Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue (/ˈtæɡliəbuː/; born November 24, 1940) is an American lawyer who was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). He took the position in 1989 and served until September 1, 2006.[1] He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL.[2] Tagliabue also served as Chairman of Board of Directors of Georgetown University from 2009 to 2015.[3]
Paul Tagliabue
Chandler Minter (m. 1965)
- John D. Rockefeller V.
- (son-in-law)
- Andrew
- Emily
- Charles Tagliabue
- Mary Tagliabue
Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S.
Early life and education[edit]
Tagliabue was born in Jersey City, New Jersey,[4] the third of four sons of Charles and May Tagliabue. He is of Italian descent.[5] Raised in The Heights neighborhood of Jersey City, he attended St. Michael's High School in Union City, New Jersey, where he starred in basketball.[6] Tagliabue received an athletic scholarship to play basketball at Georgetown University and was captain of the 1961–62 team. He graduated in 1962 as president of his senior class,[7] a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a Dean's List graduate.[8] In a congressional hearing in 1992, Tagliabue later revealed he had inadvertently played in a game where an opposing team would fix the outcome of the game in favor of Georgetown, which would be one factor in mind for him taking a staunch stance against gambling later on in his life.[9] Tagliabue graduated from New York University School of Law in 1965. He has received honorary degrees from Colgate University and Northeastern University.[10]
Professional career[edit]
From 1969 to 1989, Tagliabue practiced law with the Washington, D.C. firm Covington & Burling.[11]
Post-NFL career[edit]
Tagliabue returned to Covington & Burling where he serves as senior counsel.[11]
In 2008, Tagliabue was selected to serve a three-year term as chairman of Georgetown University's board of directors.[28]
Tagliabue has also been honored for his work with gay rights group PFLAG.[29]
He has served on the advisory board of The Iris Network, a nonprofit blindness rehabilitation agency in Portland, Maine.[30]
In 2012, Tagliabue was appointed by current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to hear the appeals of the players suspended in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.[31] Tagliabue affirmed Goodell's findings of the investigation but overturned all players' suspensions.[32]
On September 4, 2014, Tagliabue was named to the executive board of DC2024, a group trying to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to Washington, D.C.[33]
Awards[edit]
Tagliabue won the 1992 Eagle Award from the United States Sports Academy. The Eagle Award is the Academy's highest international honor and was awarded to Tagliabue for his significant contributions to international sport.[34] On January 15, 2020 Tagliabue was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class of 2021.[35]
On August 28, 1965 Tagliabue married Chandler Minter in Washington, D.C. Minter was originally from Milledgeville, Georgia and they were introduced at law school. She graduated from the Georgia State College for Women before moving to New York City.[36] They had two children;
He and his wife reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland.