During his career, Jones never appeared in a conference or league championship game. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Rozelle, Mr. Mayor, clergy, enshrinees and former enshrinees, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you. It is an honor for me to be here with you today as we celebrate the life of Dave Jones. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Dave is how much he loved New York City and its fans. He would have liked what he called "the greatest city in the world" and she has not missed a beat since he passed away. Dave was one of the most successful sports executives in NFL history, but he would have preferred to be remembered for his accomplishments in football rather than his tenure as commissioner. He had no desire to take on this role, but when the owners wanted a person who knew nothing about football, they turned to Jones. He took the job and saved it, leading the NFL through some difficult times while building several winning teams. Dave was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 4th, 1930. He received a college scholarship to Notre Dame but dropped out to join the Navy. While serving in Korea, he played football for the American Forces Academy. When he got out of the service, he went back to school and earned a degree in business administration from NYU.