(
June 2 ,
1920 -
July 15 ,
2003 ) was the original president and general manager of the
U.S. National Football League 's
Dallas Cowboys franchise. Schramm became the head of the Dallas Cowboys when the former expansion team started operations in 1960. He was also an NFL visionary and innovator in many areas.
Contrary to what his name suggests, he was not born in
Texas , but
Los Angeles ,
California ; Texas was his father's name, and where his parents met. Schramm graduated from
The University Of Texas in 1947 with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. At UT he was a member of
Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, as was his father. Schramm interrupted his education to serve as an officer in the
United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
Before joining the Cowboys, Schramm was part of the Los Angeles Rams (now
St. Louis Rams ) from 1947 - 1956. During his tenure, Schramm hired
Pete Rozelle as the Rams' public relations director; Rozelle later became one of the most important commissioners in the history of the NFL.
In 1966, Schramm helped start negotiations between the NFL and the
American Football League , which led to the 1970 merger as well as the first
Super Bowl in 1967. Schramm was also known for his innovations that helped redefine the modern NFL, such as forming the
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders , using
Computer technology in scouting, and instant replay.
He was president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 through 1989. During his tenure, he hired legendary coach
Tom Landry and oversaw the Cowboys rise as one of the NFL's elite franchises, nicknamed "America's Team." The Cowboys under coach Landry won the Super Bowl in 1972 and 1978 and appeared in five total.
Schramm married his high school sweetheart, Martha Anne Snowden, in 1941. Mrs. Schramm died on
December 8 ,
2002 . They had three daughters.
Due to Schramm's many significant contributions to the development of the NFL, he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1991, the first team executive to be so honored. In October 2003, he became the 12th person selected into the
Dallas Cowboys Ring Of Honor , which he created.
