The 47-year-old Goodell was unanimously elected by the league's 32 owners on the fifth ballot Tuesday. He will succeed Paul Tagliabue to become the league's fourth commissioner since 1946.

Goodell worked his way from public relations intern in 1982 to perhaps the most powerful job in U.S. sports. The son of a former U.S. Senator Charles Goodell of New York, Goodell has been Tagliabue's top assistant. In 2000, Goodell became the NFL's chief operating officer.

Tagliabue served 17 years, and during that time the league's revenues skyrocketed. The NFL will collect about $10 billion in TV rights fees during the next six years while enjoying labor peace with the players' association.