Bill Radovich ~ The Life of the First Player to Take the NFL to Court & Win by Paula K. Erbay

“Ninety percent of the players playing today don’t know who the bleep I am.  Not that they should.  They don’t know where they are getting all this free agency, where they got this and everything else”   ~ Bill Radovich

Pre-Game ~ Chicago

Margaret and Alex Radovanovich had their first child, William Alex Radovanovich on June 24, 1915.  He was born in Chicago’s North Side near Clybourn Ave. He was born strong and healthy.  He was their All American Boy.

Bill had two younger siblings, Walter (1919) and Margaret “Sissy” (1921).  The family had already lost two other children, Emily and Helen, before Walter was born.  His baby sister Gloria won’t appear until much later.

His father had a successful butcher shop in the neighborhood.  The family, including his grandmother Rose and Aunt Blanche, were all active in the local Serbian community: they attended the Serbian church; performed in Serbian plays; attended Serbian dances and concerts; Alex was a member of the Sokol, a Serbian men’s organization; Margaret was the director of the original charter of the Kolo Srpskih Sestara of Chicago in 1915.

Like so many first born children to immigrant parents, Bill’s first and primary language was Serbian.  The family lived in a predominately Serbian community so that too was the language of his friends…until he started school.

Bill was enrolled in a nearby Catholic elementary school.  He would often tell the story that when he was first learning how to write, the nuns would “Whack my hand with a ruler”.  This was because he would pick up the pencil with his left hand, at that time left-handedness was something to be corrected.  While he blamed the nuns for his poor penmanship (right-handed), he also recognized that their actions ultimately led to both of his hands being strong – an advantage in football.

While World War I had ended a few years earlier it was still very much on everyone’s mind when Bill was in grade school.  One day he came home from school in tears.  When asked why by his concerned mother, he replied “The kids in school called me ‘the enemy’ because of my accent!”

He went on to announce “I will never speak Serbian again until I can speak ‘American’ without an accent.”

After much discussion, Margaret and Alex decided that they would speak English only with their children.  After all, they were all American born, they reasoned, so they should speak the official language of the United States, their native country, without an accent. They knew they too would benefit from speaking more English themselves, and that the kids would still learn Serbian due to the neighborhood they lived in and the church they attended.

His parents thought that the course their young son had set for himself was well founded.  He took control of his future, and that of his younger siblings.

 

Pre-Season Training ~ Los Angeles

In December of 1927 the Radovich family (the name had been shortened by this time), moved to California.  The decision was made due to Sissy’s health – her doctors feared she would not survive one more Chicago winter due to complications from the Scarlet Fever she had when she was younger.

The family first rented a home near the Serbian Church in Los Angeles.  Alex thought it would be a good home base for them to get to know the area and the Serbian community.  Both they and their children quickly made new friends – The Radovich family cites the Zarubica family as being their first Los Angeles friends.  Svet Zarubica and Bill stayed friends from that day forward.

 

In less than a year they moved to Venice Beach, where close family friends, Nick and Bernice Lutze, were living. Margaret thought the sunshine, sand, and sea air would all be recuperative for her daughter Sissy.

It was here that Bill’s baby sister Gloria would be born in January 1929. Svet and his sister Anka (Bronneck) became her Kum and Kuma.  Bernice Lutze, not being Serbian, dubbed herself and Nick as Baby Gloria’s American Godparents.
Bill emulated Nick, a professional wrestler and lifeguard.  Young Bill, now in his early teens, had strong muscular legs, and a solid torso.  He was agile and fast, and had the ability to succeed at every sport he tried.  It’s unclear when he first started playing football, but we know he played on his high school football team from his very first year.

The Great Depression, coupled with Sissy’s escalating medical bills, was taking its toll on the Radovich household.  The decision was made to move from Venice Beach to the Hollywood area of Los Angeles in order to be closer to Alex’s butcher shop.

Bill transferred to Hollywood High School before his Junior Year.  He instantly took to his new school. He enjoyed everything about it:  his classmates; instructors; the entire football program – teammates and coaches.  However, the family soon moved again to another neighborhood in Los Angeles – a neighborhood with its own high school.

Bill was enrolled in their neighborhood high school for his Senior Year.  However, his parents soon received a notice from the school stating that Bill had not yet attended any of his classes.  They were certain there was a mistake as Bill talked about school, they saw him studying, and he went to football practice – all indicators that he was going to school.

When his parents asked him to explain the notice they received he stated that he had decided to continue to attend Hollywood High – he registered himself using the Zarubica’s address.  A change in schools would risk his placement to start on the Varsity Football team.  That in turn would risk his ability to receive a university football scholarship.

His parents were quite relieved that their son was not neglecting his studies.  They were also proud of his reasoning in making this decision.  Not wanting to be constricted by the school zone his parents had moved to, Bill had once again taken control of his future.

1st Quarter – Play Ball!

Bill was right to stay with the football program at Hollywood High.  He was offered a football scholarship at USC, under legendary coach Howard Jones. Bill played Guard and was named “All-Time Letterman” in 1935, ‘36, and ‘37.

Bill was not a large man by today’s football standards.  He is recorded as having been 5’8” and weighing 220 lbs in college – today’s average collegiate offensive lineman is 6’4” and 300 lbs. But, he was solid, strong and quick.  Those who saw him play would comment on his ability to see the play while it unfolded and be at the right place at the right time – no matter where on the field that may be.

Not only has the size of the players changed but so has the equipment they wear.  Bill once commented on the modern heavy plastic helmets and shoulder pads compared to the padded leather versions he wore.  He felt that the players were hitting, and being hit, so much harder because they couldn’t feel the impact, yet hitting each other was like running right into the goal post.  He went on to speculate that over time it would lead to more long term injuries.  In his day he would quip, you learned how to effectively block without causing too much pain or injury.

Coach Howard Jones would often arrange for his Trojan players to be extras in the movies. This was a way for the players to earn some money and not violate the amateur status required for their scholarships – after all, they were only acting as football players.  Odds are if a movie had a football scene, it’s being played by USC Trojans – and, if it was made after 1933, it’s likely Bill was in it.

The most successful USC player turned actor was offensive tackle Marion Morrison, later known as John Wayne.  John Wayne had attended USC, on a football scholarship, a few years ahead of Bill.  Both he and Bill had been in the same fraternity at USC, Sigma Chi. Bill would follow those large footprints into the movies as well, both while at USC and later.

 

 

2^nd Quarter ~ The Big League

The NFL Draft after the 1937 season did not include Bill Radovich.  He felt it was due in part to not being utilized to his potential by Howard Jones.  He really wanted to prove to himself and the football world how good he really was.  So, he campaigned for himself with various NFL teams.

Of the NFL offers Bill received he selected the Detroit Lions.  His reasons were simple: First and foremost, they were the only team that guaranteed employment in the off-season; second, it was about 300 miles from Chicago where his grandmother, aunt, cousins, and kumovi lived – far, but not impossible to visit.

Bill played for the Detroit Lions from 1938 until 1941, when he enlisted with the U.S. Navy.  He played both offensive guard and linebacker, he was recorded as being 5’9” and weighing from 161 lbs (rookie year) and up to 260 lbs, according to one source.

At the completion of his rookie year, 1938, Bill was selected to play in the first ever All-Pro All-Star game.  In January 1939, the league champion NY Giants played against the All-Star team at Los Angeles’s Wrigley Field.  The All-Star team was composed of professional players from various teams selected by fan balloting.  The game would be renamed in 1951 as the “Pro Bowl”.

One of his All-Star teammates was Byron “Whizzer” White, also in his rookie year for the Pittsburg Pirates (later Steelers).  “Whizzer”, as Bill referred to him, joined the Detroit Lions for the 1940 and ’41 seasons.  He was the highest paid player in the NFL at that time.  In 1962 he became Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

 

Bill Radovich, a football guard for the Detroit Lions for five seasons, poses for a photo. (Pro Football Hall of Fame via AP Images)

Half-Time ~ U.S. Navy

After the 1941 football season, and the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bill enlisted with the Navy.  He was working for General Motors at the time, which he did during the off season.  As he was producing vehicles for the military he would have qualified for an exemption from the draft.  However, Bill felt, especially as a bachelor, it wouldn’t be right for him to not serve his country in action.  His younger brother, Walter, had enlisted in 1940 with the U.S. Army Air Corp and was already piloting combat missions in Burma.

As Bill joined the Navy while living in Detroit he was to report to Naval Station Great Lakes near North Chicago – the Navy’s largest training base, and only Boot Camp. While training there he was put on their football team, the Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets, as a coach and player.

In a poll conducted by the Associated Press of over 90 sports writers, the 1942 Navy Bluejackets was rated number 1 of all the service teams that year.  The team was composed of both professional and college football players who were all serving in the Navy.  They outscored all their opponents by 222 to 55.  Their opponents included other service teams as well as six of the Big Nine Conference teams, including Notre Dame, Michigan State, and University of Pittsburgh.

From there he was stationed at the newly opened Farragut Naval Training Station in Idaho, the navy’s second largest training station at the time.  Bill was tasked with arranging transport, and sometime escorting, the sailors to their ships.  He was anxious to receive his own orders assigning him to a ship headed for battle.  His communications home always prepared his mother for that eventuality.

Gloria, his youngest sister, remembers the day he called home. In those days a long distance call was a very big deal – everyone would get near the phone in hopes of hearing the voice at the other end.  She recalls it as follows:

Bill: “Ma, I got my orders”
Margaret: “Son, What type of ship will you be on?”
Bill:  “It’s UCLA Ma”
Margaret:  “The USLA?  I don’t know that ship. What is it? Where is it?”
Bill:  “No Ma, its U C L A – the school in Westwood”

He would often comment he was glad they got his alma mater wrong, because it would have been too embarrassing to be stationed at USC, where everyone knew him, and not on a ship in battle.

Someone up the chain of command decided to send Bill to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as a trainer in the V-12 program.  It ran from July 1943 until June 1946.

The program was implemented to fulfill the increased need of Naval Officers faster than the US Naval Academy at Annapolis could accommodate.  During those three years approximately 125,000 men participated in the program.

The program took advantage of the existing infrastructure of the 131 participating colleges and universities.  The officer candidates studied for their undergraduate degrees while also receiving rigorous physical training, and Navy classes.  They enrolled in studies that were deemed beneficial to the war effort, such as engineering, foreign languages, medicine and the sciences.

Their tuition was paid by the US Navy. The schools also benefited as the vast majority of their students, prior to the war, were young men between the ages of 18 and 21 – the vary group that was enlisting or drafted into military service.

 

During those years, a friend Bill had made while training at Great Lakes, fellow Serb Don Tomich, was now stationed in San Diego.  When he contacted Bill to say he got leave for Serbian Easter, Bill encouraged him to come to Los Angeles – his family would pick him up at Union Train Station and bring him to church.

Don was introduced to Luba Babich by Bill at St. Sava Church on Serbian Easter 1945.  They were married in November of that year. After one winter in Milwaukie (where Don lived before the war), the couple decided to return to Los Angeles.  They remained there the rest of their lives, and remained friends with Bill as well.

After the war ended Bill returned to the Detroit Lions for the 1945 season.  That year he was named All-Pro 1^st Team by the Associated Press, Chicago Herald American, International News Service, and United Press International – only The New York Daily News named him All-Pro 2^nd Team.

In 1946 Bill’s father, Alex, was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  Bill wanted to be closer to home due to his father’s health.  He requested to be traded to a team on the West Coast, preferably the Los Angeles Rams, who had just moved from Cleveland.  The Rams had already indicated they wanted him, but in accordance with the “reserve clause” he needed to be released by Detroit.

Meanwhile actor Don Ameche, one of the movie studio contacts Bill made while at USC, was now a co-owner of the All America Conference League’s (AACL) Los Angeles Dons, along with Louis B. Mayer, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby.  It was through this connection that Bill was contacted with an offer to play for the Dons at “double whatever Detroit was paying him”.

As Bill was still in contract negotiations with Detroit, he asked them to match the offer he had received from the Dons.  If they weren’t going to trade him to the Rams, at least he could afford to fly to Los Angeles.

Detroit Lions owner, Fred Madel, Jr., refused all of Bill’s requests.  According to Bill he said, “You’ll play in Detroit, or you won’t play anywhere.  And, if you try to play in that new league (AAFC), I’ll have you blacklisted for five years.”

Well, Bill couldn’t (wouldn’t) play for Detroit after that.  As he hadn’t signed a new contract with Detroit, and his prior contract had expired, he felt he was under no obligation to stay.  He took control of his future and accepted the offer from the Los Angeles Dons for $300 per game for a 12 game season, plus bonuses.

He played for the Dons for two seasons, 1946 and ‘47.  Once again he was named All-Pro 1^st Team in 1946 by the Associated Press, United Press International, and the New York Daily News.

Bill parted ways with the Dons in 1948 due to an injury he sustained at the end of the ’47 season.  Around that time The Dons had begun merger negotiations with the Los Angeles Rams.  The merger would have required them to terminate Bill’s contract as the NFL would not allow any player to rejoin once they played in the AAFC.  The two teams merged prior to the 1949 season.

Still wanting to stay in California, Bill began to pursue other teams.  He was offered a player/coach position with the minor Pacific Coast League’s (PCL) San Francisco Clippers.  But, the Clippers rescinded their offer after NFL Commissioner, Bert Bell, told PCL Commissioner, J. Rufus Klawans,that the “reserve clause” was in effect as Bill had “walked out of his contract”.

The reserve clause prohibits a player from signing with another club without the consent of the club holding his contract; a violation of this would result in a five year suspension of the player and severe penalties levied against the member club that hired him.  The PCL was an associate league to the NFL and therefore subject to a severe penalty if they hired anyone considered to be in violation of their contract.

Back then there were no sports agents, each player was on their own – you either signed the contract presented, or you didn’t play.  Apparently your contract only ended when the NFL said it ended. Bill had never considered what he did as “walking out” of his contract.  He wouldn’t do that, if you made an agreement, you kept your agreement.  He simply had not signed a new contract with the Lions, and felt he was free to seek a position elsewhere.

After the Clippers canceled their offer to Bill, he took a player/coach position with the Edmonton Eskimos for the 1949 season – the long arm of the NFL did not reach the Canadian Football League.  His father’s health was steadily improving after successful cancer treatments and Bill felt he could be away, plus air travel was now a viable option for him.

Bill returned to Los Angeles after finishing his post season work in Edmonton.  His sister’s health was declining, Sissy died in February 1950 – less than two weeks after her 29^th birthday.  His baby sister, Gloria, was engaged to be married.  Bill decided he needed to remain in Los Angeles and did not to return to Canada.

 

3^rd Quarter – Side Lined

Just as he had done while a student at USC, and while in Los Angeles on breaks from the Lions, Bill returned to acting to earn some money.

In 1940 he was in Knute Rockne: All American as a football player.  Among the other players were his USC teammate and friend, Nick Pappas, who later in life would be nicknamed, Mr. Trojan; the legendary Jim Thorpe; and, of course Ronald Reagan.

Nick Pappas once reminisced about filming the famous scene where Pat O’Brien, as Coach Knute Rockne, gave the “Let’s do it for the Gipper” speech to his Notre Dame players during half time.  They were on a sound stage designed to be the locker room, just outside was the football field all setup for the scene that would follow.

Nick recalled, “It was so convincing – and we had all been through a lot of such pep talks – that he got me and the other actors all fired up like it was a real game.  I had tears in my eyes.  I jumped up and yelled, “Let’s go!” The other guys charged with me and we knocked down all the fake scenery as we got out there.  We really thought we were going to win one for the Gipper. Then we remembered where we were.”

While waiting the two hours it took to rebuild the set. Nick remembers Bill denying the effectiveness of Pat O’Brien’s performance on him, “He just didn’t want to admit it, but Rad was the first guy through the wall.”

Another football movie Bill was in was Father was a Fullback in 1949.  Fellow Serb, and USC alumnus Paul Salata was among the football extras.  Of course, Bill and Paul knew each other through the Los Angeles Serbian Community – or least their families did as Paul was 11 years Bill’s junior. So it is likely that working together on this film, as well as their future commitment to all things USC, cemented their enduring friendship.

Bill was getting more and more work in the film industry.  Another USC football alumnus and good friend, was producer Aaron Rosenburg.  One of the movies they worked on together was 1952’s World in His Arms – about the California Gold Rush, Alaska, sea captains and seal hunting.

Bill played an Eskimo named Ogeechuk – who in the original script was killed in an early fight scene.  Aaron, the producer, along with director Raoul Walsh, both liked Bill’s character, and felt that Gregory Peck needed a sidekick strong enough to carry the fight scenes throughout the film.  It was agreed that Bill’s character should be expanded to be that sidekick.  Ogeechuk lived through the final credits, but his dialog was never expanded from its original two words, “We Go”.

While working on another film, Back to God’s Country, Bill was up for the part of Sgt. “Fatso” Judson in From Here to Eternity.  Bill felt this was his “big break”, as they say in Hollywood .

The movie was to be filmed in Hawaii.  The director on Back to God’s Country, Fred Zinnemann, wouldn’t release Bill from his film.  While Bill’s scenes had all been completed, the director feared that if a scene had to be re-shot it would take too long, and cost too much money, if Bill was in Hawaii.  Ernest Borgnine ended up getting “Bill’s part” in From Here to Eternity.

Bill continued acting, mainly in small parts, hoping for another shot at his big break.  Then in 1955 the movie Marty was released. It starred Ernest Borgnine in his Oscar winning role as a butcher.

Bill ended his acting career at that point.  He felt had he been released from his contract on Back to God’s Country, he would have been in From Here to Eternity, after that he’d be a shoe in for Marty, after all his own father was a butcher. Bill decided he didn’t want any more contracts controlling his future – and that was that.

 

4^th Quarter – Fight On! … The Lawsuit

Like so many in Hollywood, Bill needed to supplement the sporadic income from his work in the film industry.  He took a job at Kiru Restaurant in Los Angeles as the floor manager when he was released from the Dons.  His job was to greet customers and oversee that both the restaurant and bar were running smoothly and that all customers were well attended.

One night a customer asked him to join his table for a chat – not an uncommon request as Bill was a well known football player.  That customer was Joseph Alioto: former attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division; current owner of his own antitrust practice in San Francisco -often representing movie studios like Walt Disney and Samuel Goldwyn, in Los Angeles, and future mayor of San Francisco (1968–1976).

As Bill would tell the story, his conversation began in answering how it was that he came to be working in a restaurant, and not on a football field.   He told of his father’s illness; of wanting to be transferred to the LA Rams; of playing for the Dons; and, of being told by the Pacific Coast Football League (PCL) commissioner, Rufus Klawans, that he was on an NFL blacklist of 94 players not to be hired by any football league – not as a player, not as a coach, not as anything.

Alioto responded that he not only knew of the list, but had actually seen it.  As Bill expressed his anger at “players being treated like a piece of furniture”, Alioto listened and started taking notes on the back of his cocktail napkin. When Bill was done speaking Alioto had drafted the outline for his antitrust lawsuit against the NFL – all on that cocktail napkin.

Was it truly fate that brought Joseph Alioto into Kiru’s that evening? Kiru was to sports, what The Brown Derby was to Hollywood.  Or, had an ambitious, young 33 year old, antitrust attorney, who had seen the letter blacklisting 94 players, gone searching for the one brave enough to sue the NFL?

No one will ever know the answer to that. But what is known is that in July of 1949, a lawsuit was filed by Alioto, with Bill as the plaintiff, against the NFL, all its member franchises, NFL commissioner Bert Bell, the defunct PCL, and its commissioner J. Rufus Klawans.

By 1956 Joseph Alioto, who was the architect of the entire case, had turned it over to his associate, attorney Maxwell Keith.   It had been refused to be heard by two lower courts, including the United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit on March 27, 1956. Both courts cited that football, like baseball, was not “interstate commerce” – in fact it was not a “business” at all, it was just a “game”- and therefore should not be subject to the Sherman Antitrust Laws.

Knowing they were right, and with great determination, Bill had his attorney appeal his case up to the United States Supreme Court.  It was accepted by the Court, and would be heard on January 17, 1957.

Maxwell Keith presented oral arguments for Bill Radovich, and was joined by Philip Elman, assistant to the Solicitor General representing the U.S government. Marshall Leahy and Bernard Nordlinger argued for the NFL. Chief Justice Earl Warren presided, with Associate Justices: Hugo Black; Felix Frankfurter; William O. Douglas; Harold H. Burton; Tom C. Clark; and, John M. Harlan II.

It was nearly eight years since Radovich v. NFL et al was first filed. In order to save on legal fees, Bill and his brother, Walter, had taken on much of the leg work since 1949. They contacted potential witnesses; arranged depositions, and subpoenas to be served – this was in the days before emails, before faxes, and when long distance phone calls and telegrams were expensive.  Even with doing that work themselves, Bill was in debt.  He had already borrowed money from his brother, he wouldn’t ask for more.

Bill credits Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin for encouraging him to continue on those days he thought about giving up.

In 1954 Cleveland Browns players Dante Lavelli and Abe Gibron ask Creighton Miller, attorney and former Browns general manager, to form a players’ union.  By 1956, Miller had finally agreed to help; he then asked Norm Van Brocklin (LA Rams), Don Shula (Baltimore Colts), and Frank Gifford (NY Giants) to join the effort to recruit additional players for their association.

Van Brocklin would call Bill every now and then to say that the NFL was starting to listen to them, he credited Bill’s lawsuit.  They even started to get some concessions from the NFL as soon as it was known that the Supreme Court would be hearing Bill’s case. While that didn’t provide any funds, it did give Bill the motivation to fight on.

As he told Charles Bricker, of the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, in 1992, “It took a lot of guts to sue the NFL back then. There was no union, no players’ association, no legal fund. It cost me a lot, but I knew I was right.  I was so broke I couldn’t afford to go to Washington, D.C., with my lawyer”.

Bill waited anxiously by the phone in hopes of hearing good news from his attorney. He felt their case was solid, but was worried as it had already been rejected by two lower courts.  This was truly his last chance at proving he was right, and hopefully make a difference for all players.

The simplified version of the plaintiff’s case is as follows:

1. The National Football League conspired to monopolize and control professional football in violation of the federal Sherman Antitrust Act – which broadly prohibits monopolistic business practices, or attempts to monopolize a market. That the Sherman Act is applicable as professional football is interstate commerce due to games being scheduled in various cities throughout the United States, and that they derive significant revenues from radio and television broadcasts into nearly every state in the union.
2. That the NFL conspired to eliminate any football league not affiliated with the NFL, namely AACL (which did in fact cease to exist in 1949). The NFL employed the “reserve clause” and “blacklists” to boycott players and destroy a competitive league in violation of the Clayton Act – which bans business practices that are conducive to the formation of monopolies.
3. Bill Radovich was damaged by the use of the reserve clause and its resulting boycott. He sought $35,000 in damages and under the Clayton Act was entitled to treble damages or $105,000.

The NFL’s arguments against the above claims were:

1. The National Football League, like professional baseball, is not subject to the Sherman Act. That it is not “interstate commerce” as the whole spectacle is the “game” on the field with the crowd watching, the television and radio aspects of the game are “trifling” and incidental to the game.
2. That the NFL did not conspire to eliminate any football league. The use of the “reserve clause” was not to monopolize the game but to protect it. That allowing players to become free agents would cause great disparity among the teams.
3. Bill Radovich was not damaged by the NFL as evidenced by having been employed by the AACL (Los Angeles Dons) for a higher salary than he received in Detroit.

Further, that Mr. Radovich, 34 years old in 1949, was just “an old man” in his profession and no longer employable by major teams.  That he was “washed up”, and litigation was his only way to make money from the league.

While a verdict wasn’t yet rendered, Bill’s attorney called him after all the arguments had been presented to the court. According to Bill he said, “If it goes your way, you will have to thank Chief Justice Earl Warren for sealing the victory.”

Apparently, when Marshall Leahy, the NFL’s attorney, made the statement about Bill being a “washed up” marginal player, he was interrupted by Chief Justice Warren with these words, “Counselor, pardon me.  I have to say something. I`ve seen the plaintiff play personally, and I think he`s well above average as a football player.  I don’t want to hear that nonsense.”

Prior to becoming the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Mr. Warren had been the governor of California from 1943 to1953.  Bill never knew when or where Chief Justice Warren had seen him play, but he was grateful he had.

Radovich v. NFL was decided on February 25, 1957.  The vote was 6-3 for the petitioner, Bill Radovich.  The Supreme Court determined that the petitioner had proved “The volume of interstate business involved in organized professional football places it within the provisions of the Antitrust Acts”.  And, that Mr. Radovich was entitled to an opportunity to prove his charges and claims for damages in trial court under the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts; reversing the lower courts’ ruling that rejected the case.

Despite the NFL using the same arguments that were successful for Major League Baseball in 1922, the Supreme Court recognized that the inter-state travel required by football, coupled with the expansive radio and television broadcasts did indeed meet the requirements set under the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts.

At the urging of his attorney, Maxwell Keith, Bill accepted the NFL’s settlement offer of $42,500 rather than go to trial.  He was disappointed with his attorney for so strongly pushing him to accept their offer, and disappointed with the settlement amount. But, he felt it was too late in the process to bring in a new lawyer, and feared if he did, it would reflect poorly on him at trial.

Mr. Leahy gave Bill a certified check for the settlement. Bill tore it in half stating, “I don’t want it.  If you want this case settled, you tell Bert Bell (NFL Commissioner) to send me his own check.”

“What’s the reason behind that? It’s going to hold everything up for three days” responded Leahy.

“Bert Bell will know when he writes that check out what I mean.” Was all Bill said, feeling satisfied that Bert Bell would indeed understand that Bill Radovich had won and had not been broken.

Bill received the check written by Bert Bell three days later.

Bill was interviewed in 1994 by William C. Rhoden, of the New York Times on the topic of the upcoming 75^th anniversary of the NFL.  When asked if he thought he’d be invited to participate in the celebrations, Bill indicated he thought he should be, but didn’t think he would be.  Adding, “That’s the price you pay for standing up for what you believe. You’re an outcast and an outsider.”

“The suit is part of NFL history, whether it’s good or not,” Bill said. “It’s the first time that any professional sport was ever taken to court and beaten. What I did opened doors.”

Post Season ~ Personal Life & Work

Bill remained a bachelor his entire life.  Oh, there was girl in college – in fact the family thought she would be the girl.  But, it was said that she not only broke his heart, but broke his trust.  He never brought another girl home, or even spoke about one to the family.

Bachelorhood is part of what Bill attributed his post-football weight gain to.  As a bachelor he tended to eat out a lot.  He had friends who owned bars and restaurant – and many others who owned bars and restaurants that later became his friends.

He would often explain that he’d stop by a friend’s place for a drink prior to meeting other friends for dinner.  That inevitably led to pleas of “Bill, don’t go without having a bite with us”.  Not wanting to disappoint his friends he would oblige.

When he arrived at his scheduled dinner, well he couldn’t disappoint them either – so he’d have a second dinner.  “Do that a few times a week, for several years and this is what you get”, he’d say of himself.

The first half of Bill’s working life was as a partner with an automobile brokerage, primarily involved with fleet sales.  The second half was at Washington Ornamental Iron Works, where he was often procuring fleet vehicles.  However, his main responsibility was always Public Relations.  That was a job that came naturally to him.

Bill maintained his friendships throughout his life.  He had an expansive network of friends from childhood to USC, from pro-football to the film industry, from the Serbian community to The Shriners.  If anyone needed anything, Bill could recommend a friend or make a phone call.

In the early 1960’s Bill was asked by a friend to help promote a concert for Tony Bennett.  He had achieved great success with his song I left my heart in San Francisco.  But his style of music was quickly losing its popularity to Rock-n-Roll.  With Bill’s contacts the concert was a huge success.

Later in life, mid-1990’s when Bill was in his 80’s, yet another friend of his connected him with a cruise line.  His friend had recently returned from a cruise himself, and excitedly told Bill he thought he had much better stories to share than “that guy on my ship”.

The cruise line offered Bill a small stipend, and an all expenses paid cruise in exchange for telling his stories to an interested audience.  He decided to try it, what did he have to lose? He was apparently quite popular, and enjoyed himself so much that he was booked on a few cruises.

It’s hard to say which Bill loved most: USC Trojan Football, or The Shriners (Al Malaikah, Los Angeles).  As he never married he considered them both to be his family.  He worked tirelessly to support them; he took family vacations with them; and, they came first if there was ever a choice to be made.

USC Alumnus

When the case with the NFL was settled Bill was 42 years old.  He had already resigned himself to the fact that he would not have a career in football – in part he felt he had been away too long to “get back in the game”, even as a coach.  He still loved the game and the comradery among the players and coaches.  He never missed watching a game.  But he loved his USC Trojans most of all.

He was an active USC Alumnus.  To my knowledge he rarely missed a home game – usually on the sidelines with his good friend Nick Pappas.  Nick had been a player, scout, and assistant coach at USC.  He built the USC Trojan Club, which Bill was a member of – the most successful donor group of its kind.  In all Nick dedicated 60 years to USC earning him the nickname of “Mr. Trojan”

Bill would often attend away games too, especially if it was against a rival: Notre Dame, Stanford or UCLA – okay that one is still in Los Angeles.  Bill also traveled to Hawaii each year for collegiate bowl games.  It combined two of his favorite things: College football and tropical beaches.

Bill, to my knowledge, was never a paid scout for USC.  That did not deter him from continuing to suggest to the official scouts to take a look at this kid or that.  He had a wide circle of friends who would tell him of a player with real potential.  Bill would check it out for himself, and if they indeed had talent he’d pass the name along to USC.  If they were Serbian and had talent, he would become their champion. It’s unknown how many players over the years owe their college educations to Bill.  But here are two stand-out stories:

While a player in Detroit, Bill attended a local Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball game.  Whether he knew in advance there was to be a phenomenal Serbian player prior to the game or not is unknown.  But when he saw Alex Omalev play it prompted him to write the coaches at USC the very next day stating, “You have to see this kid!  He shoots one-handed!”

This was 1939, long before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born let alone took his first famous one-handed sky hook shot.  Its unknown how many games Bill attended, or what campaigning he did for USC to come see Alex.  But in the end Bill and Alex became good friends, and Alex attended USC on scholarship.

In addition to basketball Alex studied cinema at USC under Cecil B. DeMille.  He went on to a long career coaching college basketball.  He also conducted basketball clinics for coaches and players in Yugoslavia.  He met Mother Teresa while conducting a clinic in India and conversed with her in her native Macedonian.

Fluent in several languages he was the language coordinator for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Basketball venue. In 1989, the LA Lakers hired him to translate for rookie Vlade Divac as Alex not only knew Serbian, but the language of basketball.

In 1964, George Chumo, after playing football for two seasons at Santa Monica City College was offered athletic scholarships by both the University of Washington and USC.  George had decided on the University of Washington, but not yet sent them his letter of intent.  As a courtesy he felt he should first inform the USC football recruiter of his decision.  During this conversation, he mentioned something about how Bill Radovich might be related to his grandmother, Masha Radovich.  Hearing that, the recruiter asked George to wait a little longer before signing that letter with Washington.

The recruiter, along with head coach John McKay, immediately called Bill Radovich.  They told Bill who they were looking at, and what the situation was and said, “Bill, We want that kid, go get that kid!”

Masha Radovich was not related to Bill’s family.  But, Bill and his family all knew the Chumo family.  So, he was more than happy to talk with George on behalf of USC.

A date was quickly set for Bill to come to their home.  Baba Masha prepared a full Serbian feast in honor of him coming to speak to her George.  He reminded George that his brother, Michal, and sister Marlena, had both graduated from USC, and that he should continue the family legacy.

George doesn’t recall all that was said that day, but says, “It must have been a heck of a speech because I ended up at USC.  And, I have never regretted my decision”.

The Al Malaikah Noble Order of the Shriners

 

Hollywood High School first opened in 1903 in an empty storeroom of the Masonic Lodge located at Highland Ave. and Hollywood Blvd. The mascot of Hollywood High was The Sheik.   Until 1949 USC Basketball was played in the Shrine Auditorium, the stage was their court.  So one might say Bill was destined to become a Shriner.

One of the duties he was most proud of was his role at the Shriner Circus.  Bill, along with fellow Shriner and doctor, Glen Mahoney were responsible for staffing the medical facility.  Knowing some of the children from Shriners Hospital would be in attendance and may need care, plus the risk of any attendee needing medical help, they took this task very seriously.

I can imagine the tears of a child in pain turning into wide-eyed awe at the sight of Bill Radovich greeting them at the medical facility. He would be in full Shriner regalia: gold satin shirt, red jacket with black and gold embellishments, topped with an ornate burgundy fez and its long black tassel.  That coupled with his tremendous size he must have appeared to be the Genie who emerged from Aladdin’s Magic Lamp ready to grant their three wishes.

Bill was also involved with a Shriners fundraising event at Knott’s Berry Farm in Brea, CA.  It was the premier of John Wayne’s movie Big Jake.  He was once again in full Shriner regalia.  This time it was his mother’s eyes that widened in awe.

Bill and his guests, his mother and I, neared the front of the receiving line to meet John Wayne.  As we did he looked up and saw Bill.  He stated, as only John “Duke” Wayne could:  “Why Bill Radovich”, pause, “How are you?”

If that wasn’t enough for his mother, as John Wayne was one of her favorite actors, he then shook Bill’s hand using their fraternity’s hand shake. She was aware that her son knew John Wayne – they had even been in a movie together.  But, for John Wayne to recognize her son was truly the highlight of her evening.

Protect the Team

Bill didn’t forget his first family: his Pre-1959 NFL brothers. The men that played in the NFL prior to the big money that television and Bill’s lawsuit brought to the game.

The NFL provided no pensions or medical benefits to any of these men. Many of the surviving pioneers of the game had health problems related to the beating their bodies took in those early years of football.

Those men played for the love of the game.  They wore wooden cleats, leather helmets, washed their own uniforms, and were paid on average $100 per game.  They had to work second jobs in order to support themselves, yet they never went on strike.

They laid the foundation for what the NFL has become today, revenues of about $900 million in 1987 and in excess of $8 billion in 2017.   They were the ones who put people in the stands – Bill played in the first professional football game in the Los Angeles Coliseum with the L. A. Dons in 1946, the crowd was estimated at 19,000.

Still wanting to “do what is right” Bill worked behind the scenes for years with other retired players to obtain pensions for the Pre-1959 players. He was proud of his fellow pioneers, and prouder still to be counted among them.  Even the personalized license plate on his car read “PRE 59R”.

The NFL began paying modest benefits to the Pre 1959 players in 1987.  Bill and others continued to work with the NFL through the NFL Alumni Association and the NFL Players Association to ensure these men lived the end of their lives with dignity.

The End Zone

Honors and awards were bestowed upon Bill during his lifetime for football, volunteerism, and business.

I recall a story his brother, Walter, told about one such honor.  Paul Salata had called asking him for help.  Walter’s first reaction was that it must be a joke as Paul was known for his sense of humor; after all he was the creator of Mr. Irrelevant – a weeklong celebration of the last man selected in the NFL Draft.

No, Paul assured him he was serious.  Walter was always willing to help a friend if he could, but was still confused, as he knew Paul had such a wide circle of family and friends that he would not be on the short list of who to call if in need.

The year was 1996, Bill had recently survived heart valve replacement surgery and Paul wanted to honor his friend.  He decided to make Bill the surprise guest of honor at his upcoming charity dinner – Paul was often hosting such dinners featuring both USC and professional football players.    But, it was Bill that surprised Paul when a day or two prior to the event he changed his mind about attending –he was physically fine he assured Paul, but had the “post surgery blues”.

That’s when Paul called Walter.  He knew how stubborn Bill could be once he made his mind up.  His only recourse was to solicit the aide of another equally tenacious Radovich.  If Walter took on a challenge there was no stopping him.  In the end, both brothers attended the dinner – Walter never revealed how that came to be.  Bill was indeed both surprised and very honored.

I think Bill would have also been both pleased and surprised to know that he continued to be honored posthumously. Radovich v. NFL is referenced to this day in sports articles, law schools, and law suits.

As retired general counsel of the NFL Players Association, Richard Berthelsen said,  “Every sports law course starts with the Radovich case. That’s probably one of the first things students learn when they’re studying the history of professional football.”

Bill, at 87, passed away on March 6, 2002. Los Angeles County Supervisor, Mike Antonovich presented a document to each of Bill’s family members at his funeral.  It stated that the Board of Supervisors had extended their sympathies, and adjourned their meeting in “Tribute and Reverence” of Bill Radovich.

On Veteran’s Day 2012 the NFL Players Association announced the creation of the Bill Radovich Memorial Internship.  The program offers paid internships to veteran or active members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are interested in a career in the sports industry.

At a press conference for Super Bowl 50 in February 2016, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) announced their upcoming 60^th anniversary.  In that press conference the executive director of the NFLPA, DeMaurice Smith, when citing the names of those who were at the forefront of their organization’s milestones, Bill Radovich was the first to be named.

Later that year, the NFLPA, as part of their 60^th anniversary celebrations, honored “60 Heroes of the NFLPA”.  Bill Radovich was one of the 60 and said to be, “the father of sports labor action”.  A clip of a prior interview with him is included in their video titled, NFLPA History. 

They further referred to him as a “pioneer” whose landmark ruling became the basis for future NFL and NFLPA labor battles, as well as other sports.  For example: when Major League Baseball’s reserve clause was challenged in the 1960s, they quoted from the US Supreme Court’s ruling on Radovich v. NFL that baseball’s long-standing exemption from antitrust laws was “unreasonable, illogical, and inconsistent”.  However, the Supreme Court to this day has refused to overturn their 1922 decision that gave baseball its exemption.

Game Wrap-Up

Bill Radovich was my uncle.  I am his youngest niece; my mother is his youngest sister, Gloria. He didn’t really talk about himself much with the family.  His stories about football were not shared at the family holiday dinner tables – perhaps because by the time I came along they were already told.  I suppose my memories of him are typical of most uncle/niece relationships – except that part about meeting John Wayne.

As a very young girl I recall Uncle Bill coming over to watch Saturday morning cartoons with me – I think he enjoyed them even more than I did.  I also recall Christmas mornings with gifts from Uncle Bill that were second only to Santa’s.

Later, when my family moved to northern California, I would rush to the driveway as he approached, eager to greet him, and see what he brought us.

As soon as I opened the car door I could smell the fragrance of fresh baked goods from the Jewish Bakeries that we enjoyed so much in Los Angeles. The backseat of his large sedan would be lined with their signature pink boxes tied with string and filled with pastries, breads, and rolls.

I would ask him how it was that he could drive for so many hours with that enticing aroma and not sneak a piece or two – for none of the strings were disturbed.  His face would turn the color of the boxes; his smile would broaden as he shrugged his shoulders without saying a word.  Later, I noticed another small pink box peeking out from under the front passenger seat – a small empty pink box.

At family holiday dinners, whenever Uncle Bill was there, he would be the one in kitchen carving.  While he didn’t become a butcher like his father, he took pride in the knife skills his father taught him.  I learned from a very young age that it was better to help in the kitchen before dinner rather than after. The tastiest parts of the roast, from Easter ham to Slava lamb to Thanksgiving turkey, were always the little bits and pieces Uncle Bill would offer as a treat as he carved.

I, like my cousins, never really thought of Uncle Bill as a celebrity – until his funeral.  My cousin Susan and I looked out the limousine window as his funeral procession snaked down a hill behind us.  It appeared to be a mile long parade of cars.

All of his family and friends were there.  Among them were: Paul Salata, Alex Omalev, Nick Pappas, Don and Luba Tomich, cousins from Chicago, and so many, many more. We looked at each other with the realization that he was indeed a celebrity.

Today’s football players may not know who Bill Radovich was, and what he did for them. But on that day in March 2002, those who knew him came to say good-bye and acknowledge all that he was and all that he did.

[This article was published in the November/December 2018 issue of Serb World USA magazine.  Contact Serb World USA Address: 415 E Mabel St, Tucson, AZ 85705  to purchase copies of the magazine or to obtain permission to reprint this article.  For more of the Radovich family history and photos please click on My Grandmother’s Speech]