As the face of NFL Films, Steve Sabol helped bring the art and beauty of pro football into the living rooms of millions better than anyone. He helped build football into the media juggernaut it is today. The sport truly lost a legend when he passed away in September. His absence is felt now more than ever as NFL Films prepares for their first Super Bowl without him.

Steve Sabol, the president of NFL Films, the company he helped build with his now-Hall-of-Fame-enshrined father Ed, died today from brain cancer. He was 69. NFL Films’ work is legendary, and Steve Sabol was the creative driving force. After the jump, a bit of insight into how he did what he did.