Former Ravens Owner Art Modell Dies

The Baltimore Ravens say the team's former owner Art Modell has died.

A cause of death is not yet known but  Cleveland television station WKYC reported yesterday that the 87-year-old's vital organs were failing.

Modell purchased the Cleveland Browns for $4 million in 1961 and moved the franchise to Baltimore in 1996. The relocation made one of the NFL's most influential figures a hero in Baltimore but a pariah in Cleveland.

He sold a minority interest in the team to Steve Bisciotti in 2000, and in April 2004, Bisciotti completed purchase of the franchise. But Modell retained a 1 percent piece of the team and is listed in the current Ravens media guide as a minority owner.

During his days as sole owner of the team, Modell served as NFL president from 1967-69, chaired negotiations for the first collective bargaining agreement with the players in 1968 and was a key figure in getting NFL games televised on Monday nights.

Modell enjoyed watching the Ravens practice, always riding in a golf cart because he had difficulty walking. But those visits became more infrequent in recent years because of his failing health.

His wife of 42 years, Patricia, died in 2011.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)