http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5fMBkLTM48

The NFL family lost one of its true pioneers on Tuesday when Steve Sabol of NFL Films passed away at age 69 due to brain cancer.

I’ll always be indebted to Mr. Sabol.

My football education stemmed from two entities:

1. My Dad.

2. NFL Films documentaries.

As a young football fan, I looked forward to two days in particular. First, each Christmas Eve, ESPN ran some sort of NFL Films marathon, which usually consisted of the NFL Follies series.

Secondly, whatever network showed the Super Bowl, also ran the “Road to the Super Bowl” highlight film, which recapped that season’s action leading up to the Super Sunday.

I’ve probably watched the 1989 version, titled “Big Plays, Best Shots, and Belly Laughs” about 40 times (truth).

In reality though, for many years before the explosion of the internet and cable, the primary teaching tool for football fans was NFL Films. 

Whether it be through Inside the NFL or This is the NFL, that was one of the few non-book ways to gain insight into how football worked. 

Educational effects aside, Steve and father Ed, turned NFL Films into a machine that cranked out entertaining and emotional programming.

Here are a few of my favorite examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRA8nKxxBcY

1. Super Bowl XII – The annual Super Bowl highlights were epic. With all due respect to narrator Jeff Kaye and those who offered their vocal talents in the years to come, the definitive voice of NFL Films was John Facenda. A local Philadelphia media figure, Facenda became an iconic figure at the Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company. His work on the Super Bowl XII highlight film is a picture perfect example why.

“What it got instead was a demolition job from the Doomsday Defense.” (cue ominous music)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dmQbBEfnzk&feature=relmfu

2. Super Bowl XI – For whatever reason, NFL Films went to another level when the Raiders got involved. Maybe it was the “Autumn Wind” or Oakland’s collective narrative of trying to vanquish their demons to win an elusive Super Bowl. They capitalized on the Silver and Black’s image in powerful fashion. Having killer music helps too.

3. America’s Game: 1983 Los Angeles Raiders – My only negative comment about the America’s Game series dealt with the voting. I mean, do we really believe the 1972 Dolphins were the greatest team ever? They may not have one of the four best teams of that decade (’71 Cowboys killed them a year earlier in the Super Bowl; the ’73 Dolphins were better; and the ’76 Raiders, ’77 Cowboys, and ’78 Steelers were every bit as good). Otherwise, the documentaries were a masterpiece. Check out Raiders tight end Todd Christensen on his comments regarding Facenda’s line on Marcus Allen’s history-making 74-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl XVIII.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sWL7oabSK4&feature=relmfu

4. Dream Season  –  Before I started simulating these things on Madden when I was in middle school, Steve Sabol and NFL Films figured out a way to create a super league featuring the 20 greatest teams of all-time back in 1989. Using old game footage, a series of games were staged to determine the undisputed best team ever. Sabol and Philadelphia Eagles radio play-by-play man Merrill Reese provided the call for the weekly ESPN series that eventually crowned the ’78 Steelers as champs. Perhaps the best part of this were the halftime and post-game shows narrated by Chris Berman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-wumDYaGNA

5. Wired for Sound – We know what the greatest NFL Films cut ever by a coach is but the players are the true stars.”I’M A MACHINE JERK, YOU CARRY MY JUNK!”

The music. The images. The storytelling. Pure brilliance.

Goodbye Steve. You’ll be missed.