Alex Kroll
Encyclopedia
Alexander Stanley Kroll (born November 23, 1937 in Leechburg, Pennsylvania
) was an American collegiate and Professional Football
player and a now-retired major advertising agency executive.
Driven to succeed in athletics, Alex put himself on a rigorous physical training program. He was captain of the football team his senior year. His talent on the field won him a number of football scholarships, but he turned them down. Ranked second in his class academically, Alex chose to attend Yale
on an academic scholarship. He played on Yale’s varsity football team, but a physical argument with a young associate professor got Kroll expelled during his sophomore year.
He enlisted in the Army, serving two years in the military police. Kroll finished his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University
. While there, he captained the football team and played center on the school’s first undefeated football team, making all seven All-American teams in 1961 and becoming a Henry Rutgers Scholar along the way.
Kroll was a 1962 player for the American Football League
's New York Titans
(later the Jets), playing center and offensive tackle. In the off-season he worked as an advertising trainee with Young & Rubicam
(Y & R).
, where he rose from cub copywriter in 1963 to CEO in 1985, retiring as Chairman and CEO at the end of 1994. Kroll rose rapidly through the ranks in just his first seven years, becoming Executive Vice-President and Creative Director at the agency in 1970 at the age of 33.
During his 10 years as CEO, Y&R’s worldwide billings increased 2½ times, to $8 billion, and its offices more than doubled, to 331. Under his leadership, Y&R opened the first advertising agencies in Russia and China and built the largest agency network in Central and Eastern Europe. Bravo grew into America’s largest Hispanic agency. And, Y&R acquired Landor, the world’s leading identity and design company.
Kroll served as Chairman both for the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Advertising Council, the organization which produces most of the important public service advertising in the U.S. Under his leadership in 1997, the Council developed and launched a dramatic new strategy which focuses more than a billion dollars worth of donated media each year, for ten years, on the plight and problems of American children.
He developed the Play It Smart program. A program which gives an academic coach to football teams and encourages them to set academic goals. Kroll was featured in the 2009 Showtime program Full Color Football.
Leechburg, Pennsylvania
Leechburg is a borough in southern Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh. Leechburg was founded by David Leech, for whom it was later named, and was incorporated as a borough in 1850....
) was an American collegiate and Professional Football
Professional football
In the United States and Canada, the term professional football includes the professional forms of American and Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country...
player and a now-retired major advertising agency executive.
Early life
Kroll's father worked as a laborer in one of the many steel mills that dotted the landscape of Leechburg and other Alle-Kiski Valley communities at that time. Kroll remembers the support system he had growing up with a large extended family that included “an aunt and uncle on almost every block.” He adds, “I was never sure if I were rich or poor. We didn’t have a car or a lot of other amenities, but it didn’t seem relevant because I had these wonderful supporters.”Driven to succeed in athletics, Alex put himself on a rigorous physical training program. He was captain of the football team his senior year. His talent on the field won him a number of football scholarships, but he turned them down. Ranked second in his class academically, Alex chose to attend Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
on an academic scholarship. He played on Yale’s varsity football team, but a physical argument with a young associate professor got Kroll expelled during his sophomore year.
He enlisted in the Army, serving two years in the military police. Kroll finished his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. While there, he captained the football team and played center on the school’s first undefeated football team, making all seven All-American teams in 1961 and becoming a Henry Rutgers Scholar along the way.
Kroll was a 1962 player for the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's New York Titans
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(later the Jets), playing center and offensive tackle. In the off-season he worked as an advertising trainee with Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam
Y&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
(Y & R).
Life After Football
Alex Kroll spent his entire business career in advertising with Young & RubicamYoung & Rubicam
Y&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
, where he rose from cub copywriter in 1963 to CEO in 1985, retiring as Chairman and CEO at the end of 1994. Kroll rose rapidly through the ranks in just his first seven years, becoming Executive Vice-President and Creative Director at the agency in 1970 at the age of 33.
During his 10 years as CEO, Y&R’s worldwide billings increased 2½ times, to $8 billion, and its offices more than doubled, to 331. Under his leadership, Y&R opened the first advertising agencies in Russia and China and built the largest agency network in Central and Eastern Europe. Bravo grew into America’s largest Hispanic agency. And, Y&R acquired Landor, the world’s leading identity and design company.
Kroll served as Chairman both for the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Advertising Council, the organization which produces most of the important public service advertising in the U.S. Under his leadership in 1997, the Council developed and launched a dramatic new strategy which focuses more than a billion dollars worth of donated media each year, for ten years, on the plight and problems of American children.
Retirement
Kroll stepped down from Young and Rubicam in 1994, but still kept busy after his retirement, serving as a senior adviser to the Bill Bradley Presidential Exploratory Committee in 1998, which was formed by former U.S. Senate Democrat Bill Bradley of New Jersey. The committee's intent was to explore a presidential candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.He developed the Play It Smart program. A program which gives an academic coach to football teams and encourages them to set academic goals. Kroll was featured in the 2009 Showtime program Full Color Football.
Awards
He is a recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, the NCAA Silver Medal for Excellence, the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award and the American Jewish Committee’s National Human Relations Award. Kroll is also a member of both the National College Football Hall of Fame and the Advertising Hall of Fame.Sources
- Bill Bradley Presidential Exploratory Committee http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/Dec98/120498c.htm
- The Horatio Alger Association http://www.horatioalger.org/members/member_info.cfm?memberid=kro93
- AAF Hall of Fame http://www.advertisinghalloffame.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=680&uflag=k&uyear=