Jan Van Duser is an American sports executive who worked for the National Football League from 1971 to 1997.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | Elmira, New York |
| Career information | |
| College: | Columbia University |
| Career history | |
| As an administrator: | |
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Career
editA native of Elmira, New York, Van Duser graduated from Columbia University in 1959. He was a sportswriter for the Tampa Times and St. Petersburg Times during the early 1960s. In 1964, he joined the staff of The Atlanta Constitution.[1]
In 1966, Van Duser was named public relations director of the expansion Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.[1] In 1971, he was appointed assistant to the president of the National Football Conference. In 1973, he became the NFL's director of personnel.[2] In this role, Van Duser managed the National Football League draft and processed all player contracts.[3] In 1979, Van Duser was offered the position of general manager of the New York Giants after Commissioner Pete Rozelle stepped in to resolve a stalemate between the team's feuding owners – Wellington Mara and Timothy J. Mara. Van Duser declined the job, which led to the position going to a second compromise candidate, George Young.[4] Van Duser remained in the league office until his retirement in 1997.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Former Times Sportswriter Joins Falcons". St. Petersburg Times. February 10, 1966. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Katz, Michael (February 11, 1979). "Van Duser Rejected Giants' Job". The New York Times.
- ^ "Giants' Family Feud Gets NFL Boss, Rozelle, Into Act". The Hour. February 10, 1979. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Katz, Michael (February 15, 1979). "George Young Is Appointed General Manager of Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Simers, T. J. (October 27, 1997). "Ferreting out NFL truths takes intrepid reporting". The Sporting News.