John W Breen
- Category : 1907-births
- Type : MGE
- Profile : 5/1 - Heretical / Investigator
- Definition : Quadruple Split (7,8,9,17,20,35,60)
- Incarnation Cross : LAX Defiance 1
Biography
American football and basketball player, coach, and executive. He was active in the college ranks before becoming an administrator in the American Football League for the Houston Oilers, serving as General Manager from 1971 to 1972.
Breen was instrumental in the building of the Oilers and the American Football League (AFL) itself by being in charge of the league's first draft of players. He is credited with recruiting veteran players George Blanda, John Carson, and Willard Dewveall along with first-year players Billy Cannon, Dan Lanphear, and Charley Hennigan. He recognized that the competing NFL teams would cut good quality players, and he recruited them to play at Houston.
After his retirement from professional football management, Breen worked as a sports broadcaster for radio station KTRH in Houston, Texas. He died on 9 February 1984 at age 76.