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Tag: team owner

  • Ralph Wilson, Owner Of The Buffalo Bills, Passes Away At 95

    American Football League co-founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, Ralph Wilson, died in his home on Tuesday.

    The official announcement was made by Russ Brandon, the Buffalo Bills’ president, during the yearly National Football League owners’ meeting held in Orlando, Florida. Wilson said that when he died, he wanted his co-owners to learn of the news first. The group observed a moment of silence after the announcement was made.

    At 95 years old, Wilson was the oldest team owner in the National Football League. He also held the record for the longest tenure at 54 years. In 2009, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    Wilson died at about 1:40 p.m. in his Grosse Pointe Shores home in Michigan where he had been getting home hospice care.

    After learning of Wilson’s passing, Brandon said that the death is tough for him to handle. “I worked for him for 18 years and talked to him every day for 18 years – sometimes multiple times a day.”

    Before his death, Wilson said that his family had no interest in running the Buffalo Bills after he dies, and that the team will be sold. In a statement, Brandon said that they are in a midst of tremendous loss, and plans regarding the team’s ownership will be discussed in the near future.

    Many of the members of Buffalo Bills paid their respects to Wilson.

    C.J. Spiller, the team’s running back said that Wilson was a great leader. “I will not let you down, Mr. Wilson. May God be with you and your family always,” he said.

    Stevie Johnson, the team’s wide receiver, expressed his grief through Twitter saying that he is forever indebted to Wilson for everything he has done for his family.

    Marv Levy, Buffalo Bills’ Hall of Famer coach, said, “He wasn’t my boss, he was my friend.”

    Wilson is survived by his wife, Mary, and two daughters named Edith and Christy.

    NFL owners reflect on Ralph Wilson

    Image via YouTube

  • Shaquille O’Neal Buys Stake in Sacramento Kings

    Big Shaq has always been known for his moves on the court. Now, he’s making waves off the court – in the boardroom to be exact. The future hall-of-famer has secured a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings under the leadership of the team’s new owner, Vivik Ranadive. While the team made an announcement of O’Neal’s acquisition today, Bloomberg reports that the formal news conference will take place on Tuesday in Sacramento.

    O’Neal has actually been in deliberation with Ranadive since the early part of the summer. The new owner has stated that he and the big man have forged a strong sense of camaraderie in the short time of getting to know each other better. Shaq’s personal and professional rapport with 24-hour fitness owner and Kings’ shareholder, Mark Mastov, also edified the team owner’s interest in adding 3-time MVP to the Kings’ group.

    “I wanted to find somebody to add to the ownership group who truly represented 21st century basketball, who represented my vision of NBA 3.0, which is having an understanding of technology, wanting to build a global brand and being global in their thinking, and really being committed to having an impact in the community,” Ranadive informed USA Today. “The most iconic person on the planet was Dr. O’Neal.”

    Ranadive also shed light on the basis of he and O’Neal’s conversation and current perspective on the future of their endeavor with the Kings:

    “We talked about what the forces were that were shaping the 21st century, we talked about technology, we talked about new companies that we were looking at. And based on that we came to a conclusion that we could … put a dent in the universe if Dr. O’Neal became my partner.”

    O’Neal’s interest in the Kings came as quite a surprise for many NBA enthusiast as they can’t help but remember Shaq’s legendary comments in regards to the team years ago. The 7’1 phenom was known for his comedic banter during the 2002 Western Conference finals when he coined the team as the, “Sacramento Queens.” The Kings have always been an arch nemesis to the Los Angeles Lakers, whom Shaq clenched three NBA championships with. Shaq has made no apologies for his previous remarks stating the comments were a basis of ‘marketing’ the Western Conference finals. The comments fueled Shaq’s desire to be the ‘most watched game ever.’

    Most would see an interest in the Lakers more befitting for Shaq, but the current television analysis has other plans. With the team’s $530 million buyout by the Ranadive group back in May, the Kings’ have been undergoing drastic changes. The plans to construct a new $448 million downtown arena is only the beginning toward the future of the Kings.

    Shaq also shared the reasoning for his growing interest in the Kings’ franchise with USA Today:

    “What interested me in this deal is the new vision, the new Kings, the new everything. I’ve always wanted to be part of something like this. … It’s going to be great.”

     

    Image via Shaq’s Official Twitter Page