NFL: Steve Sabol of NFL Films Dies at 69

[hitwriter]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000063643/article/steve-sabol-president-of-nfl-films-dies?module=HP11_headline_stack

Not a great year for those who helped make the NFL what it is today...

Growing up I imagined becoming a pro baseball player with the Braves... becoming a Rock Star (I did become a pro singer/hit songwriter and producer) and working for NFL Films...

What a great contribution he and his family made to the game.

Prayers to his family and friends.

[mdrake34]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/...Fi4sVHRD9o

NFL Films' president Steve Sabol, after an 18-month battle with brain cancer, died Tuesday. He was 69.

"Steve Sabol was the creative genius behind the remarkable work of NFL Films," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Steve's passion for football was matched by his incredible talent and energy. ... He was a major contributor to the success of the NFL, a man who changed the way we look at football and sports, and a great friend."

CAPTION
Kirby Lee, US Presswire

NFL Films began in 1962, when Steve's father, Ed, won film rights to the league's championship game -- which Steve worked as a cameraman.

Under Steve Sabol, NFL Films pioneered video techniques such as super slow-motion, wireless microphones on players and dramatic music added to replay highlights.

Ed was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year. Father and son received the Lifetime Achievement Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2003.

[TAZZ77]

I grew up watching this guy he will be missed. As I understand it he and his dad began the business shortly after the birth of the NFL and along with John Facenda's voice they defined the NFL. Well at least for me I could watch those old NFL film vault shows on ESPN classic for hours. Really gave me an appreciation for the heritage of the game and its players.

[Radical]

Merged the two threads.

Wow. Really surprising. Didn't know he was battling cancer.

[juraitwaluzka]

I really liked the documentary about the old semi pro team, the Pottstown Firebirds I think.

[Drathdon]

So sad to see him go, but his fight was a long and hard one, and I'm glad he can rest in peace, finally.

NFL Films made the NFL in many ways. It showed just what drama the sport could hold, and captivated us in the story of the game. That his legacy will live through his films is an awesome monument to the man and his father.

[AUTiger7222]

Didn't know he had brain cancer. RIP Steve Sabol.

I will never watch another NFL Films thing the same way again. I actually watched an NFL Films thing last night. Steve Sabol and his dad Ed Sabol were pioneers in the sport to taking the fans behind the scenes of what really goes on in NFL games. Also found out Steve personally wrote many of the NFL Films things like the Autumn Wind song about the Oakland Raiders.

[keithbrooking56]

Memory eternal. I know I speak for a lot of people on this site when I say I spent so many hours of my childhood watching NFL Films. The annual yearbook of the teams, the blooper reels, the big hit or big play reels, the remembrances of years past...he and his dad were pioneers.