Allie Sherman

Alex "Allie" Sherman (February 10, 1923 – January 3, 2015) was a National Football League quarterback, defensive back, and coach, and later a cable television and sports marketing executive and media personality.

Sherman was head coach of the NFL's New York Giants from 1961 to 1969. He won three division titles with the Giants from 1961 to 1963, and coached three NFL Pro Bowls. Sherman collected two NFL Coach of the Year Awards in 1961 and 1962, the first time such an honor was awarded to the same person in consecutive years. He was the first "media" NFL head coach, producing and hosting his own shows on television and radio and becoming a frequent on-air football analyst. After coaching, he had a long career at Warner Communications (today, Time-Warner), where he developed the first cable television sports networks, was a pioneer of interactive and pay-per-view television and events, oversaw and marketed the New York Cosmos soccer team, and produced for ABC and worldwide syndication Pelé's farewell game event (with Muhammad Ali and other celebrities). Later, new New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani tapped Sherman to become president of the failing Off Track Betting (OTB) Corporation, which, within two years, Sherman made profitable for the first time while revitalizing its tawdry image.