Today, 18 years ago, Roger Goodell became the Commissioner of the NFL

The Steelers have had three coaches since 1969. The NFL has had three Commissioners since 1960.

The current commissioner, Roger Goodell, got the job 18 years ago todayHe was elected in the fifth round of voting to succeed Paul Tagliabue, who was president from 1990 to 2006.

Goodell, then 47, had spent 24 years in the NFL. Goodell testified in June during the Sunday Ticket antitrust class action that he had been turned down 53 times for jobs with the NFL and its teams.

He eventually landed a four-month internship with the league, then interned with the Jets before returning to the league office and staying.

The league has been hugely successful under his leadership. Money has skyrocketed. Franchise values ​​have gone through the roof. The NFL has transformed from a sports league to a media company, with more than 60 percent of its revenue coming from TV rights.

He has a contract until 2027. It remains to be seen whether he will retire then.

Why would he? He has perfected the job. He is a pincushion for the owners and he handles the media deftly with press conferences and a handful of annual interviews.

The NFL enjoys a position of power, as do all of its affiliates — from the NFL Players Association to every network that broadcasts professional football. And while he works for the owners, he knows how to work the owners to get what he wants, including last year’s attempt to create a flex option for Thursday Evening Football.

After eighteen years, he still wants eighteen games. He gets them. If he wants nineteen, he gets them. If he wants twenty, he gets them.

And he can stay as long as he wants. Largely because there is no clear successor to the throne he has occupied for a generation of football.

Are there threats? Sure. But Goodell and the NFL have a way of confronting and defeating them. Including, last week, the ruling that wiped out $14.1 billion in potential antitrust liability stemming from Sunday Ticket.