Sabol, an aspiring filmmaker, hatched the idea of forming Blair Productions at age 45.
In 1962 Sabol contacted National Football League Commissioner Pete Rozelle with an offer to double the rights to film the 1962 NFL Championship Game.
Rather than use a single camera located high in the stadium that day, Sabol added a sideline camera to catch the intensity of the players.
Sabol convinced NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that they needed their own motion picture company. With that, NFL Films was born.
Sabol continued to serve as the Chairman of NFL Films through his retirement in 1995.
During Sabol’s tenure, NFL Films won 52 Emmy Awards.