Frank Ramos, an original New York Jet who headed up the club's public relations department over a historic 39-year run, has died at 87. Ramos was recently placed into hospice care in South Florida before passing away late Tuesday afternoon following a bout with pneumonia.
"Frank had an encyclopedic knowledge of this organization — he remembered everything, big and small, about every player and every employee who came through the building," said Jets Chairman Woody Johnson. "Whenever you talked to Frank, you felt like you were getting the true pulse of the Jets. He even gave me the Jets' Super Bowl III playbook, which I still treasure. Frank was the glue that held this place together, and I've met very few people in my life quite like him."
Ramos joined the Jets in 1963 and was the longest-serving public relations representative for a single New York professional team at the time of his retirement in 2002. He worked with seven owners, seven presidents, five general managers, 11 full-time head coaches and two interim head coaches.
"Frank Ramos was a Jets and NFL legend. In his nearly 40 years with the team, he was a trusted confidant of players, coaches, and executives - and he never missed a game," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who interned in the Jets PR office in 1983. "Frank was the consummate communications professional, always dispensing sound counsel with a kind touch, and was honored for his outstanding career by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 with an Award of Excellence. Frank was a terrific friend and influence to those of us fortunate enough to be in his orbit and he will be greatly missed."
A Pioneer in the Profession
On June 28, 2024, Ramos was honored with an Award of Excellence at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was introduced at a luncheon that was emceed by Hall of Famer Dan Fouts.
"A guy's name who rhymes with famous, Frank Ramos," Fouts said. "It's a perfect way to remember Frank. He spent his entire 39 years with the New York Jets, the team's first season in 1963 through 2002 (including preseason), and it was quite an odyssey. He never missed a game. His highlight came in Miami in January of 1969 – we all remember Super Bowl III when the Jets upset the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. And he can tell you the whole story about Joe Namath guaranteeing victory in that game."
Ramos was there when the Jets selected Namath in the first round of the 1965 AFL Draft and saw the iconic quarterback take his final snap with the Green & White in 1976. Along the way, Namath earned a combined five All-Star selections and became the biggest name in the sport.
"I'm heartbroken," Namath said. "He was with me since day one. He was special, a special friend, a special teammate if you will, a friend for so many. He was a great communicator and really had a lot of love for the Jets, his family and the many people he taught the business too. He knew everyone and was a pioneer in the profession."
Nearly three decades after the Jets' landmark upset of the Colts, Ramos quickly struck up a relationship with Vinny Testaverde when the veteran signal-caller joined the Green & White in 1998.
"From day one, Frank and I pretty much became friends," said Testaverde, who led the Jets to an AFC East title and the AFC Championship game in his first season. "I always had a great admiration for Frank, for the job he had to do dealing with all the players and the personalities and getting all the media requests. He was always very professional, and he always handled it very well.
"He was also very fun to be around. There were times before practice when a couple of guys would put on a playful performance in the locker room and kind of make everyone laugh, a little skit if you will. And at times, Frank would participate and join in to keep the atmosphere light if there was a big game that week. He was just great to be around."
A Great Career
Ramos was frequently called upon to be a Jets' historian especially when the topics included Namath, Weeb Ewbank and the team's monumental 16-7 upset of the Colts on Jan. 12, 1969.
"Frank was already a Green & White institution when I first started covering the Jets as a beat writer in 1994," said Randy Lange, who doubles as a historian and senior editor for the Jets. "After his retirement, we became close friends. He was always incredibly supportive of my stories about the players and the organization. And when a Jets Legend from the Super Bowl era or more recently passed on, he always had the information and the quote that helped make a tribute to that player special."
Ramos paid tribute to the Jets championship team every day with his Super Bowl III ring.
"The pride that he had, he had it on his ring finger," said Marty Lyons, famed member of the New York Sack Exchange. "You never saw Frank – whether it was a casual dinner, whether it was at a bar, seeing him walking around the complex – without it. He always had that ring on and that ring meant the world to him."
Ramos, who was selected as a member of the NFL's Super Bowl public relations group each year of his career, was also a key voice in helping shape the NFL's public relations positions.
"It was a great career because I really got to work with so many different people," Ramos said. "I had so many wonderful owners from Sonny Werblin to Leon Hess to Woody Johnson and his brother Chris – they have been really wonderful. I had a great career. I actually started out with my high school journalism teacher, and her husband was the co-head of sports information at the University of Miami, and I learned so much from them."
The Worldliest Person
Ramos, born on Aug. 5, 1938, was a Valley Stream, NY native who grew up 10 minutes away from the Jets' original home of Weeb Ewbank Hall at Hofstra University. He graduated from Miami (FL) Jackson High School and received a BS in social sciences and political science at Florida State University.
Ramos began his professional career as a writer for the Miami News and the Atlanta Constitution. From 1961-63, he was the assistant SID at the U.S. Military Academy, and he also served as the acting sports information direction at West Point in 1963. That experience would lead Ramos southeast back to Long Island.
"Joe Cahill was the sports information director at West Point," Ramos said. "When he said he was going to go to the New York Jets, he said, 'I am taking you with me,' and that was a big break for me."
Rarely one to take a work break, Ramos made time to get in his long runs and tennis matches.
"As the players would be coming in to work in the morning to start their day, Frank would already be in the training room, icing down his knees because he was out running five miles every day," Testaverde said. "He was a little bit of a health nut and kind of an inspiration to a lot of guys because he was so dedicated to being in shape."
With an old-school approach at the office, Ramos was meticulous with every release and publication. He expected big things from his staffers, and many went on to long, successful careers in the league including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell who interned in the Jets PR office in 1983.
"When you worked for him, you had to grind," said Saints VP of Football Communications Doug Miller, whose 15-year trek with the Jets started as a PR intern under Ramos in 1991. "You were expected to be resourceful and creative. He wanted people to be self-sufficient and spread their wings. He was the worldliest person I've ever met. He loved to travel. He was always eating at Michelin 3-star restaurants and handled the ordering for everyone. With Frank, everything was an adventure."
Grip on the New York Jets
Ramos' love for the Jets was only surpassed by the love for his wife, Jackie. They were married for 61 years and Ramos paid tribute to her when he received his Award of Excellence at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
"I really wish my wife were here with me today because this job was 24/7, as everyone knows, and she was there to support me all the time," he said. "I love her so much."
Working closely with ownership, the front office, coaches and players, Ramos navigated a media scene in New York from the days of 14 newspapers to sports talk radio and the advent of national sports cable TV shows.
"I think anytime you can spend 39 years with one organization, it tells you No. 1 – the organization respects you, and No. 2 – you're getting the job done," said Marty Lyons, a Jets Ring of Honor member who played 11 seasons for the club. "He had a grip on the New York Jets, and he had a grip on the New York media."
Joe Namath added: "I know I speak for many when I say he will be greatly missed. Today is a sad day for the Jets family."
