Gilbert Harvey Brandt (March 5, 1932 – August 31, 2023) was an American professionalfootball executive who was the vice president of player personnel in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Gil Brandt's name as a member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor atAT&T Stadium.
Brandt worked as a photographer who specialized in newborn babies and was employed as a part-time scout for theLos Angeles Rams based on a recommendation byElroy Hirsch.[4] In 1958, he was hired as a full-time scout by theSan Francisco 49ers.[5]
Brandt served as theDallas Cowboys' chief talent scout from the club's inception in 1960.[5] He had served as a part-time scout for theLos Angeles Rams under general managerTex Schramm in the 1950s. When Schramm took command of the newly formed Dallas franchise in 1960, Brandt was one of the first people he hired. Schramm, Brandt and CoachTom Landry formed the triumvirate which guided the Cowboys for their first 29 years.[3]
Brandt helped pioneer many of the scouting techniques used byNFL clubs today,[6] such as:
Creating a new scouting and evaluation system for prospects, which would later spread throughout theNFL. In theNFL Films' documentary seriesFinding Giants,Ernie Accorsi mentioned how then-general managerGeorge Young built theNew York Giants scouting process based on the Cowboys system.[7]
Using computers for scouting and talent evaluations. To achieve this level of automatization, the Cowboys had to systematically define which were the traits, measurable qualities and skills that could be expressed into numbers and formulas in order for a computer to understand them.[8] Different traits were prioritized for different positions.[9]
Brandt was one of the first talent scouts to look outside of theUnited States andCanada for potential players.[12]Placekicker Fritsch, was discovered during a European scouting tour.[11]
Brandt's dismissal from the Cowboys on May 2, 1989, completed a purge that began withJerry Jones' purchase of the franchise just over nine weeks prior on February 25 and also resulted in Landry's ouster and Schramm's resignation.[19]
Following the death ofPittsburgh SteelersquarterbackDwayne Haskins on the morning of April 9, 2022, during an interview on aSirius XM NFL radio show later that same day, a host asked Brandt for his thoughts. Brandt replied that Haskins was "living to be dead, so to speak," and claimed that draft evaluators had criticized Haskins for his work ethic during his transition from college football to the NFL, stating, "It was always something. It was one of those, 'I'm not offsides, but they keep calling me for offsides.' It's a tragic thing. Anytime somebody dies it's tragic, especially when you're 24 years old and you've got your whole life ahead of you. Maybe if he'd have stayed in school an [extra] year, he wouldn't do silly things."[20]
Brandt's comments generated significant controversy, including from several other current and former NFL players like Haskins's former teammateCameron Heyward, who called Brandt's comments "disgraceful,"[21] and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiverDez Bryant, who called Brandt's comments "unacceptable."[22] Several called for Brandt to lose his job in NFL radio over the comments.[21][23] Brandt later apologized for the comments in a statement onTwitter, saying he "reacted carelessly and insensitively" and apologizing for his "poor choice of words."[20][24]
After a few years out of football, Brandt returned as a print analyst and draft expert.[25] He contributed toNFL.com as a senior analyst and was a major contributor in selecting thePlayboyAll-American football team. Brandt had also been responsible for inviting collegiate players to theNFL Draft every year. He was a regular on SiriusXM NFL Radio as a commentator on "Late Hits", "The Endzone", and the "SiriusXM NFL Tailgate Show".[26]
Brandt was announced as the 22nd member of the Cowboys' Ring of Honor on November 2, 2018.[28]
On February 2, 2019, it was announced at the annual NFL Honors Awards that Brandt was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame, and his bust was sculpted byScott Myers.[29]
Brandt and his wife Sara were married for 34 years.[5] He died in Dallas on August 31, 2023, at the age of 91.[2][10][30]
^abKika, Thomas (April 10, 2022). "Gil Brandt Apologizes for 'Disgraceful' Comments About Dwayne Haskins Dying". MSN.
^abMcGonigle, Justin (April 9, 2022). "Gil Brandt Should Never Have Another Interview After His Despicable Comments on Haskins Death - SteelerNation.com". Steeler Nation.
