His career has spanned over 50 years as a player and front office executive. He has won NFL and Super Bowl titles. He has been coached by, played with and worked beside titans of the NFL game. He has been a major instrument in the successful movement for diversity in the NFL. Commissioners, general managers and head coaches seek his counsel, yet to the average fan of the NFL game, he is virtually anonymous. He’s John Wooten, affectionately known as the Godfather.

Like Marlon Brando’s character, Wooten’s level of influence knows no bounds. His blessings (endorsement) can build a career. To seek and gain his counsel is the key to gaining knowledge and insight that is virtually unparalleled in the NFL.

As a player, Wooten was an All-American guard at the University of Colorado, drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns in 1959. As a Brown, Wooten was coached by the legendary Paul Brown, the dean of NFL coaches. Brown had a profound impact in molding Wooten’s career as a player, scout and later in life as a front office executive.

“I give Paul credit for the knowledge I have of football, because he was such a great scholar and teacher of the game” Wooten shared. “I look at things he taught us in ’59, ’60 & ’61 that coaches are trying to put in focus today. The study and mental aspect of the game, the organization of the game, the things I learned back then as a young man still marvels me today.”

Among the things that clearly stuck with Wooten from the Paul Brown years was the fact that teamwork and professionalism were of paramount importance.

“One of the things you noticed about Paul Brown when you saw him on the sideline during a game was that he was always dressed to a T. He believed in that as a professional approach to the game. This was the way we dressed when we came to our games, like business professionals. No flip-flops and blue jeans for us, we were knotted up!

“In addition, we did so many things together as a team. The night before games we stayed in a hotel, even for home games. We dined together, went to the movies as a team, all sorts of things we did that strengthened our bond as a team. Black or white, it didn’t matter to Paul, the team was first and foremost in his mind and nothing could separate that to him.”

NFL icon, Cleveland teammate and former roommate, the great Jim Brown, witnessed the evolution of Wooten first hand and has nothing but high praise.

“John Wooten is a great American,” Brown expounds. “He is a man that used his college education and background to become one of the brightest football players the game has ever seen, as well as an outstanding lineman. It’s because of his leadership that the Fritz Pollard Alliance is as effective as it is, working with Mr. Rooney and his committee. I have all the admiration in the world for him.”

For the record John Wooten played left guard for the Browns from ’59-’67. He was a two-time Pro-Bowler (’66 & ’67) and a star member of the 1964 NFL Championship team.

When John Wooten’s playing career ended, good fortune smiled on him when he received a fortuitous call from America’s team.

“Tex Schramm (Cowboy GM from ’59-’89) called me one night out of the blue and asked me if I’d be interested in joining their organization,” Wooten recalled. “My response was that I really wasn’t interested in coaching. He told me he wanted me to come to Dallas to look at things from an executive point of view in the front office. I spent a few days in Dallas meeting with everybody. I was familiar with Coach Landry from a couple of Pro-Bowls, so I knew what his strategy was. He admired Coach Brown and what we had accomplished from an organizational stand point, so I joined their organization in 1975 and worked until 1991.”

As a personnel executive in the NFL’s most innovative front office structure, Wooten quickly displayed a unique talent in every facet of front office responsibilities.