Giants President & CEO John Mara: “Steve was a true genius who helped bring the NFL to life for so many people. He brought the company started by his father (Ed) to new heights and made it the envy of the industry. Nobody could tell a story as well as Steve.”

Giants Chairman and Executive VP Steve Tisch: “Steve was a marvelous storyteller and a remarkable film maker. We lost our father (Bob Tisch) after a 16-month battle with brain cancer, and we know how difficult the emotions the Sabols are dealing with at this time.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: “Steve Sabol was the creative genius behind the remarkable work of NFL Films. Steve’s passion for football was matched by his incredible talent and energy. Steve’s legacy will be part of the NFL forever. 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.”

50 YEARS OF PIONEER FILMMAKING

1962: Ed Sabol, founder of Blair Motion Pictures (6 employees), bids $3,000 for the film rights to the 1962 NFL Championship Game

1964: NFL buys Blair Motion Pictures after Ed Sabol convinces Commissioner Pete Rozelle that NFL needs its own film company to “not only to promote the NFL, but to preserve its history.”

1965: NFL FILMS begins first season of filming every NFL game

1967: They Call It Pro Football unveils NFL FILMS’ revolutionary filmmaking style with its use of ground-level, slow-motion NFL action and  sideline sound

1968: NFL FILMS produces sports’ 1st blooper film, Football Follies

1969: NFL FILMS 1st to use 600mm telephoto lens to capture what Steve Sabol describes as “the raw intensity of the NFL – the bloody hands, the eyes bulging, the snot spraying and the sweat flying.”

1979: NFL FILMS moves from a 19,000-sq. ft. production studio in Philadelphia, PA, to a 40,000-sq. ft. multi-million dollar production lot in Mt. Laurel, NJ

1989: NFL FILMS produces NFL DREAM SEASON for ESPN: a computer effects project that alters game footage to realistically pit the NFL’s 20 greatest teams against one another – the 1986 New York Giants vs. the 1951 Los Angeles Rams – in a mythical eight-week series

1997: NFL FILMS highlights appears in Cyberspace in the NFL Theater on NFL.COM

2003: NFL FILMS plays pivotal role in launch of NFL NETWORK – the first television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. NFL FILMS founder Ed Sabol and President Steve Sabol are presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2003 Sports Emmy Awards

2006: NFL FILMS launches what Steve Sabol calls “the biggest series in company history” in America’s Game: The Super Bowl Champions.  The series features one-hour documentaries profiling each Super Bowl-winning team

2012: NFL FILMS wins 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics for Ed Sabol’s Last Football Movie: Men of Mettle, and Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound for Sound FX: All Access, bringing the grand total to 107 Emmys since 1979

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE NFL FILMS CHRONOLOGY

“Art Modell was one of the greatest owners in the history of the NFL. He contributed in so many ways to the success of this League and he deserves a place in Canton. More importantly, he was a decent man and a great friend to my family. We will miss him dearly.”

Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch:

“Art Modell was a visionary, a deal-maker and a friend. And he possessed a marvelous sense of humor. Our league and my father and our family benefitted from his great qualities and foresight. It was Art who formally introduced my father to Wellington Mara, which ultimately led to my father purchasing 50 percent of the Giants franchise. For that, and for Art’s good nature, we will always be grateful.”