Ron W . Miller Ronald William " Ron " Miller ( born April 17 , 1933 ) is a former professional American football player , the son - in - law of Walt Disney , and a former president and CEO of what is now The Walt Disney Company . Marriage and early career . Miller attended the University of Southern California , where he lettered in football playing left end for the 1951 - 53 seasons . While Miller was at USC , he was introduced to Walt Disney ' s 20 - year - old daughter , Diane , on a blind date . After dating for a while , and with the approval of her parents , they married in a small church ceremony in Santa Barbara on May 9 , 1954 . Their first child , Christopher , was born seven months later on December 10 , 1954 . Just five months after their wedding , Ron was drafted into the U . S . Army . During their first six years of marriage , Ron and Diane had four children . After his army service , Ron played a season as tight end with the Los Angeles Rams professional football team . " My father - in - law saw me play in two football games when I was with the Los Angeles Rams . In one of them , I caught a pass and Dick ' Night Train ' Lane let me have it from the rear . His forearm came across my nose and knocked me unconscious . I woke up in about the third quarter . At the end of the season , Walt came up to me and said , ' You know , I don ' t want to be the father to your children . You ' re going to die out there . How about coming to work with me ? ' I did and it was a wise decision on my part . I ' m really very proud of having been a professional athlete . I think it teaches you to be competitive , to accept challenges and to see things through . I realize the image some people have of jocks , but I think that certainly has changed over the years , " Miller told entertainment reporter Dale Pollock in August 1984 . However , the fact that Miller never finished school and played football became fodder for his critics to label him a " dumb jock " who lucked into marrying into an entertainment empire . Early history at Disney . Miller initially worked at Walt Disney productions for a few months in 1954 as a liaison between WED Enterprises and Disneyland before he was drafted into the army later that year . When he came home from the army , he played professional football , however later he was prompted by Walt to return to work for him . Walt sponsored his son - in - law and got him into the Screen Director ' s Guild and Ron worked as a second assistant on " Old Yeller " ( 1957 ) . He soon rose up the ranks to a variety of producer positions and also directed some of Walt ' s lead - ins for the popular weekly Disney television series . In 1958 , Clint Walker walked out of the popular Warner Bros . television Western , " Cheyenne " for a variety of reasons . Bill Orr , who was Jack Warner ' s son - in - law , called in Ron Miller to audition as Walker ' s replacement , and was impressed enough to schedule a screen test . Walt Disney stepped in and told Ron to forget acting , that Disney was grooming him for the position of producer . Walker resolved his differences with Warner Bros . and returned to the show in 1959 . As a result , Miller never attempted acting again . Instead , Miller spent his time in the film division and his co - producer credits appear on such Disney classics as " Son of Flubber " , " Summer Magic " , and " That Darn Cat ! " . His first movie with full producer credit was " Never a Dull Moment " ( 1968 ) . " It was obviously a great atmosphere when Walt was alive . If Walt liked something , we knew damn well it had to be good ; it had to be successful . Obviously , things are not the same without him . Walt was a great leader , and in his own way , a genius . For that one genius it has taken fifty geniuses to fill his void , " said Miller . Miller continued to get producing credits on films like " Tron " , " Pete ' s Dragon " , and " Escape to Witch Mountain " . President of Walt Disney Productions . He became president of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983 . Under his leadership , Disney became the target of corporate raiders and takeover attempts , and many influential shareholders criticized Miller ' s leadership . In 1984 , fellow Disney family member Roy E . Disney , his financial majordomo Stanley Gold , and shareholder Sid Bass ousted Miller in favor of a trio of non - Disney executives , Michael Eisner , Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg . Miller is perhaps best known for creating the Touchstone label , which allowed Disney to produce and release adult - oriented films without harming the family - friendly reputation of the Disney name . ( Its first film was " Splash " , starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah . ) He was also responsible for establishing The Disney Channel and funding the films of young Tim Burton ( " Vincent " and " Frankenweenie " ) , acquiring the film rights and putting into development the " Who Framed Roger Rabbit " project , initiating Disney ’ s first attempts at computer animation such as with the feature film " Tron " , and funding Disney ' s first Broadway show ( " Total Abandon " , with Richard Dreyfuss , 1983 ) , all of which established foundations for future success for the Disney Company . Silverado Winery . In 1976 , Lillian Disney , widow of Walt Disney , with Diane and Ron , purchased two vineyards in the Napa Valley . Their intention was to upgrade the property , replant to premium varietals , install new trellising and frost protection , but not to build or run a winery . Their vineyards were producing top - quality fruit and award - winning wines year after year for other wineries . So construction of the Silverado Vineyards Winery began in 1980 . Architect Dick Keith designed the old California mission - style structure , which is often mistaken for an actual restoration . During the last twenty years , Miller has spent most of his time building the reputation of his Silverado Winery , and has only spoken openly about Diane ' s work regarding Walt ' s legacy . Awards and nominations . Emmy Awards