Editing Joe Foss (section)

===American Football League===
After serving as governor, Foss spent a short time working for [[Raven Industries]] before becoming the first Commissioner of the newly created [[American Football League]] in 1959. He oversaw the emergence of the league as the genesis of modern professional football. During the next seven years, Foss helped expand the league and made lucrative television deals, including the initial five-year, $10.6 million contract with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in 1960 to broadcast AFL games. The next contract was also for five years, but with [[NFL on NBC|NBC]] for a substantially greater $36 million, starting in [[1965 American Football League season|1965]].<ref name="uptvrts">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BusxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EuMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5992%2C4622151 "AFL, NBC ink pact"], ''Eugene Register-Guard'', January 29, 1964, p. 3B.</ref><ref name="aflex66">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jZcrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vPQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5397%2C2441193 "American Football League may be expanded in 1966."] ''Nashua Telegraph'', May 23, 1964, p. 8.</ref>

Foss stepped aside as commissioner in April [[1966 American Football League season|1966]],<ref name="fqpaafcz">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z4tRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_hAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5072%2C1524235 "Foss quits $50,000 post as AFL czar."] ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', April 8, 1966, pg. 2, part 2.</ref> two months before the historic agreement that led to the [[AFL-NFL merger|merger]] of AFL and [[National Football League|NFL]] and the creation of the [[Super Bowl]].<ref name="Bernstein">Bernstein, Adam. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A3931-2003Jan2&notFound=true "WWII Ace, SD Gov. Joe Foss Dies; Also Headed Football League, NRA."]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''Washington Post,'' January 3, 2003. Retrieved: February 22, 2016.</ref> [[Al Davis]] succeeded him,<ref name="apdvascz">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0ItRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_hAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5166%2C1877683 "Appoint Davis as AFL czar"], ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', April 9, 1966, pg. 1, part 2.</ref> but disagreed with the merger and resigned after {{frac|3|1|2}} months. [[Milt Woodard]], the assistant commissioner under Foss, was named to the new office of president of the AFL in July and served through the league's final season in [[1969 American Football League season|1969]].<ref name="widoiafl">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KHhQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VBEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4057%2C4872186 "Woodard in, Davis out in AFL"], ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', July 26, 1966, pg. 2, part 2.</ref>