Thelma Elkjer; how a Nebraskan farmer’s daughter saved the NFC North.

Thelma Clara Elkjer reached into a vase, chose envelope number three, and changed the NFL irrevocably.

If you go to Los Osos Valley Memorial Park in San Luis Obispo County, California and you know where to look you will find a simple bronze plaque. It says ‘Thelma C Elkjer’ and underneath the dates read ‘OCT 19. 1922 — Feb 6 2000.

It is unadorned. You won’t find the NFL logo on it. You won’t find anything about the Minnesota Vikings or the LA Rams on it either. It doesn’t mention the indelible mark Elkjer left on football’s landscape. She left no children behind, never married. She gave her best years to Pete Rozelle and the NFL.

It is 50 years since the merger of the NFL and AFL. Pete Rozelle gets the credit but behind the biggest deal of 20th-century American sports, just ahead of the Yankees stealing Babe Ruth, lies a controversial Super Bowl, a revered commissioner, Art Modell and Thelma Elkjer.

So who was Thelma Elkjer?

Elkjer was born in Hordville, Nebraska in a different era. The population back then was just 191. It was a 30-mile drive to Grand Island, population 14,000, the nearest big city. She moved to Hampton not long after. She grew up in rural America during the great depression. She graduated high school in 1940, couldn’t afford college even with an academic scholarship.

Instead, she went to work at the Army Air Force Base in Lincoln Nebraska. She saved up, went to college, and eventually got a job working for the LA Rams. She met Pete Rozelle in LA and when he was elected commissioner in 1960, she even moved to New York to work for him.

Elkjer worked with Rozelle for 36 years. You could say nobody knew him better. Neither of his marriages lasted as long as their partnership. When Rozelle retired in 1989 she moved with him to Rancho Santa Fe, California.

She retired when he passed away in 1996, moving four hours upstate to San Luis Obispo. Her neighbours probably never knew she had been one of the most important cogs in the NFL machine for 29 years. You have to keep in mind this was an era where the secretary organized everything. Elkjer ran Rozelle’s diary for three decades.

Rozelle is, rightly, seen by most as the NFL’s best commissioner. He was inducted into Canton in 1985. He invented Monday Night Football. He increased the teams in the league from 12 to 28. He turned it into a multi-billion dollar empire.

How did Thelma Elkjer help save the NFC North?

In 1970 the NFL could not decide how to re-align. Owners spent eight months bitterly disputing the best way to merge. One plan had Philadelphia and Detroit in the NFC West. You thought the Colts being in the AFC South was bad? Imagine the Eagles flying six hours to play the Seahawks.

Finally Rozelle decided enough was enough. He put the five most popular plans in a cut-glass vase and asked Elkjer to reach in and choose one. Four of them had the Minnesota Vikings moving to the NFC East. By luck, chance or divine inspiration she chose number three. It was the only one that kept the NFC North intact. Every time you see Minnesota and Green Bay play out a classic you can thank Elkjer for it.

When the Vikings came back from 17–0 down at the half to win in overtime in 2005, that was Elkjer. In 2008 when Adrian Peterson’s 29-yard rushing touchdown helped secure a famous victory, that was Elkjer. When Brett Favre threw that record breaking touchdown against the Vikings- well you get the picture.

Elkjer’s magic touch wasn’t the only legendary element to the story of the merger. You can ask any Jets fan this and you’ll probably get a punch but was the 1969 Super Bowl rigged? The merger was worth a fortune in TV rights, attendance and advertising.

The only way it could happen was for the AFL and NFL to appear equal.

SUPERBOWL THREE; THE NFL’S BIGGEST UPSET?

The 1968 Baltimore Colts went 13–1. The only loss? A shock at home to the Cleveland Browns, who won 30–20. Back then the playoff sites rotated based on division winner. The 10–4 Browns were given home field through the playoffs. They beat the 12–2 Cowboys, while the Colts eased past the Vikings at home.

December 29th 1968. It was in the low 20’s; minus seven. The upstart Browns, coached by Blanton Collier had won nine of their last ten. They were at home. They had beaten the Colts in three of their last four games.

The Colts had three shutouts under their belt that season already. They had won every single game by more than a touchdown except two. Just two of their 14 opponents had managed to score more than 20 points against them. It was set to be a classic.

The first quarter was scoreless. In the second quarter the Colts put 17 unanswered points onto the scoreboard. They routed the Browns in their own building 34–0. Cleveland were held to just 173 total yards and crossed midfield just twice. Even without Johnny Unitas the Colts were one of the best football teams the game has ever seen.

The 1968 Jets went 11–3. 6–1 at home, 5–2 on the road. They were a great team. Let’s be clear. Joe Namath doesn’t deserve to be in the hall of fame on stats. He threw 220 interceptions and just 173 touchdowns. Even Andy Dalton has more touchdowns. Namath’s completion percentage of 50.1 is also low. He won just 62 games, with a .480 career winning percentage. His 27,663 passing yards are good for just 64th all time. It’s safe to say he isn’t in Canton because of an impressive set of stats.

He is enshrined because he made the merger happen. Despite only appearing in three playoff games he became a pop icon. He was one of the first NFL celebrities. The Jets beat the Oakland Raiders 27–23 at home and then flew to Miami to play the Colts.

January 12th 1969. The 18-point underdog New York Jets were given no chance. They famously won 16–7. But how did one of the great NFL teams, coached by Don Shula lose?

According to the Colts defensive end Bubba Smith “ The Jets were not that good. Something was happening and I didn’t know what it was. We were inside the 20 five times in the first half and came away with no points. That’s not characteristic of the Colts. You understand what I’m saying?”

The first quarter was scoreless despite the Colts having several chances to grab an early touchdown. In the second quarter the Jets went on a long scoring drive from their own 20, opening up a 7–0 lead. They went into the second half ahead.

“It was the quarterback. Honest. Between you and I, Carroll, Rosenbloom (Colts owner) bet $3 million on the Jets. Shula told Unitas to warm up for the second half. Unitas got warmed up and Shula then decided to go with Earl a little longer. Unitas is so prideful there was no way in hell you were going to tell Unitas to do this. They didn’t put Unitas in until there’s six minutes to go in the game. And boom, boom, boom. He goes down to score. But he had to score three times in six minutes and no one can do that.”

To read more from Bubba Smith click here.

The Colts were down 16–0 when Unitas finally got onto the field. Unitas was fit to play. So why wait? With the Superbowl on the line why leave it until the final six minutes? Did the New York Jets win that game? You decide.

After that game, the merger became a likelihood.

So we have Elkjer. We have Broadway Joe. The next piece of the puzzle was Art Modell.

THE ART OF OWNERSHIP

Modell owned the Browns from 1961–1995. In 1994 Bill Belichick coached them to their most recent playoff win. Modell also owned the Baltimore Ravens from 1996–2004. The Browns did not acknowledge his death. Some wounds are still too raw. Modell had no choice but to move. His hand was forced. He tried to stay in Cleveland. But he couldn’t get a deal done. After ‘the move’ he received so many death threats he had to travel with armed bodyguards. He never returned to Cleveland. Apparently the move tore him apart. Modell gave the Browns two Dynasties; one in the 60s and one in the 80s’.

Modell was instrumental in balancing the conferences. He wanted an interstate rivalry with the Bengals. He volunteered the Browns to go into the AFC to help facilitate the merger and also inserted them into the first-ever Monday Night Football game. The Browns beat the Jets at home 31–21.

The AFL needed three teams. The Cleveland Browns brought division rival Pittsburgh Steelers with them and Baltimore agreed to join as well.

The final piece of the puzzle was Rozelle. Forbes has ranked him as the United States best commissioner. When he started in 1960, with Elkjer faithfully by his side, Yuri Gagarin had yet to orbit the earth. Nobody knew who Sean Connery was. Elvis was thin.

When Rozelle got the job in January 1960, six decades ago, no sports league had a consistent television coverage. He signed a two year deal that following season for $9.3 million dollars. In today’s money that’s more than $80 million. By the time his tenure was over the NFL had three television networks producing $420 million dollars. In today’s money that’s the best part of $900 million.

In 1960 NFL owners couldn’t decide on a new commissioner. Split between two candidates after 22 ballots, they turned to Pete Rozelle. He was the 33 year old general manager of the LA Rams. The league thought they could control him. They didn’t know that in 1999 The Sporting News would label him the 20th century’s most powerful person in sports.

Rozelle went through congress to get a league-wide agreement. He saved the small market. “What Pete Rozelle did with television receipts probably saved football in Green Bay,” said legendary coach Vince Lombardi.

Rozelle endured months of secret meetings with league officials, owners and congress. Finally, in 1966, they agreed to merge the two leagues. They became joined in 1970.

He was born Alvin Ray Rozelle in South Gate, California on March 1st 1926. His father’s grocery store failed in the depression. He served in the Navy from 1944–46. In 1955 he became a partner in a PR firm that covered the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. The next year he became the Rams General manager.

The NFL merger was the deal of the century. The stars had to align and they did. The Jets won the Superbowl. Congress gave Rozelle the green light. Art Modell evened up the conferences and, crucially, Elkjer chose envelope number three.

Half a century has passed. When they honour the merger this season, listen out for Elkjer’s name. Not just because of the envelope. But because she was married to the NFL for 29 years.