Unser Chat » engage with any

TAMPA, Fla. -- Malcolm Glazer, a self-made billionaire who shunned the spotlight while leading the takeover of English soccers Manchester United and transforming the NFLs Tampa Bay Buccaneers into Super Bowl champions, died Wednesday. He was 85. The reclusive Palm Beach businessman had been in failing health since April 2006 when a pair of strokes left him with impaired speech and limited mobility in his right arm and leg. He was not involved in day to day operations of either of his sports franchises and was rarely spotted at games in recent years, instead remaining at his mansion in South Florida while entrusting leadership of the Bucs to three of six children, sons Bryan, Joel and Ed. While some disgruntled fans blame ownership for a stretch of futility that has seen the Bucs miss the playoffs the past six seasons, the elder Glazer generally will be remembered for making the commitment necessary to keep the team from moving to another city in the 1990s. Glazer raised his profile in 2005 with a $1.47 billion purchase of Manchester United that was bitterly opposed by fans of one of the worlds richest soccer clubs. Before that, his unobtrusive management style helped transform the Bucs from a laughingstock into a model franchise that won the franchises only NFL title 12 years ago. "The thoughts of everyone at Manchester United are with the family tonight," Manchester United said in a statement. Born Aug. 25, 1928, in Rochester, New York, the son of a watch-parts salesman, Glazer began working for the family business when he was 8 and took over the operation as a teenager when his father died in 1943. As president and CEO of First Allied Corp., the holding company for the family business interests, he invested in mobile-home parks, restaurants, food service equipment, marine protein, television stations, real estate, natural gas and oil production and other ventures. Forbes ranked him this year, along with his family, as tied for No. 354 on the worlds richest people list with an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion. He purchased the Bucs for a then-NFL record $192 million in 1995, taking over one of the worst-run and least successful franchises in professional sports. And while Glazer once said he probably overpaid by $50 million, the value of the team has more than quadrupled. "Malcolm Glazer was the guiding force behind the building of a Super Bowl-champion organization. His dedication to the community was evident in all he did, including his leadership in bringing Super Bowls to Tampa Bay," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Malcolms commitment to the Bucs, the NFL and the people of the Tampa Bay region are the hallmarks of his legacy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Linda, their six children and the entire Glazer family." In an era when many owners of professional teams attract nearly as much attention as the athletes, Glazer was content to allow three of his sons handle daily operation of the Bucs and rarely granted interviews or visited the teams offices and training facility. But he was a fixture at games before his health became an issue, and he spent generously to acquire players and provide coaches and front office personnel with the resources to do their jobs. To fans accustomed to the frugal ways of original Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse, Glazer was a saviour. "With our major investment here, we didnt come in here to have a loser," Glazer said after acquiring the Bucs. In one of its boldest moves as NFL owners, the Glazer family fired Tony Dungy as coach after the 2001 season and paid a hefty price -- four draft picks and $8 million cash -- to the Raiders for the opportunity to sign Jon Gruden to a contract. The move paid off right away. Gruden led the Bucs to their first NFL title the following season, and Glazer joined in the celebration in the locker room. "He came from heaven and he brought us to heaven," Glazer said. "We were waiting for the right man and the right man came -- Jon Gruden." The Glazers didnt get a warm reception in the United Kingdom, where Man U fans protested and burned Glazers likeness in effigy because they feared the American was acquiring the storied British soccer franchise purely for financial gain. At the time, Mark Longden of the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association, said his group was "calling on all supporters to wear black. If they can get hold of black flags, they should wave them because it represents what is happening to the club." The club, though, has had success on the pitch, winning the League Cup in 2006, 2009 and 2010, the English Premier League from 2007-09, 2011 and 2013 and European Cup and Club World Cup titles in 2008. Within a year of the leveraged buyout, Glazer had two strokes and his children ran the 20-time English champions, with all of them sitting on the board of directors and owning the remaining 90 per cent of the club that was not listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012. Although Uniteds debt has dropped from a high of high of $1.1 billion in 2008-09 to $590 million, anger toward the Glazers has remained among sections of the fan base. The familys divisiveness in Manchester has been exacerbated by its reluctance to engage with any supporters or speak publicly about the club. Despite its worst league finish in 24 years this season, United has been generating record revenue, each quarter, with income set to exceed $700 million in the 2013-14 financial year. Before he bought the Buccaneers, Glazer made failed bids to land an NFL expansion franchise for Baltimore and purchase the New England Patriots, San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also tried to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers from Rupert Murdoch before turning his attention to Manchester United. "I will remember Malcolm Glazer as someone whose influence made a lasting impact on both ends of the Atlantic in the worlds two greatest sports leagues, the National Football League and the Barclays Premier League, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan said. "But his greatest legacy may be in the state of Florida, where I am now fortunate to own the Jacksonville Jaguars. Malcolm brought to our state the Bucs, Super Bowls and of course a world championship in 2002. In essence, he helped turn a good football state into a great football state. He will be missed but always admired." Wholesale Air Jordan 6 Canada . - Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has nothing but good problems right now. Air Jordan 6 Canada Online . Braden Calverts Winnipeg rink rallied to defeat Italy 8-7. After giving up three points in the second end, Calvert came back with a single, then stole two more points in the next two ends to tie it up at the fifth-end break. http://www.airjordan6canada.com/ . The Redblacks are taking on the Edmonton Eskimos in their second regular season game Friday night. Catch the game live on TSN as the back end of a doubleheader starting at 10pm et/7pm pt. Cheap Air Jordan 6 Canada Sale . -- David Price didnt think he would be in Port Charlotte this spring. Air Jordan 6 Canada Free Shipping . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66.KITCHENER, Ont. - Matthew Greenfield made 22 saves and the Kitchener Rangers got goals from four different skaters en route to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Guelph Storm in Ontario Hockey League action on Tuesday. Nick Magyar, Ryan MacInnis and Mike Davies all found the back of the net for the Rangers (5-3-2), while Brent Pederson added an empty-net goaal with 32 seconds left to play.dddddddddddd Dmitrii Sergeev chipped in with two assists. Robby Fabbri replied for Guelph (6-3-0), which was outshot 36-23.Storm goaltender Justin Nichols stopped 32-of-35 shots in the losing effort.Kitchener was 2 for 6 on the power play, while Guelph failed to score on four chances with the man advantage. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '