THE SIDELINES : Jim Finks of Losers-Into-Winners Fame Seen as Rozelle Replacement

Jim Finks, who once beat John Unitas for a quarterback job but is better known for turning three losing teams into winners as an executive, is expected to be chosen Thursday as the NFL’s first new commissioner in 30 years.

According to several NFL sources, Finks, who will turn 62 on Aug. 31, will be the only recommendation to the NFL owners by the six-member selection committee. In fact, Finks met with the committee in New York on Tuesday to finalize the details of his contract.

The vacancy was created when Pete Rozelle shocked the owners by announcing his retirement in March after 29 years. Rozelle’s tenure was the second longest of any commissioner in a major sport; only the NHL’s Clarence Campbell served longer.

“We’re going to recommend one man. We were told to identify a guy and that’s what we’re going to do,” Wellington Mara of the New York Giants, co-chairman of the committee, said today. He would not confirm that Finks is that man and said the other owners do not have to abide by the nomination. Nineteen of the 28 teams must vote for the candidate for him to be elected.

The three teams Finks took as losers and turned into winners are the New Orleans Saints, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.