Art Modell Quotes

Art Modell was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961 to 1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996 to 2004. His first job was cleaning the hulls of ships in a Brooklyn shipyard. In 1943, when he was 18, he joined the US Army Air Corps. After World War II, he enrolled in a New York City television school under the G.I. Bill. In 1947, he founded his own production company with a fellow student and in 1949, they produced one of the first daytime shows in the country, Market Melodies, dedicated to cooking and decorating. During the 1940s and 1950s, Modell worked in the advertising, public relations businesses and television production in New York City. He purchased the Cleveland Browns in 1961 for $4 million, investing only $250,000 of his own money. He borrowed $2.7 million and found partners to cover the rest.