Thomas Milton Benson (July 12, 1927 - March 15, 2018) is an American businessman, philanthropist and sports franchise owner. He is the owner of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 2018 and New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2012 to 2018.
As the owner of the sports team, Benson has a Super Bowl victory for his credit, through Saints winning the Super Bowl XLIV.
Video Tom Benson
Biography
Initial career
Benson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Thomas Benson, Sr. and Carmen Benson. He served in the US Navy and then graduated with an accounting degree at Loyola University New Orleans in 1948. After school he worked as a car salesman at Cathey Chevrolet in New Orleans.
In 1956, he moved to San Antonio to try and revive a poorly performing dealer; he was given a 25 percent interest in the dealer for his business. In 1962, he became the full owner of Tom Benson Chevrolet. He is the owner of several car dealerships in the Greater New Orleans and San Antonio areas. Benson got rich by investing a profit from his car dealer at a local bank. He eventually bought several small banks in the South and formed Benson Financial, which he sold to Norwest Corporation in 1996.
New Orleans Saints
Benson purchased the Saints from John Mecom in 1985 after he learned from Governor Edwin W. Edwards that the team was almost sold to interested parties to move the team to Jacksonville, Florida. The ownership of the team was officially transferred to him on 31 May 1985.
Shortly after getting the Saints, Benson earned a reputation as one of the more popular and colorful owners in the league. He hired general manager Jim Finks and head coach Jim Mora, who led the Saints to their first appearance in the winning and playoff seasons.
However, Benson's popularity then declined, after several attempts to persuade the state of Louisiana to build a new stadium for the Saints to replace the aging Superdome, suggesting that he may move the team elsewhere if the stadium is not built.
Its popularity hit an all-time low in late 2005 after it emerged he tried to move the team to San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. (See Relocation controversy below for more details.) He then declares that the Saints will return to New Orleans for the 2006 season, which they did. The team's fortunes improved dramatically in the years after their return, including the 31-17 defeat of the Indianapolis Colts on 7 February 2010 to win the Super Bowl XLIV, and Benson recovered much of his popularity as well.
On July 18, 2008, the Benson-led Louisiana Media Company refined their purchase of WVUE-DT, Fox affiliates for the New Orleans area and by their affiliates, the main Saints game operator as part of the NFL on Fox contract. Since the sale, the station has also become the home of Saints, including coaches and pre-season games.
Benson is famous for performing "Benson Boogie" after the Saints home victory. Benson, in true New Orleans fashion, will dance the second line under the Superdome field in the final minutes of the game carrying an umbrella decorated in black and gold.
Saints relocation controversy
During the 2001 Saints' negotiations with the state of Louisiana, rumors circulated that Benson would seek relocation if requests - including renovations to the Superdome, a new training facility on the outskirts of Metairie, and increased annual payouts from state to team - could not be fulfilled. Although he never made a public statement for this effect, Benson's business relationship to the city - and the availability of Alamodome as a play facility - made San Antonio the subject of the most common speculation.
When it became clear that Hurricane Katrina's extensive damage to New Orleans and the Superdome would make it impossible for the Saints to play there in 2005, the team temporarily moved its operations to San Antonio and started negotiations to play the home game at Alamodome. (The Saints, after discussions with the NFL and Louisiana State University, eventually agreed to play a "home" game at the Giants Stadium against the Giants, three matches at Alamodome and four matches at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge).
In the Saints-Falcons game on October 16, the second of the two Saints' warm welcome by the San Antonio community, mayor Phil Hardberger stated that Benson has agreed to schedule negotiations for a permanent relocation after the 2005 season ends. In connection with Benson, Hardberger said, "I'm pretty comfortable saying he wants to be here."
On Monday, October 17, Benson dismissed executive vice president Arnie Fielkow, who had been a public advocate for the Saints' important to the state of Louisiana, and who has advocated playing home games in Baton Rouge. According to Fielkow, Benson told him that if he submits his resignation and signs a confidentiality agreement, he will pay the remainder of his contract; when he refused, he was fired straight away.
Benson's actions quickly attracted anger from Saints fans as well as local and state officials. On Wednesday, October 19, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin sharply criticized Benson for his actions which he deemed unwise and opportunistic. Nagin said: "For them to openly talk to other cities about moving disrespect to the citizens of New Orleans, disrespect to the Saints fans who have survived this franchise through 30-years under a very difficult time."
Two days later, Benson publicly declared that he had not made any plans to move the Saints to San Antonio. "There are many factors that will affect the future location of our team," Benson said. "That also applies to many other New Orleans-based companies faced with determining their future homes." He says he will not make any decisions about the team's future until the 2005 season ends.
On Wednesday, October 26, Benson reiterated his commitment to the New Orleans area in full-page advertising in newspapers across the region. The ad, a letter titled "Tom Benson Want to Return to New Orleans", acknowledged the negative reaction surrounding the team's latest action, but promised that no decisions were made regarding the team's future. Benson said in the letter, "It's too early to decide, but my desire is to return to New Orleans."
Benson's assertive but insignificant stance against the statements of the New Orleans Hornets, the abandoned NBA team in the city. Although the Hornets played all but a few games during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons in Oklahoma City - and even changed the team's name for a while into New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, the ownership of the basketball team insisted that they would return to the city of recovery as soon as possible. The Hornets also announced a public relations initiative to keep the team involved in the New Orleans area.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue met with Benson and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco in the first Saints home game in Baton Rouge on October 30. After the meeting, he stopped just making a formal commitment to keep the Saints in New Orleans. Tagliabue: "The Saints are the Louisiana team and it's been since the late 60's when my predecessor, Pete Rozelle, welcomed them in the league as a team of New Orleans and Louisiana teams.Our focus continues on the presence of Saints in Louisiana." He eliminated the rumor that kept the Saints moving to Los Angeles. He also suggested that the Saints may need to focus on becoming more of the regional team, perhaps implying a change of name to the Louisiana Saints or the Gulf Coast Saints. Tagliabue will form an advisory committee of eight owners to help decide the future of the team.
On the same day, Benson accused New Orleans reporter Lee Zurik, with his arms raised as he left Tiger Stadium, following the disappearance of the Saints to the Miami Dolphins and crashing into a camera crew holding the camera and snatching it off before being appeased by Saints security. A video also appeared to show Benson angrily responding to the fans who were horrified. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league would likely not take action against Benson.
On November 11, 2005, an e-mail sent to Commissioner Paul Tagliabue from Benson was leaked to the press. Benson states in e-mail that he fears for his life, and his family's safety as he leaves Tiger Stadium, and will not return to a future match in Baton Rouge. Benson stated in an email that security at the stadium was "inadequate" and claimed that his family "can all be severely injured or killed." However, LSU officials are quick to point out that they have no negative comments from the Saints or the NFL regarding the security of the Tiger Stadium. Additionally, Benson's video recording of October 30 showed him escorted by at least one security guard, stating that he said that security was "non-existent." A day later, a spokesman for Saint Greg Bensel stated that Benson's e-mail was delivered in frustration, and Benson had not yet decided whether he would attend a future match in Baton Rouge. Benson did not attend next week's game at Tiger Stadium on 6 November against the Chicago Bears.
On November 4, 2005, Benson made a deal with Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco who will postpone two important termination deadlines in the team's Superdome lease until after the 2006 season. Benson extends the period of force majeure clause until January 2007. Presumably that stood to guard the Saints in New Orleans until January 2007; However, Benson can still request a clause anytime before that. It seems to buy the time of the Saints to explore future options with state officials without having to make a decision about the future of the franchise immediately. It also allows the country to focus on more urgent needs in the recovery efforts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, while allowing the Saints more time to determine if the economy in the region can recover enough to continue to support the franchise.
In the midst of this controversy, several groups of investors approached Benson by offering to buy teams and store them in Louisiana, the most publicized group led by Fox Sports analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers midfielder Terry Bradshaw, who is a native of Louisiana. However, Benson stated it and therefore he has no intention of selling the team and plans to eventually hand over ownership to his grandson, owner of Saints/executive Rita Benson LeBlanc. Benson spoke to the press following the NFL owner's meeting on November 15, 2005 in which he insisted that the team was not for sale, but also stated that another NFL owner, along with Tagliabue, worked with him to keep the team in New Orleans.
On December 17, ESPN reported that Benson had told the Saints players that he planned to keep the Saints in San Antonio for the 2006 season and possibly outside, and that he was willing to sue the NFL for the right to stay there. It's a few days after the NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw advised the Saints players not to renew their lease at their home in San Antonio because the league plans to book them to return to their home facility in Metairie. It was also days after Benson reportedly told his staff that they could not return to their Metairie facility because they were still occupied by FEMA and National Guard officers and that the New Orleans area had become "inaccessible". The State of Louisiana responded by sending Benson an official letter requesting him and the Saints organization to return to the facility at the end of the 2005 season. Included with the letter was a statement from FEMA and the National Guard stating that they no longer use the facility.
On December 30, two days before the Saints' last game in the 2005 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Benson announced at a press conference that the Saints returned to their Metairie facility at the end of the 2005 season, and that the team would play as much of their home game as possible during the season 2006 at the Louisiana Superdome, which he said could be ready in early mid-September 2006. On January 11, 2006, Benson and Tagliabue announced plans to play all of their 2006. home game on Superdome. Tagliabue also stated that the NFL is committed to keeping the Saints in New Orleans after 2006, calling it a "multiyear effort" and not just a one-year deal. He also stated that the NFL is talking to city officials about the possibility of hosting another Super Bowl there in the near future, which will be 10 cities. Benson states that he is committed to New Orleans "forever, as long as the community is committed to me".
More
In 1992, Benson made a deal to acquire the minor league baseball team Charlotte Knights AA and take them to New Orleans for the 1993 season, renaming them to "Pelicans" after the old small league team in New Orleans, but the deal failed when Team AAA Zephyrs AAA moved to New Orleans to pave the way for the Colorado Rockies main league.
In 1998, Benson was granted a license for a team in the Arena Football League, which finally began playing in 2004 as New Orleans VooDoo. Benson releases ownership of VooDoo on October 13, 2008 during owner teleconferencing. At this point, the entire Arena Football League was in severe financial trouble and soon filed a bankruptcy reorganization and the 2009 season was never played. The next AFL team of the same name who played in early 2010 did so without Benson's involvement.
On April 13, 2012, Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets, now known as New Orleans Pelicans, from the NBA for $ 338 million.
In 2017, Benson purchased a majority stake in Dixie Brewing Company from Joe and Kendra Bruno, with plans to return the brewing operation to New Orleans in two years.
Maps Tom Benson
Philanthropy
The Benson family established a lasting fund at Central Catholic High School, in San Antonio, Texas dedicated to the memory of their son Robert Carter Benson, who graduated from school in 1966. Tom Benson also donated the Benson Memorial Library at the Central Catholic. Robert Carter Benson died of cancer in 1985, at the age of 37 years.
Benson and his family have long been loyal supporters of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.The Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium officially opened on campus 1 September 2008, when Bensons joined more than 2,000 fans and Cardinals athletes to declare the facility. ready for action. The stadium is wide enough and long enough that the Cardinals soccer team, men and women, have started playing their game here.
Also in San Antonio, Texas at St. Anthony Catholic School is a library named after Benson's son who died of cancer.
September 23, 2010, Benson donated $ 8 million to Loyola University New Orleans in what is called the Benson Jesuit Center.
In January 2012, Benson and his wife were awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for their generosity to the Catholic Church, the highest pope award acceptable to Catholics.
In November 2012 Tom Benson and his wife, Gayle, donated $ 7.5 million for the construction of the Tulane University Yulman Stadium. The stadium, which opened in 2014, brought Green Wave back to campus for the first time since the demolition of Tulane Stadium in 1980. The play surface is known as Benson Field.
In November 2014, Fawcett Stadium at Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio was named "Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium" in recognition of Tom Benson's $ 11 million donation.
By 2015 the Benson family is giving $ 20 million to cancer care and research.
Personal life and death
Benson spent his final years in the exclusive Audubon Place neighborhood of New Orleans. His brother, Larry Benson, also has possession of sports and has San Antonio Riders of the World League.
Benson married three times. His first wife was Shirley Landry who had died. In 2003, his second wife, Grace Marie Trudeau Benson (born March 1, 1927), died of Parkinson's disease. In October 2004, she married Gayle Marie LaJaunie Bird.
Tom Benson and his first wife Shirley adopted three children: Robert Carter Benson, Renee Benson, and Jeanne Marie Benson. Renee Benson has two adult children, Rita LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc. Rita Benson LeBlanc was the owner of Saints and executive vice president until Tom Benson dismissed him, his brother Ryan and his mother, Renee, and wrote them out of his will. She, along with her mother, Renee and her brother, Ryan LeBlanc, later sued Tom Benson by claiming he was incompetent, and for controlling his company. The only surviving son of Benson, by January 2015, is Renee.
Benson was hospitalized on February 16, 2018, with flu. He died on March 15, 2018, at the Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson, Louisiana, at the age of 90.
Awards and honors
- Super Bowl XLIV Champion (as owner of New Orleans Saints)
- Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas (University of the Incarnate Word) mentioned in honor (and his wife)
- The football field at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana (Tulane University) is named "Benson Field" in his honor
- The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio is named in his honor
- Statue in Canton, Ohio (in front of the stadium its name)
Controversy of assets
In January 2015, after Tom Benson announced that he had cut off his estranged adopted son Renee Benson and his grown children from his will, he was sued by two Renee and Renee children, Rita LeBlanc (also known as Rita Benson LeBlanc) and Ryan LeBlanc from Texas. One of Renee's complaints, Rita and Ryan in the lawsuit is "After information and confidence, under Gayle's real supervision, Tom Benson's diet has deteriorated drastically, with her rarely eating full nutritious food, but on the contrary, for some reason, life of candy, ice cream, soda and red wine. Renee Benson, Rita LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc demanded to control the Tom Benson company including the NFL New Orleans Saints and the NBA Pelican, claiming he was "incompetent".
Benson released a statement saying that the suit and claims against her by her adopted daughter and her children were wrong and unfounded. In February 2015, Probate Court Judge Tom Rickhoff named former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger and attorney Art Bayern as co-executor of the will of Shirley L. Benson. Both replace Benson as guardian of the plantation. On June 18, 2015, a judge considered him competent.
On February 19, 2016, Judge Rickhoff approved the appointment of Renee Benson, adopted adopted son of Benson, as administrator of the $ 1 billion Shirley Benson Testamentary Trust, which included Lone Star Capital Bank in San Antonio, half of five car dealerships, part of a farm large near Johnson City, Texas, a house in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, an airplane, and cash and other real estate holdings.
Benson's lawyer said his client, after much debate and mediation for two weeks, chose to settle the dispute in order to live the rest of his time in peace and free himself from the huge tax burden required for the assets.
References
External links
- San Antonio dealer website
- the New Orleans dealer website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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