Tom Benson

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Benson 2005

Tom Benson (born July 12, 1927 in New Orleans , Louisiana , † March 15, 2018 ibid) was an American entrepreneur , owner of the NFL team New Orleans Saints and owner of the NBA team New Orleans Pelicans .

Career

Tom Benson was born in New Orleans. He served in the US Navy and then attended Loyola University of New Orleans , which he graduated from with a degree in accounting in 1948. After graduating, he worked as an automobile salesman at Cathey Chevrolet in New Orleans. In 1956 he moved to San Antonio . In 1962 he became the sole owner of Tom Benson Chevrolet . He invested his profits from the automobile business in local banks. He sold these holdings in 1996 to the Norwest Corporation .

New Orleans Saints

Benson has owned the New Orleans Saints since 1985 . He bought the team from John Mecom after learning that the team was on the verge of being sold to multiple companies. They considered relocating the team to Jacksonville, Florida. As a businessman, he recognized the importance of keeping the team in New Orleans, not just for the city, but also for the state of Louisiana , which at the time was in an economic recession. The recession at that time was caused by falling crude oil prices. On May 31, 1985, he was officially named owner. Shortly after the takeover, he hired Jim Finks as President and General Manager and Jim Mora as Head Coach . These led the New Orleans Saints to the play-offs in 1987. After numerous attempts to convince the state of Louisiana to have a new stadium built to replace the aging Superdome, its popularity declined when he moved into one brought another city into conversation. His reputation fell to an "all-time low" in 2005 after it became known that he attempted to relocate the team to San Antonio after the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina . Due to the devastation in the city and at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome , the Saints actually played some of their home games in San Antonio (3 games), one in East Rutherford and four in Baton Rouge . However, Benson stated that they would play again in New Orleans for the 2006 season, which they then did. After returning to the 2006 season, the Saints' team improved significantly; This achievement was crowned by winning the Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts on February 7, 2010. Benson regained his reputation with the supporters.

In 2014, the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio , formerly Fawcett Stadium, was named after him after he donated $ 11 million to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . US $ 10 million of his donation were to be used to renovate the stadium.

New Orleans Pelicans

On April 13, 2012, Benson bought the NBA team New Orleans Hornets, now known as the New Orleans Pelicans , for $ 338 million from the NBA.

Private life

Tom Benson was married a total of three times. He adopted three children with his first wife.

Web links

Commons : Tom Benson  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Los Angeles Times: "Super Bowl Xxi: The Nfl Owners: The Nfc West" by EARL GUSTKEY January 25, 1987
  2. ↑ Auto magnate Tom Benson jumping back into bank biz . In: San Antonio Business Journal , March 9, 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Tom and Gayle Benson. Retrieved February 7, 2016 .
  4. ^ Fawcett to be renamed Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Retrieved February 7, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (English)
  6. ↑ Sale of the New Orleans Hornets perfect. In: handelsblatt.com. June 16, 2012, archived from the original on March 7, 2013 ; accessed on June 22, 2012 (German).
personal data
SURNAME Benson, Tom
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American entrepreneur and owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL team
DATE OF BIRTH July 12, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans , Louisiana
DATE OF DEATH 15th March 2018
Place of death New Orleans , Louisiana