Austin Gunsel

Austin H. Gunsel (April 2, 1909 – June 17, 1974) was the interim Commissioner of the National Football League from 1959 to 1960, following the death of Bert Bell on October 11, 1959.<ref name="gunsel">Template:Cite news</ref>

Education

Gunsel was born in Irvington, New Jersey and is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.<ref>"N.F.L. Picks Interim Chief; Gunsel is chosen by Club Owners. Acting Chief of Pro League Since Bell's Death to Serve Until January", The New York Times, October 15, 1959.</ref>

Career

Gunsel joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1939. He served as both J. Edgar Hoover's administrative assistant and as a special agent for the Bureau, and during his crime-fighting career, served in the New York City, Detroit and Chicago field offices.

In 1952, Gunsel was hired by the NFL to head the league's investigative department, a move made in response to commissioner Bert Bell's fear of a scandal damaging the league's image. Gunsel became league treasurer in 1956, holding the post until his retirement ten years later. He served as acting president of the NFL after Bell's death in October 1959.

Gunsel and San Francisco 49ers attorney Marshall Leahy were seen as the front-runners for commissioner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On January 20, 1960, Leahy received 7 votes to Gunsel's 5, which was short of the two-thirds needed to be elected commissioner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gunsel was soon dropped from consideration and after an eight-day deadlock, the owners selected Los Angeles Rams general manager Pete Rozelle as a compromise candidate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gunsel stayed on as NFL treasurer until his retirement on July 1, 1966.<ref>U.S. Congress House Committee on the Judiciary, Hearings 1966 Volume 3: Professional football league merger, on S. 3817, October 6–13, 1966, Serial No. 22. Retrieved March 13, 2023.</ref>

Personal life

Template:Expand section At the age of 65, Gunsel died at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.<ref name="gunsel" />