History of NFL Ownership

Update 7/16/2011: I added a few more lists and facts to the original article.

Note: All records include playoff wins and losses.  Games were counted up until owners/team leaders death, or departure from the team.

Post Highlights

• George Halas was the owner of the Chicago Bears for 821 games.  The most games by an owner in the NFL.  Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is 16 games away from that mark.

• George Halas won 463 games as the Bears owner.  The most victories by an owner in the NFL.  Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis follows with 411 victories.  Bud Adams is 9 victories away from joining them in the “400 victory” club.

• Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford, and Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, are the only owners to own a team for more than 700 games, and to have at this point never won a league championship.

• Eight owners/franchise leaders won league championships in their first season at the helm; George Halas (1921 Bears), W.W. Kelly (1929 Packers), Lee Joannes (1930 Packers), Mickey McBride (1946 Browns), Violet Bidwill Wolfer (1947 Cardinals),  James P. Clark (1949 Eagles), Bud Adams (1960 Oilers/Titans), and Philip Iselin (1968 Jets).

• The Green Bay Packers had a .698 winning percentage, when Lee Joannes (1930-47) was team president.  The best winning percentage all-time, of owners/team leaders (min: 10 yrs).

• The Chicago Cardinals had a .275 winning percentage, when Charles Bidwill (1933-46) owned the team.  The worst winning percentage all-time, of owners/team leaders (min: 10 yrs).

• New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has the best winning percentage (.661) amongst current NFL owners.

 

After a week of research on the topic, it’s apparent that NFL ownership structures are extremely complicated.  It’s difficult to pin down that one exact person who is ultimately responsible for everything.  It’s the person of whom nobody else can fire at the end of the day.  I did my best trying to figure out who held these positions in the history of the NFL, and their performances in such positions.

Only two individuals have won over 400 games controlling a pro football franchise.  George Halas led the Bears to 463 victories.  Al Davis has led the Raiders to 411 victories.  If the Tennessee Titans win 9 games this season, Bud Adams will join this exclusive list.

Most Wins by an Owner

Rk	Leader	Team	Years	Gms	W	L	T	W Pct.
1	George Halas	Bears	1921-83	821	463	318	40	0.588
2	Al Davis	Raiders	1966-	731	411	312	8	0.568
3	Bud Adams	Titans	1960-	805	391	408	6	0.489
4	Lamar Hunt	Chiefs	1960-06	725	381	332	12	0.534
5	Ralph Wilson	Bills	1960-	800	372	420	8	0.470
6	Art Modell	Browns/Ravens	1961-95, 96-03	674	353	313	8	0.530
7	Art Rooney	Steelers	1933-87	714	334	362	18	0.480
8	Bill Bidwill	Cardinals	1962-	755	315	427	13	0.426
9	William Clay Ford	Lions	1961-	768	314	439	15	0.419
10	Wellington Mara	Giants	1965-05	633	297	332	4	0.472

This season Bud Adams could tie or surpass George Halas’ mark for most games as a professional football owner (including playoff games).

Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford (768 games), and Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill (755 games), are the only owners in the history of professional football, to own a team for more than 700 games, and to have at this point never won a league championship.


Listed below are the franchise leaders that have had the best winning percentages. Minimum of 10 years as the franchise leader.

Owners With the Best Win Pct.

Rk	Leader	Team	Years	W Pct.
1	Lee Joannes	Packers	1930-47	0.698
2	Robert Kraft	Patriots	1994-	0.661
3	Eddie DeBartolo Jr.	49ers	1977-98	0.651
4	Clint Murchison Jr.	Cowboys	1960-83	0.634
5t	Carroll Rosenbloom	Colts	1953-71	0.630
5t	Jim Irsay	Colts	1997-	0.630
7	Joe Robbie	Dolphins	1966-89	0.609
8	Jack Mara	Giants	1930-64	0.606
9	Dan Rooney	Steelers	1988-	0.603
10	Tony Morabito	49ers	1946-57	0.602

Listed below are the franchise leaders that have had the worst winning percentages. Minimum of 10 years as the franchise leader.

Owners With the Worst Win Pct.

Rk	Leader	Team	Years	W Pct.
1	Charles Bidwill	Cardinals	1933-46	0.275
2	Hugh Culverhouse	Buccaneers	1976-93	0.295
3	John Mecom	Saints	1967-84	0.311
4	Mike Brown	Bengals	1991-	0.359
5	Rankin Smith	Falcons	1966-97	0.380
6	Robert Irsay	Colts	1972-96	0.400
7	Denise DeBartolo York	49ers	1999-	0.405
8	Violet Bidwill Wolfner	Cardinals	1947-61	0.407
9	William Clay Ford	Lions	1961-	0.419
10	Bill Bidwill	Cardinals	1962-	0.426

Here is a list of how current NFL owners stack up against each other.

List of Current NFL Owners

Rk	Leader	Team	Since	W	L	T	W Pct.	Chmp
1	Robert Kraft	Patriots	1994	197	101	0	0.661	3
2	Jim Irsay	Colts	1997	153	90	0	0.630	1
3	John Mara	Giants	2005	59	38	0	0.608	1
4	Dan Rooney	Steelers	1988	240	157	1	0.604	2
5	Pat Bowlen	Broncos	1984	270	186	1	0.592	2
6	Mark Murphy	Packers	2008	30	22	0	0.577	1
7	Steve Bisciotti	Ravens	2004	69	51	0	0.575
8	Al Davis	Raiders	1966	411	312	8	0.568	4
9	Jeffrey Lurie	Eagles	1994	165	127	2	0.565
10t	Virginia Halas McCaskey	Bears	1983	248	211	0	0.540	1
10t	Jerry Jones	Cowboys	1989	201	171	0	0.540	3
12	Arthur Blank	Falcons	2002	79	70	1	0.530
13	Zygi Wilf	Vikings	2005	53	48	0	0.525
14	Wayne Weaver	Jaguars	1995	138	129	0	0.517
15	Woody Johnson	Jets	2000	97	91	0	0.516
16	Malcolm Glazer	Buccaneers	1995	136	131	0	0.509	1
17	Paul Allen	Seahawks	1997	119	117	0	0.504
18	Tom Benson	Saints	1985	213	214	0	0.499	1
19	Bud Adams	Titans	1960	391	408	6	0.489	2
20	Alex Spanos	Chargers	1984	213	232	0	0.479
21t	Ralph Wilson	Bills	1960	372	420	8	0.470	2
21t	Jerry Richardson	Panthers	1995	125	141	0	0.470
23	Daniel Snyder	Redskins	1999	88	109	0	0.447
24	Stephen Ross	Dolphins	2009	14	18	0	0.438
25	Stan Kroenke	Rams	2010	7	9	0	0.438
26	Bill Bidwill	Cardinals	1962	315	427	13	0.426
27	William Clay Ford	Lions	1961	314	439	15	0.419
28	Denise DeBartolo York	49ers	1999	79	116	0	0.405
29	Bob McNair	Texans	2002	55	89	0	0.382
30	Mike Brown	Bengals	1991	115	206	1	0.359
31	Randy Lerner	Browns	2002	49	89	0	0.355
32	Clark Hunt	Chiefs	2006	22	49	0	0.310

History of NFL Ownership – Current Franchises

Note: All records include playoff wins and losses.  Games were counted up until owners/team leaders death, or departure from the team.

Arizona Cardinals

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champ
1920-1928	Chris O’Brien	50	36	8	0.574
1929-1932	David Jones	18	22	5	0.456
1933-1946	Charles Bidwill	38	107	8	0.275	1 (1925)
1947-1961	Violet Bidwill Wolfner	72	106	5	0.407	1 (1947)
1962-1971	Charles Bidwill	66	65	9	0.504
1962-	Bill Bidwill	315	427	13	0.426

Chris O’Brien was the owner of the Chicago Cardinals when the team was admitted into the NFL in 1920.  He sold the team to Dr. David Jones, a former city of Chicago physician, for a reported $25,000 dollars in July of 1929.

Charles Bidwill bought the Cardinals from Dr. David Jones for $50,000 dollars, in September of 1933.  When Charles Bidwill passed away in April of 1947, his wife Violet Bidwill took over ownership of the team.

When Violet passed away in January of 1962, her sons Charles and Bill (current owner) took over the ownership of the team.  Before the 1972 season, Bill bought out Charles 50% stake in the team for a reported $6.5 million dollars.

Atlanta Falcons

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.
1966-1997	Rankin Smith	185	304	5	0.380
1997-2001	Taylor Smith	38	38	0	0.500
2002-	Arthur Blank	79	70	1	0.530

Rankin Smith bought the expansion Atlanta Falcons in 1965 for a reported $8.5 million dollars.  Rankin Smith passed away October 26, 1997.  His son, Taylor Smith, who had been team president since 1990, took over the Falcons as the managing owner.

In February of 2002, the NFL owners approved Arthur Blank’s $545 million dollar purchase of the Atlanta Falcons from the Smith family.

Baltimore Ravens

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champ
1996-2003	Art Modell	68	66	1	0.507	1 (2000)
2004-	Steve Bisciotti	69	51	0	0.575

Art Modell was the owner of the Cleveland Browns, but moved to the team to Baltimore in 1996.  Modell had to give up the Browns namesake and history.  Thus the Baltimore Ravens were born.

In April of 2004 Steve Bisciotti became the principal owner of the Baltimore Ravens.  In a deal that started in 1999, Bisciotti paid a total of $600 million dollars for the team.

Buffalo Bills

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champ
1960-	Ralph Wilson	372	420	8	0.470	2 (AFL 1964, 65)

Ralph Wilson Jr. paid $25,000 dollars for the Buffalo Bills AFL franchise in 1959.

Carolina Panthers

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.
1995-	Jerry Richardson	125	141	0	0.470

Jerry Richardson paid a $140 million dollar expansion fee for the Carolina Panthers.

Chicago Bears

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champ
1920	A.E. Staley	10	1	2	0.846
1921-1983	George Halas	463	318	40	0.588	8 (21, 32-33, 40-41, 43, 46, 63)
1983-	Virginia Halas McCaskey	248	211	0	0.540	1 (1985)

In 1921 A.E. Staley the sponsor of the Decatur Staleys, offered the team to George Halas for $5,000 dollars.  Halas owned the team until his death on October 31, 1983.  Virginia Halas McCaskey, the daughter of Halas, has been the principal owner of the team  since then.

Cincinnati Bengals

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.
1968-1990	Paul Brown	176	175	1	0.501
1991-	Mike Brown	115	206	1	0.359

A group of Cincinnati businessmen led by Paul Brown, paid an expansion fee of $7.5-8 million dollars for the Cincinnati Bengals.  The other owners decided to give Paul Brown control of the football team.  When Paul Brown passed away August 5th, 1991, his son Mike Brown took control of the team.

Cleveland Browns

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1946-1952	Mickey McBride	83	13	3	0.854	5 (AAFC 1946-49, NFL 1950)
1953-1960	David Jones	69	29	3	0.698	2 (1954-55)
1961-1995	Art Modell	285	247	7	0.535	1 (1964)
1999-2002	Al Lerner	15	40	0	0.273
2002-	Randy Lerner	49	89	0	0.355

Mickey McBride founded the Cleveland Browns in 1944, making an initial investment of $300,000 dollars to start up the team.  In 1953 he sold the team to a group of Cleveland businessmen for $600,000 dollars.  Part owner David Jones was named the president of the club.

In 1961 Art Modell and R.J. Schaefer bought the Browns for $4 million dollars.  Modell took the role of CEO for the Browns.  Modell remained the managing owner of the Browns up until 1995, when he moved the team to Baltimore.

In September of 1998 it was announced that Al Lerner would be the owner of the new Cleveland Browns, placing a bid of $530 million dollars for the team.  In the middle of the 2002 season Lerner passed away, and the reigns of the Browns were given to his son Randy Lerner.

Dallas Cowboys

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960-1983	Clint Murchison Jr.	234	134	6	0.634	2 (1971, 77)
1984-1988	H.R. “Bum” Bright	36	44	0	0.450
1989-	Jerry Jones	201	171	0	0.540	3 (1992-93, 95)

Clint Murchison Jr. and Bedford Wynne bought the Dallas Cowboys for an expansion fee of $1 million dollars.  Although not listed above Bedford Wynne was highly involved with the Cowboys early on.  It’s been written that Bedford owned about 10% of the Cowboys in the late 60′s.

In May of 1984, an $80 million dollar sale of the Cowboys to a group of Dallas businessmen led by H.R. “”Bum” Bright was completed.  A few years later Bright sold the Cowboys to Jerry Jones for $140 million dollars.

Denver Broncos

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960	Bob Howsam	4	9	1	0.321
1961-1964	Cal Kunz	14	40	2	0.268
1965-1980	Gerald Phipps & Allan Phipps	106	123	6	0.464
1981-1983	Edgar Kaiser	21	21	0	0.500
1984-	Pat Bowlen	270	186	1	0.592	2 (1997-98)

Bob Howsman of Rocky Mountain Empire Sports, Inc. was the original owner of the Broncos in 1960.  In 1961 he sold his majority stake in the team to Cal Kunz, Allan Phipps, and Gerald Phipps.    Cal Kunz was named team president.  In February of 1965 the Phipps brothers bought out their partners, and became sole owners of the Broncos for $1.5 million dollars.

In February of 1981 Edgar Kaiser bought the Broncos for a reported $30 million from the Phipps brothers.  In March of 1984 Pat Bowlen bought a majority share of the Broncos for a reported $70 million dollars.

Detroit Lions

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1934-1939	George Richards	46	23	2	0.662	1 (1935)
1940-1947	Fred Mandel	29	53	4	0.360
1948-1949	Lyle Fife	4	18	0	0.182
1949-1960	Edwin Anderson	82	54	4	0.600	3 (1952-53, 57)
1961-	William Clay Ford	314	439	15	0.419

In March of 1934 a group of Detroit businessmen led by George Richards bought a majority stake in the Portsmouth Spartans for $15,000, and moved them to Detroit, renaming them the Lions.

In January of 1940 the Lions were sold to Fred Mandel and two other Detroit businessmen for $200,000 dollars.  Mandel was the majority owner of the team.  In January of 1948, Mandel sold the Lions to a group of seven Detroit businessmen led by Dr. Lyle Fife for $200,000 dollars. Fife was named team president.

In December of 1949 Dr. Lyle Fife resigned as team president, and was replaced by Edwin Anderson.  In January of 1961 William Clay Ford took over as team president.  By November of 1963, the Lions had 144 shareholders.  Ford bought them all out for $6 million dollars, and became the sole owner of the Detroit Lions.

Green Bay Packers

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1921	J.E. Clair	3	2	1	0.583
1922	Curly Lambeau	4	3	3	0.550
1923-1927	Andrew Turnbull	36	16	5	0.675
1928	Ray Evrard	6	4	3	0.577
1929	W.W. Kelly	12	0	1	0.962	1 (1929)
1930-1947	Lee Joannes	146	61	8	0.698	5 (1930-31, 36, 39, 44)
1948-52	Emil Rischer	17	43	0	0.283
1953-1957	Russell Bogda	19	40	1	0.325
1958-1981	Dominic Olejniczak	183	154	12	0.542	5 (1961-62, 65-67)
1982-1988	Robert Parins	43	61	2	0.415
1989-2007	Robert Harlan	193	133	0	0.592	1 (1996)
2008	Mark Murphy	30	22	0	0.577	1 (2010)

According to the Green Bay Packers media guide, J.E. Clair of the Acme Packing Company, was the owner of the Green Bay Packers when they were admitted into the NFL.  In 1922 Curley Lambeau and associates bought the Packers for $250 dollars.  At the end of the 1922 season, the Packers were formed into a public non-profit corporation.  From that time on the Packers have never had an “owner”.  The position of team president is often regarded as the highest position within the organization, thus they are listed above.

Houston Texans

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.
2002-	Bob McNair	55	89	0	0.382

Bob McNair paid $700 million dollars for the expansion Houston Texans.

Indianapolis Colts

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1953-1971	Carroll Rosenbloom	162	94	6	0.630	(4) 1958-59, 68, 70
1972-1996	Robert Irsay	155	233	1	0.400
1997-	Jim Irsay	153	90	0	0.630	1 (2006)

In 1953 Carroll Rosenbloom with four other investors bought the NFL’s Baltimore franchise.  The Baltimore franchise was the previous year’s Dallas Texans.  In the summer of 1972 one of the most unique trades in professional sports occurred.  Rosenbloom traded the Colts to Robert Irsay for the Los Angeles Rams straight up.

In the January of 1997 Robert Irsay passed away.  His son Jim Irsay took over as managing owner of the team.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.
1995-	Wayne Weaver	138	129	0	0.517

Wayne Weaver paid a $140 million dollar expansion fee for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995.

Kansas City Chiefs

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960-2006	Lamar Hunt	381	332	12	0.534	(3) AFL 1962, 66, 69
2006-	Clark Hunt	22	49	0	0.310

Lamar Hunt brought the Dallas Texans into the AFL for a $25,000 fee.  In 1963 he moved the club to Kansas City, and renamed them the Chiefs.  In 2006 Lamar Hunt passed away.  His son Clark Hunt took over as managing owner of the team.

Miami Dolphins

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1966-1989	Joe Robbie	227	145	4	0.609	(2) 1972-73
1990-1993	Tim Robbie	42	26	0	0.618
1994-2008	Wayne Huizenga	131	121	0	0.520
2009-	Stephen Ross	14	18	0	0.438

In 1965 Joe Robbie and a few partners (including famous comedian Danny Thomas) bought the Miami Dolphins for a $7.5 million dollar expansion fee.  Joe Robbie was the club’s managing partner.  By the early 1970′s, Joe Robbie was the sole owner of the Miami Dolphins.  When Joe Robbie passed away in January of 1990, his children took over the team.  Tim Robbie took over as team president.

In the 1994 off-season Wayne Huizenga bought a majority stake in the Dolphins for a reported $140 million dollars.  In February of 2008, Stephen Ross bought 50% of the Dolphins from Huizenga with the stipulation that Ross would eventually become general partner.  In February of 2009, Ross became the majority owner of the Miami Dolphins.  It’s reported that Ross shelled out a total of $1 billion dollars for the team.

Minnesota Vikings

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1961-1964	Bill Boyer	18	35	3	0.348
1965-1986	Max Winter	191	144	6	0.569	1 (1969)
1987-1990	Wheelock Whitney	38	31	0	0.551
1991-1997	Roger Headrick	65	53	0	0.551
1998-2004	Red McCombs	67	51	0	0.568
2005-	Zygi Wilf	53	48	0	0.525

In 1961 a group of Minnesota businessmen bought the Minnesota Vikings for an expansion fee of $1 million dollars.  In 1961 part team owner Bill Boyer was named as the club’s president.  In 1965 he was replaced by part team owner Max Winter.  In September of 1987 Max Winter was replaced by Wheelock Whitney. In January of 1991 Whitney was replaced by Roger Headrick.

In July of 1998, Red McCombs bought a majority stake in the Vikings for a reported $206 million dollars.

In June of 2005 a group of investors led by Zygi Wilf, purchased the Vikings for $600 million dollars.

New England Patriots

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960-1988	Billy Sullivan	200	213	9	0.485
1988-1991	Victor Kiam	18	38	0	0.321
1992-1993	James Orthwein	7	25	0	0.219
1994-	Robert Kraft	197	101	0	0.661	3 (2001, 03-04)

In 1959 backed by a group of investors, Billy Sullivan became the owner/president of the Boston Patriots.  On October 27, 1988, Victor Kiam bought a majority stake in the franchise for a reported $85 million dollars.

In May of 1992, Kiam officially sold his majority stake in the team to James Orthwein, for a reported $23.5 million, in addition to paying off Kiam’s debt’s, which totaled nearly $90 million.

In February of 1994 Kiam sold the Patriots to Robert Kraft for a reported $172 million dollars.

New Orleans Saints

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1967-1984	John Mecom	78	176	5	0.311
1985-	Tom Benson	213	214	0	0.499	1 (2009)

In 1966 John Mecom backed by a group of investors, purchased the New Orleans Saints for a $8.5 million dollar expansion fee.  In 1985 Mecom sold the Saints to Tom Benson for $64+ million dollars.

New York Giants

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1925-1929	Tim Mara	44	17	5	0.705	1 (1927)
1930-1964	Jack Mara	256	162	24	0.606	3 (1934, 38, 56)
1965-2005	Wellington Mara	297	332	4	0.472	2 (1986, 90)
2005-	John Mara	59	38	0	0.608	1 (2007)

Tim Mara bought the Giants for a reported $500 dollars in 1925.  In 1930 Tim Mara transferred ownership of the club to his two sons, Jack and Wellington.  Jack Mara was only 22 years old when he became team president.  In 1965 Jack passed away, and his brother Wellington took over as team president.

In February of 1991, Bob Tisch bought a 50% stake in the Giants for a reported $80 million dollars.  However Wellington Mara remained the team president.  On October 24th, 2005 Wellington Mara passed away.  His son John Mara would take over as team president.

In 2005 Bob Tisch also passed away, his son Steve Tisch took over his role as chairman of the team.

New York Jets

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960-62	Harry Wismer	19	23	0	0.452
1963-1967	Sonny Werblin	29	35	6	0.457
1968-1976	Philip Iselin	57	72	0	0.442	(1) 1968
1977-1998	Leon Hess	153	197	2	0.438
1999	Steve Gutman	8	8	0	0.500
2000-	Woody Johnson	97	91	0	0.516

Harry Wismer was the original owner of the New York Jets.  In March of 1963 he sold the team (named the New York Titans) for $1 million dollars to a group called the Gotham Football Club, which was led by Sonny Werblin.  In March of 1968, Werblin sold his shares of the team to the team’s four other owners, Townsend Martin, Leon Hess, Philip Iselin, and Donald Lillis.  Lillis replaced Wismer as team president.

Lillis passed away a few months later, and Philip Iselin took over as team president.  Iselin passed away December 28th, 1976.  Leon Hess was named team president.

Leon Hess passed away in 1999.  In his his will, he specifically barred his family from taking over the team.  The Jets were put up for sale, and team president Steve Gutman ran the team for one year.

In 2000 Woody Johnson bought the Jets for $635 million dollars.

Oakland Raiders

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960	Chet Soda	6	8	0	0.429
1961-1965	E.J. McGah	26	41	3	0.393
1966-	Al Davis	411	312	8	0.568	(4) 1967, 76, 80, 83

Chet Soda, along with seven other investors was awarded the Oakland Raiders in 1959.  In 1961 the ownership was consolidated to three people, E.J. McGah, Wayne Valley, and Robert Osborne.  McGah took over for Soda as team president.  In August of 1966 Al Davis returned back to Raiders, after resigning as AFL commissioner.  Al Davis acquired ownership in the team, and became the managing partner.

Wayne Valley tried to remove Al Davis as managing general partner in the early 1970′s, claiming he had no knowledge of a contract which gave Davis exclusive power.  Valley lost the legal battle.

Philadelphia Eagles

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1933-1940	Bert Bell	19	65	3	0.236
1941-1948	Alexis Thompson	48	37	5	0.561	1 (1948)
1949-1952	James P. Clark	29	20	0	0.592	1 (1949)
1953-1963	Frank McNamee	60	71	8	0.460	1 (1960)
1964-1968	Jerry Wolman	28	41	1	0.407
1969-1984	Leonard Tose	99	133	6	0.429
1985-1993	Norman Braman	80	67	1	0.544
1994-	Jeffrey Lurie	165	127	2	0.565

In 1933 Bert Bell, and Lud Wray bought the idle Frankford Yellow Jackets for $2,500 dollars.  The team became the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1936 Bert Bell became the sole owner of the Eagles for $4,000 dollars.

After the 1940 season, Art Rooney, the Pittsburgh Seelers owner, sold his team to the Alexis Thompson and a group of investors for an estimated $165,000 dollars.  Art Rooney took the proceeds from his sale, and bought into the Philadelphia Eagles.  A few months later, Bell and Rooney traded the Eagles to Alexis Thompson for the Steelers.  Eagle players became Steelers, and Steeler players became Eagles, as Alexis Thompson took charge of the Eagles.

In January of 1949, Thompson sold the Eagles to a group of 100 Philadelphia based investors for $250,000 dollars.  The group was headed by James P. Clark, who represented the Eagles at league meetings.  In the off-season of 1953, Clark resigned his position as team president, and Frank McNamee took the role.

In January of 1964, Jerry Wolman’s $5,505,500 purchase of the Eagles was approved by the NFL owners.  Wolman would own 51% of the franchise.

In May of 1969, Jerry Wolman was facing bankruptcy and sold the Eagles to Leonard Tose for a reported $16.155 million dollars.  Soon after Wolman tried to void the sale, claiming he was given an option to buy back the team if he could come up with the funding.  Wolman was even able to get a Judge to issue a freeze on the Eagles’ assets.  In 1975 the issue was put to rest, as a Judge ruled that Tose was under no obligation to sell the team back to Wolman, as Wolman missed the contractual deadline to buy back the team.

In 1985 Tose sold the Eagles to Norman Braman for a reported $65 million dollars.  Tose needed to sell the team in order to pay some debts he accumulated.  In April of 1994, Braman sold the Eagles to Jeffrey Lurie for a reported $185 million dollars.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1933-1987	Art Rooney	334	362	19	0.467	4 (1974-75, 78-79)
1988-	Dan Rooney	240	157	1	0.603	2 (2005, 08)

In 1933 Art Rooney brought the Pittsburgh Pirates (later to be named Steelers) into the NFL for $2,500 dollars.  In 1940 Art Rooney sold the team to Alexis Thompson, and with the proceeds bought some ownership with the Philadelphia Eagles with Bert Bell.  A few months later Rooney and Bell made a trade with Alexis Thompson, where they would receive the Pittsburgh franchise, while Thompson would receive the Philadelphia one.

In February of 1946, Bert Bell sold his shares of the Steelers to Art Rooney.  In 1975 Art Rooney handed the reigns of the franchise to his son Dan Rooney, naming him team president in the team’s media guide.  Art Rooney took the role as team chairman.  In August of 1988 Art Rooney passed away.

In 2003 it was reported in the Steelers media guide that Dan Rooney’s son Art Rooney II was taking over as team president.  Dan Rooney filled the role of team chairman.

San Diego Chargers

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1960-1965	Barron Hilton	55	30	4	0.640	1 (1963)
1966-1983	Eugene Klein	126	131	7	0.491
1984-	Alex Spanos	213	232	0	0.479

Hotel magnet, Barron Hilton was the first owner of the Chargers.  The team spent one year in L.A. before he moved them to San Diego.  In August of 1966 Hilton sold the Chargers to a group of Southern California businessmen led by Eugene Klein, for $10 million dollars.

In 1984 Klein sold his majority ownership in the team to Alex Spanos, for a reported $40 million dollars.

San Francisco 49ers

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1946-1957	Tony Morabito	89	58	5	0.602
1957-1963	Vic Morabito	43	47	1	0.478
1964-1976	Josephine Morabito & Jane Morabito	88	91	8	0.492
1977-1998	Eddie DeBartolo Jr.	243	130	1	0.651	5 (1981, 84, 88-89, 94)
1999-	Denise DeBartolo York	79	116	0	0.405

In 1944, Tony Morabito with a group of business partners bought the city of San Francisco a pro football franchise. While attending a game between the 49ers and Bears at Kezar Stadium on October 27, 1957, Tony Morabito died of a heart attack.  The team was passed on to his brother Vic Morabito.  In May of 1964 Vic passed away, and the control of the team was split between Tony’s wife, Josephine, and Vic’s wife, Jane.

In March of 1977, Edward DeBartolo Jr. purchased the 49ers for a reported $16.5 million dollars.  In December of 1997, DeBartolo was facing legal issues, and handed control of the franchise over to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, although Edward still owned the team.  In July of 1999, Edward and Denise completed a deal, which gave ownership of the 49ers to Denise.

Seattle Seahawks

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.
1976-1982	Elmer Nordstrom	39	62	0	0.386
1983-1987	John Nordstrom	51	34	0	0.6
1988-1996	Ken Behring	61	84	0	0.421
1997-	Paul Allen	119	117	0	0.504

In 1974 Lloyd Nordstrom, and a group of investors paid a $16 million dollar expansion fee for an NFL franchise in Seattle.  Nordstrom was reported to have a 51% stake in the team. Before the team ever took the field, Nordstrom passed away, and controlling interest of the Seahawks was given to his brother Elmer Nordstrom.  At some point in the 1983 off-season John Nordstrom became the managing general partner of the Seahawks.

In August of 1988 the Nordstrom’s sold the Seahawks to California real estate developer Ken Behring, for a reported $80 million dollars.  In July of 1997 Paul Allen, one of the co-founders of Microsoft, officially bought the Seahawks from Behring, for a reported $200 million dollars.

St. Louis Rams

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1937-1940	Homer Marshman	14	28	2	0.341
1941-1970	Daniel Reeves	189	166	15	0.531	2 (1945, 51)
1971	Mary Reeves	8	5	1	0.607
1972-1978	Carroll Rosenbloom	76	32	2	0.700
1979-2007	Georgia Frontiere	233	247	0	0.485	1 (1999)
2008-2009	Chip Rosenbloom	3	29	0	0.094
2010	Stan Kroenke	7	9	0	0.438

In 1937 the NFL granted the city of Cleveland a franchise, under the guidance of Homer Marshman.  In June of 1941, the Rams were sold to a group led by Daniel Reeves for a reported $140,000 dollars.

In 1948 Reeves sold some of his ownership in the Rams, in order for the team to stay afloat.  Notably Edwin Pauly owned 1/3rd of the team, as did Reeves.  Reeves and Pauly were often in disagreement, and the NFL was forced to assign Pete Rozelle, the future NFL commissioner, as the team’s general manager.  In December of 1962, Reeves bought out Pauly and his other partners, for a reported $4.8 million dollars.

In April of 1971, Daniel Reeves passed away, and his wife Mary Reeves took over as principal owner of the team.  In July of 1972, Mary sold her 51% interest in the team to Robert Irsay.  As soon as Irsay became the principal owner of the Rams, he traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenblom for the Baltimore Colts.

On April 2nd, 1979 Carroll Rosenbloom tragically drowned off of the coast of Florida.  His wife Georgia (Frontiere) inherited 70% ownership in the team.  In April of 1981, Frontiere bought out her son’s shares in the team, and became the sole owner of the Rams.

In January of 2008, Frontiere passed away, and her son Chip Rosenbloom took over as the controlling managing partner.  On August 25 2010, Stan Kroenke, a 40% owner in the team, bought out the remaining 60% of ownership, and became the sole owner of the Rams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1976-1993	Hugh Culverhouse	82	197	1	0.295
1994	Stephen Story, Fred Cone, & Jack Donlan	6	10	0	0.375
1995-	Malcolm Glazer	136	131	0	0.509	1 (2002)

In 1974 Hugh Culverhouse was awarded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a $16 million dollar expansion fee.  In August of 1994, Culverhouse passed away, and control of the team was handed to Stephen Story (law partner of Culverhouse), Jack Donlan, and Fred Cone.

In March of 1995, the Buccaneers were sold to Malcolm Glazer for a reported $192 million dollars.

Tennessee Titans

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champ
1960-	Bud Adams	391	408	6	0.489	2 (1960, 61)

In 1959 Bud Adams brought the Houston Oilers into the AFL for a fee of $25,000.  In 1997 he moved the Oilers to the state of Tennessee, and in 1999 he changed their name to the Titans.

Washington Redskins

Seasons	Leader	W	L	T	W Pct.	Champs
1932-1962	George Preston Marshall	167	179	20	0.484	2 (1937, 42)
1963-1964	Leo C. De Orsey	9	19	0	0.321
1965-1973	Edward Bennett Williams	68	57	6	0.542
1974-1996	Jack Kent Cooke	223	152	0	0.595	3 (1982, 87, 92)
1997-1998	John Kent Cooke	14	17	1	0.453
1999-	Daniel Snyder	88	109	0	0.447

In July of 1932, George Preston Marshall and a group of businessmen founded the Boston Braves football club.  In July of 1963, George Preston Marshall was stricken with illness, and Leo C. De Orsey took over as “acting” owner of the club.  In May of 1965, De Orsey passed away, and Edward Bennett Williams took over control of the club.  In 1969 President Emeritus George Marshall Preston passed away.

In April of 1974 Jack Kent Cooke became the majority owner of the Redskins.  Edward Bennett Williams would remain team president until March of 1985, when he resigned from the position, and sold his ownership in the team to Cooke, making Cooke the sole owner of the Redskins.

In April of 1997, Jack Kent Cooke passed away, and management of the team was passed on to his son John Kent Cooke.  Although ownership of the team was placed in a trust, and to be sold.  John Kent Cooke made two bids for the team, but ultimately Daniel Snyder won out, purchasing the Redskins for a reported $800 million dollars.

References: Pro-Football-Reference.com, Media References (PDF document)

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