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Ravens: Heading into his 43rd NFL training camp, owner Art Modell's career will be defined by his relentless will and wit
Decades before the tortuous franchise move and the triumph of a Super Bowl, Ravens owner Art Modell's emotional ties with football became rooted in Roy Lumpkin.
At age 9, Modell walked a couple of miles to save on car fare and squeezed out a quarter to sit behind the bench of the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers, where he was mesmerized by his first real hero. Nicknamed "Father," Lumpkin was a hard-nosed blocker from the 1930s who always played without a helmet, exposing his bald head.
"After all those hits to the head, I think he became an NFL owner," joked Modell, delivering the punch line with that memorable chuckle....
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Decades before the tortuous franchise move and the triumph of a Super Bowl, Ravens owner Art Modell's emotional ties with football became rooted in Roy Lumpkin.
At age 9, Modell walked a couple of miles to save on car fare and squeezed out a quarter to sit behind the bench of the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers, where he was mesmerized by his first real hero. Nicknamed "Father," Lumpkin was a hard-nosed blocker from the 1930s who always played without a helmet, exposing his bald head.
"After all those hits to the head, I think he became an NFL owner," joked Modell, delivering the punch line with that memorable chuckle....
more
