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| No. 44, 7, 81 | |||||||||
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| Positions | Quarterback Defensive back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1927-08-31)August 31, 1927 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | May 8, 1994(1994-05-08) (aged 66) Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Salem (IL) | ||||||||
| College | Tulsa | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1949: 12th round, 116th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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Operations | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Executive profile atPro Football Reference | |||||||||
James Edward Finks (August 31, 1927 – May 8, 1994) was an American professionalfootball player, coach, and executive.
Finks was born inSt. Louis, Missouri, attended high school inSalem, Illinois, and attended college at theUniversity of Tulsa. After being selected as a 12th-round pick of thePittsburgh Steelers in the1949 NFL draft, he played for several years as adefensive back andquarterback, retiring after the 1955 season. He was also drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1948 to play catcher and accepted that position before moving to the Pittsburgh Steelers to play football.
Finks served as an assistant coach underTerry Brennan at theUniversity of Notre Dame in 1956, after which he went on to theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League, where he served as a player/coach before becoming the general manager on October 31, 1957.[1] Finks turned the Stampeders into a winning team. He signed many of the players that made Calgary the winningest team in the CFL during the 1960s, though the team did not win aGrey Cup title until 1971. He also signed quarterbackJoe Kapp, who would also later play under Finks in the NFL.
In 1964, Finks was named the general manager of theMinnesota Vikings. In1968,Minnesota won its first NFL Central Division Championship, marking the start of a dynasty that produced 11 division championship teams and four Super Bowl appearances in the following 14 years. In1969, theVikings won 12 of 14 games and claimed the NFL championship before losing to theAmerican Football League'sKansas City Chiefs 23–7 inSuper Bowl IV.
The Vikings team that Finks put together was powered by a dynamic defensive front four, popularly known as The "Purple People Eaters". The first member of the unit, defensive endJim Marshall, came to the Vikings in a 1961 trade before Finks arrived. In1964, the new general manager added two potential stars to the line: endCarl Eller as a first-round pick inthe NFL draft, and tackleGary Larsen in a trade. He completed "The Purple People Eaters" in 1967 by pickingAlan Page inthe draft.
In1967,Norm Van Brocklin resigned as head coach and Finks immediately hiredBud Grant, who had been a successful coach of theWinnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL for 10 seasons. That year, Finks also brought in a new quarterback,Joe Kapp, from the CFL. Kapp had played for the Calgary Stampeders when Finks was its general manager. During the1969 NFL championship season, Kapp passed for a record seven touchdowns against theBaltimore Colts and was a major contributor to his team's success.
In1972, Finks made another daring trade with theNew York Giants, this time to bring backFran Tarkenton, the quarterback he had traded in 1967. In 1973, the Vikings defeated theDallas Cowboys for the NFC championship but lost to theMiami Dolphins 24–7 inSuper Bowl VIII. It turned out to be the last game with the Vikings for Finks, who that season was named the NFL Executive of the Year. Finks, who had been named a club vice-president in 1972 as a reward for his brilliant work, resigned in May 1974, reportedly because the Vikings refused to award him the stock that had been held by Van Brocklin and also because of the decision by NFL CommissionerPete Rozelle to have all team owners have offices.[2]
Finks joined theChicago Bears as executive vice-president and general manager. OwnerGeorge Halas had made most of the football decisions himself for most of the time since joining the team in 1920 (when it was the Decatur Staleys), even after buying the team in 1921 and overseeing its move to Chicago. However, he finally saw the need to modernize and gave Finks complete control of football operations. Finks spent the1974 season studying the Bears player talent as well as opposition players from all around the NFL. The next year, he began employing the same formula he used so well in Minnesota to improve the Bears' talent pool.[3]
The Bears under Finks improved. By1977, they reached the playoffs for the first time since 1963. They were a playoff team again in1979 with a 10–6 record, best-ever for the Finks-led Bears. But Finks' tenure in Chicago ended suddenly in1982 when he resigned because Halas did not consult him in the hiring ofMike Ditka as head coach. However, he did stay with the Bears until after the 1983 Draft. By the time he left the Bears he held a minor portion of the franchise, which he relinquished when he resigned.[4]
Finks contributed to one of the most dominant NFL teams of the 1980s. The1985 Bears went over 15–1 in the regular-season and shut out both theNew York Giants andLos Angeles Rams in playoff games leading to the Super Bowl.
After leaving the Bears, Finks joined theChicago Cubs as president and chief executive officer in September 1983. He remained through the1984 season when theCubs captured the 1984National League'sEastern Division crown.
His record as GM with the Bears from 1974 to 1983 (Including 1983 because that was his last draft) was 65 wins – 80 losses
On January 14, 1986, Finks took charge of aNew Orleans Saints team that never had experienced a winning season in its 19-year history. His first move was to hire a new coach,Jim Mora. Success came more quickly for Finks in New Orleans than it had in either Minnesota or Chicago. In just hissecond season, theSaints won 12 games for their first winning season ever. Finks was named NFL Executive of the Year for the second time.
When NFL CommissionerPete Rozelle retired in1989, Finks was the leading candidate to replace him. He was the only candidate put forward for the job by a six-owner search committee (Wellington Mara,Lamar Hunt,Art Modell,Robert Parins,Dan Rooney, andRalph Wilson). However, a group of 11 newer owners who wanted more of a voice in the selection process abstained from voting, preventing Finks from receiving the 19 votes necessary to become Commissioner.[5][6] Six months later, a second meeting was held and it ended with 13 votes for Finks and 13 for attorneyPaul Tagliabue.[7] At a third meeting, a compromise was reached by the two groups that would make Tagliabue Commissioner and Finks president in charge of football operations. However, Finks declined this position and Tagliabue was elected by an undisclosed number of votes.[8]
Finks died in 1994 inMetairie, Louisiana fromlung cancer.[9] Jim Finks was inducted to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Finks enshrinement was based substantially on achievements with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints franchises. He had also previously built the Vikings and Bears into Super Bowl teams—and the Saints became winners for the first time in franchise history. His longest tenure was spent with the Minnesota Vikings. His son Jim Finks Jr. authored the 2009 bookCOLORS: Pro Football Uniforms of the Past and Present.
| Preceded by | Chicago Cubs President 1983–1984 | Succeeded by |
