served as the first general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Texas Stadium.

Bert Rose
refer to caption
Bert Rose (left) with Norm Van Brocklin (right) in 1961
Personal information
Born:(1919-09-26)September 26, 1919
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died:October 14, 2001(2001-10-14) (aged 82)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Career information
College:University of Washington
Career history
As an administrator:

Early life

Rose received a degree in journalism from the University of Washington in 1941.[1] He was the commander of a United States Navy submarine chaser during World War II. After the war, Rose worked in the public relations department at Boeing.[2] In 1947, he returned to his alma mater as director of sports publicity. In 1952 he was promoted to assistant athletic director.[2] In 1955 he succeeded Pete Rozelle as public relations director of the Los Angeles Rams.[3][4]

Minnesota Vikings

On August 5, 1960, Rose was named general manager of Minneapolis' National Football League expansion team. He recommended the Vikings name to the team's board of directors and it was adopted on September 17, 1960.[5] He selected Los Angeles cartoonist Karl Hubenthal to design the team's helmet, uniforms and logo and chose the team's purple and gold colors to match those used by his alma mater, the University of Washington.[6] He hired former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Norm Van Brocklin to serve as the team's first coach.[7] In his three seasons as GM, the Vikings compiled a 10–30–2 and failed to make the playoffs.[8] He resigned on June 1, 1964.[9]

Assistant to the commissioner

After leaving the Vikings, Rose returned to the Rams as a special assistant to team president Dan Reeves. In February 1965 he was appointed as special assistant to the commissioner for college relations.[2] In this role, Rose headed up the league's babysitting program, which employed about 150 men to steer college prospects away from the rival American Football League.[10] He was also in charge of ticket sales for the first Super Bowl.[11]

New Orleans Saints

In 1966, Rose was on the screening committee that interviewed prospective owners for the league's expansion franchise in New Orleans. John W. Mecom Jr., son of Texas oilman John W. Mecom Sr. and the owner of the Mecom Racing Team, was chosen over William G. Helis Jr., Herman Lay, Louis J. Roussel Jr., Jack Sanders, and Edgar B. Stern Jr.[12][13] On July 20, 1967, Rose was named general manager of the New Orleans Saints.[14] The team went 3–11 in its inaugural season.[8] In April 1968 he was replaced by the Saints director of player personnel Vic Schwenk.[15]

Texas Stadium

After leaving the Saints, Rose served as assistant personnel director of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was fired in 1969 by the team's new general manager, Pete Retzlaff.[16] On June 28, 1969 he was hired to manage Texas Stadium, which was then under construction.[17] He was responsible for bringing high school football to the stadium.[1][18] He retired in 1988 and remained in Dallas until his death on October 14, 2001.[1][18]

References
  1. Kumar, Kativa (October 19, 2001). "1st Viking manager Bert Rose dies at 82". Star Tribune.
  2. New Orleans Saints 1967 Information Guide (PDF). p. 9. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. Pye, Brad (May 19, 1955). "Prying Pye: Centennial is Coming". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  4. Pye, Brad (January 28, 1960). "Can Rozelle Change Marshall?: Lipscomb Makes Mat Debut Here". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  5. Craig, Mark (2016). 100 Things Vikings Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633196711. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  6. Lukas, Paul (December 8, 2017). "Sorting through the mystery of the Vikings' past". ESPN.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  7. "Vikings Sign Van Brocklin To 3-Yr. Pact". The Boston Globe. January 19, 1961.
  8. "Bert Rose". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  9. "In Football". Edmonton Journal. June 2, 1964.
  10. Williams, Jeff (January 27, 1991). "An Anecdotal History of Superbowl I". Newsday.
  11. Wallace, William N. (January 11, 1967). "Super Bowl on Coast Not Running Over". The New York Times.
  12. Sapp, Erin Grayson (2022). Moving the Chains: The Civil Rights Protest That Saved the Saints and Transformed New Orleans. LSU Press. pp. 201–202. ISBN 9780807179093. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  13. "NFL Screening Group Interviews Hopefuls". The Shreveport Times. December 9, 1966. Retrieved January 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Whittaker, Rachel (July 20, 2015). "Anthony Hargrove turns 32; Bert Rose named GM: This date in New Orleans Saints history". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  15. "Rams Plan to Unveil a Fearsome Fivesome". The New York Times. April 7, 1968.
  16. Harrison Jr., Claude (May 24, 1969). "Eagles to Make Decision On Irv Cross Next Week". Philadelphia Tribune.
  17. "Cowboys Hire Stadium Chief". The New York Times. June 29, 1969.
  18. "Bert Rose, Former NFL Exec, Dies". Associated Press. October 16, 2001. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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