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 De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the fifth chief executive and second commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 until his deat ...

on October 11, 1959.

Education

Gunsel was born in

Irvington, New Jersey Irvington is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 61,176, an increase of 7,250 (+13.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...

and is a graduate of the

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

Career

Gunsel joined the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

in 1939. He served as both

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

's administrative assistant and as a special agent for the Bureau, and during his crime-fighting career, served in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

field offices. In 1952, Gunsel was hired by the NFL to head the league's investigative department, a move made in response to commissioner

'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 The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

attorney Marshall Leahy were seen as the front-runners commissioner. On January 20, 1960, Leahy received 7 votes to Gunsel's 5, which was short of the two-thirds needed to be elected commissioner. Gunsel was soon dropped from consideration and after an eight-day deadlock, the owners selected

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

general manager

Pete Rozelle Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle (; March 1, 1926 – December 6, 1996) was an American professional football executive. Rozelle served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 until his retire ...

as a compromise candidate. Gunsel stayed on as NFL treasurer until his retirement on July 1, 1966.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.

Personal life

At the age of 65, Gunsel died at Lankenau Hospital in

Wynnewood, Pennsylvania Wynnewood is a suburban Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community, located west of Philadelphia, straddling Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Haverford Township, D ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunsel, Austin 1909 births 1974 deaths Federal Bureau of Investigation agents NFL commissioners Wharton School alumni People from Irvington, New Jersey American football people from New Jersey Law enforcement officials from Chicago Law enforcement officials from Michigan Law enforcement officials from New York City