In 1952, Seymour Siwoff bought the Elias Sports Bureau, which had been keeping statistics in baseball since 1913. Siwoff, who, like many were enamored with statistics, appreciated the phenomenal work of Elias but felt it could be much more.

Frank “Bucko” Kilroy played 13 seasons in the NFL, all for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won two NFL Championships and was a three-time Pro Bowl Selection. When his career ended in 1956, Kilroy became an assistant coach for the Eagles before moving into scouting. After two years as a scout for Philadelphia, he moved on to similar roles with Washington and Dallas. With the Cowboys, Kilroy helped convince ownership that drafting Roger Staubach would be well worth it, despite the years that the quarterback would have to miss due to military commitments.

Jack Kent Cooke is one of the few owners to have won championships in more than one of the big four of North American sports.

Rube Foster is one of the rare nominees who could be looked at in our three main categories, player, coach, and contributor.

Bert Bell was the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles (1933-40) and later the co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles (1941-46), but this nomination is predominantly based on his role as the NFL Commissioner.

Tony Dungy won a Super Bowl as a defensive back with Pittsburgh, and a few years later, he was their defensive back and then their defensive coordinator. After a three-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings as their defensive coordinator, he earned the job as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach in 1996.

Bob Johnson was one of the top college hockey coaches in the 1970s, where his school, Wisconsin, won three National Championships and six WCHA Tournaments. Like his rival, Herb Brooks, who coached Minnesota, Johnson also coached the U.S. at the Olympics (1976), and he was also the head coach for the Americans at the 1981, 1984, and 1987 Canada Cup.

Lou Holtz’s first head coaching job was in 1969 when he was hired at the College of William & Mary. He did well, bringing his squad to the Tangerine Bowl, and Holtz then moved to North Carolina State, winning the ACC Championship in 1973. Staying with the Wolfpack for four seasons, Holtz never missed going to a bowl game, winning two (Peach 1972 and Liberty 1973).

One of the most effortless statements to make in football coaching is that Eddie Robinson was the most successful ever in historically black colleges. You can (and we will) go a step further and say that he was among the best ever.

After playing four years at Tennessee-Martin, Pat Summitt became a graduate student at Tennessee. The Lady Vols coach suddenly retired, and at age 22, Summitt stepped in to fulfill the vacancy.