Woody Johnson - New York Jets' CEO

Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson), and the owner of the New York Jets of the National Football League.

Early life

Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His father was Robert Wood Johnson III, president of Johnson & Johnson for four years, and his mother was Betty Wold Johnson. Johnson grew up with four siblings: Keith Johnson, Billy Johnson, Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson, and Christopher Wold Johnson. He grew up in affluent areas of North New Jersey, and attended the Millbrook School. He graduated from the University of Arizona. Johnson then worked menial summer jobs at Johnson & Johnson with the expectation of ascending to the top of the family business.

Career

Johnson became involved in charitable organizations full-time in the 1980s. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His family has been affected by both lupus and juvenile diabetes, which motivated Johnson to take a role in raising funds to prevent, treat, and cure autoimmune diseases. He has led efforts on Capitol Hill and at the National Institutes of Health to increase research funding for lupus, diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases. and personally contributed to causes related to diabetes, after his daughter Casey was diagnosed with the disease. He also started a research foundation, the Alliance for Lupus Research, after his daughter Jaime was found to have lupus.

On January 18, 2000, Johnson purchased the Jets for $635 million, the third-highest price for a professional sports team and the highest for one in New York. Johnson, who also owns courtside seats to the New York Knicks, outbid the $612 million offered by Charles Dolan, chairman of Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers. The team sold for more than $100 million above what some sports finance analysts had expected. Based on the Jets' recent[when?] financial performance and the team's low-revenue lease at Giants Stadium, the analysts said the team was really worth about $250 million.

After buying the Jets, Johnson announced plans to move them to the proposed West Side Stadium in Manhattan. However, after the project's defeat in 2005, Johnson announced the Jets would move to a new Meadowlands Stadium (opening day 10 April 2010) co-owned with the Giants. Johnson served on the NFL Commissioner search committee in which a list of 185 candidates to succeed Paul Tagliabue was narrowed down to the final choice of Roger Goodell.

Johnson is the chairman and chief executive of the Johnson Company, Inc., a private investment firm founded in 1978. In August 2006, Johnson was asked to testify before a Senate panel about his participation in a sham tax shelter. A Senate report said that Johnson, along with others, were able to buy, for relatively small fees, roughly $2 billion in capital losses that they used to erase taxable gains they garnered from stock sales. The U.S. Treasury lost an estimated $300 million in revenue as a result. In a statement, Johnson said he had been advised by his lawyers in 2000 that the transaction "was consistent with the Tax Code." But after the Internal Revenue Service challenged that view in 2003, Johnson this year "settled with the IRS and agreed to pay 100 percent of the tax due plus interest."

Johnson was the committee president for Pre-Commissioning Unit for the USS New York (LPD-21).

Politics

Johnson has personally given more than $1 million to various Republican candidates and committees. In May 2008, he orchestrated a fundraiser in New York City that brought in $7 million in a single evening for John McCain, by far the largest amount collected up to that point by a campaign that had been struggling to raise money. Johnson also provided significant funding to the Republican National Convention of 2008 in Minneapolis-St. Paul convention host committee; from a $10 million shortfall, Johnson contributed personally and solicited friends to assist in covering the convention deficit. In 2011, Woody Johnson announced that he would endorse former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election.

On September 23, 2013, Johnson hosted a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee at his home in New York City.

Personal life

In 1977, Johnson married former fashion model Nancy Sale Johnson. They had three children: Casey, Jaime, and Daisy, before divorcing in 2001. In early 2010, Casey died of diabetic ketoacidosis.

In 2009, Johnson married Suzanne Ircha Johnson, a former actress and Equities Managing Director at Sandler O'Neill & Partners. They have two children: Robert Wood Johnson V and Jack Wood Johnson.

Johnson has homes in Bedminster Township, New Jersey and New York.

John Mara - New York Giants' CEO

John Kevin Mara (born December 1, 1954) is the president, CEO, and co-owner of the New York Giants.

Early life

Born in New York City on Dec. 1, 1954, Mara grew up in Westchester County in White Plains and graduated from Iona Prep High School in New Rochelle. He attended Boston College where he received a B.S. degree in marketing, graduating with Cum Laude honors in 1976. Mara earned his law degree from Fordham University in 1979 and then began his career as an attorney with the New York law firm of Vedder, Price, Kaufman, Kammholz and Day, specializing in labor and employment law and litigation. Two years later he moved to the Manhattan firm of Shea & Gould, where he practiced until joining the Giants.

Mara is the chairman of the NFL Management Council Executive Committee and he played an important role in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA. He also has served for 13 years on the influential NFL Competition Committee, which studies all aspects of the game and recommends rules and policy changes to NFL clubs, as well as the league’s Health and Safety Committee and the Committee on Workplace Diversity.

Mara has been affiliated with the Giants his entire life. The franchise was founded in 1925 by his grandfather, Tim Mara. Wellington Mara was one of the most influential, respected and beloved executives in NFL history. Since John Mara joined the organization in an official capacity, the Giants have reached the playoffs nine times, won five NFC East titles and played in three Super Bowls, winning two.

Mara serves on the Board of Directors of Saint Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison, N.Y. and Boys Hope Girls Hope of New York.


New York Giants

John K. Mara is in his 23rd season with the Giants. The franchise’s President and Chief Executive Officer, he assumed the team presidency upon the passing of his father, Wellington Mara, in 2005. John Mara is the oldest of Wellington Mara’s 11 children. He had been the team’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In his present position, Mara, who joined the Giants in 1991, is responsible for all administrative, legal and financial aspects of the organization.

With team Chairman Steve Tisch, Mara was at the forefront of the planning and negotiations for MetLife Stadium, where the Giants began playing their home games in 2010 after 34 seasons in Giants Stadium. In addition, Mara, Steve Tisch and Jonathan Tisch, as well as Jets owner Woody Johnson, headlined the bid committee that helped convince the NFL owners to award Super Bowl XLVIII to the new stadium. The game, the first Super Bowl to be held in a cold-weather outdoor venue, will be played on Feb. 2, 2014.

After working as an attorney, John Mara joined the Giants in 1991, serving as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer until his father's death in 2005, when he assumed the team's presidency. Under John Mara and Steve Tisch, the Giants have won Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.

Personal life

Mara is the third generation of his family to own the Giants. His grandfather, Tim, founded the team in 1925. Tim's sons, Wellington and Jack (John Mara's uncle), inherited the team in 1959, when Tim Mara died. Among NFL franchises, only the Chicago Bears (controlled by the Halas-McCaskey family since 1921) have been in the hands of one family longer than the Giants.

John and his wife, the former Denise Walter, are the parents of five children: Lauren, Courtney, John Jr., Christine and Erin. They also have four grandchildren, Christopher, Jack, Hailey and Thomas. The Mara family resides in Harrison, N.Y

Clark Hunt - Kansas City Chiefs' CEO

Clark Knobel Hunt (born February 19, 1965) is Chairman and CEO of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs and a founding investor-owner in Major League Soccer. Hunt also serves as Chairman of Hunt Sports Group, where he oversees the operations of FC Dallas and, formerly, the Columbus Crew of MLS.

Clark Hunt has been involved in the leadership of the Kansas City Chiefs for more than a decade and currently serves as the club's chairman and CEO.
In January 2013, Hunt ushered in a new era of Chiefs leadership, hiring Head Coach Andy Reid on Jan. 7 and General Manager John Dorsey a week later on Jan. 14. Hunt also introduced a structure change within the organization, announcing that for the first time in club history, the head coach, the general manager and the team president would all report directly to the chairman and CEO.
"We are thrilled to welcome both Andy and John to the Chiefs family. Each of them is well-respected across the league and brings a great amount of experience to the team. I am very excited for the future of Chiefs football under Andy, John and President Mark Donovan," Hunt said. "I truly believe we have the best leaders in place to guide this franchise to many successful seasons."
In 2012, the Hunts and the Chiefs celebrated 50 years of Chiefs football in Kansas City, paying tribute to Chiefs fans, the Kansas City community, and throughout the entire Chiefs Kingdom.
As part of the year-long anniversary of his father, Lamar Hunt, relocating the team to Kansas City, Hunt initiated a number of fan and game day elements to honor five decades of Chiefs football. As part of the celebration, the Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to reward each season ticket account holder with a personalized Chiefs Nike jersey. In addition to the free jersey, the club introduced a "STH" patch for the jersey that is available exclusively to Chiefs Season Ticket Holders.
Other highlights of the 50-year celebration included a Chiefs fan celebration tour to locations in Missouri and Kansas, as well as the announcement of the Kansas City Chiefs Art Program. Working in conjunction with leading members of the Kansas City business and arts communities, the Hunt family and the Chiefs are assembling a world-class collection of artwork in select spaces at Arrowhead Stadium produced by artists from the surrounding region, including Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The program is designed to help promote regional culture, provide educational opportunities for the youth of Kansas City and engage the community in a way that touches individuals of all ages and walks of life.
Hunt's proven business acumen, coupled with two decades of experience working side-by-side with his father, one of America's sports pioneers, helped shape his vision for the storied franchise.
Background
After graduating from St. Mark's School of Texas, he finished first in his class at Southern Methodist University in 1987, where he was a captain of SMU's nationally ranked soccer team and a two-time Academic All-American. Hunt earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He was a two-time recipient of the university's highest academic honor, the Provost Award for Outstanding Scholar.

Hunt began his business career as an analyst with Goldman Sachs. He is married to Tavia Shackles, a former Miss Missouri Teen USA and Miss Kansas USA. The couple have three children.[citation needed]

Involvement in professional sports
One of the driving forces behind the creation of Major League Soccer, Hunt helped his father run the Kansas City Wizards until the team was sold in 2006. Hunt remains a member of the league's Board of Governors and owns the MLS club FC Dallas.[citation needed] He previously owned the Columbus Crew until 2013.

Kansas City Chiefs
Hunt was named Chairman of the Board of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005.[citation needed]

After the Chiefs' loss to the New York Jets in the 2007 season finale, Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson announced that both he and head coach Herm Edwards would return to the Chiefs in 2008. However, Hunt declined to immediately comment on Peterson's status. Hunt spoke out weeks later and stated that the Chiefs were his "No. 1 priority" and that "to have the best chance of success in 2008, having Carl here makes a lot of sense.” Hunt wanted to avoid having a new general manager come in with a new head coach, and starting from scratch again.

On December 15, Hunt announced the resignation of Carl Peterson from his positions as general manager, president, and CEO of the franchise effective the end of the season. Prior the decision, the Chiefs had a combined record of 9-24 under Hunt's leadership since December 23, 2006.

The official press release stated that Peterson resigned, but Hunt had said the conversation had been on-going throughout the season. Hunt said his decision to relieve Peterson of duties was not based on what happened the previous day, when the Chiefs lost an 11-point lead in the final 73 seconds and were beaten 22–21 by San Diego, dropping their record to 2-12 on the season. Hunt also said that the fate of head coach Herm Edwards would be settled after the season when a new general manager would be hired. Hunt said he would split the duties previously held by Peterson and have someone in charge of the business side and someone else in charge of football for the franchise.

Hunt had kept his search for a new general manager almost entirely leak-proof, instructing subordinates that only he is to speak to the situation. On January 13, 2009 Hunt hired New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli as the new Chiefs general manager. On January 23 the Chiefs fired head coach Herman Edwards, and Todd Haley was hired as his replacement on February 6.

2012 Season
Hunt fired Todd Haley on December 12, 2011, after the Chiefs had compiled a 5-8 record during the 2011 NFL season. Haley was replaced by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Crennel finished his stint as interim head coach with a 2-1 record. On January 9, 2012, Hunt named Crennel the team's permanent head coach.

The return of star players Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry led many to believe that the Chiefs would contend for a playoff spot. Instead, the Chiefs were historically bad through the first seven games of the season, failing to lead a game during regulation (worst since 1940), and holding a tie at the end of only two of twenty-eight possible quarters. Through seven games, the Chiefs were on pace to break the 1965 Pittsburgh Steelers record for worst turnover ratio by 11 turnovers.

On October 28, 2012, the Chiefs lost to rival Oakland Raiders for the sixth consecutive time at home. To date, the only public comment Hunt has made during the season has been in defense of Chiefs fans, who were accused by new right tackle Eric Winston of cheering Matt Cassell's head injury during a game on October 7, 2012. Local and national media outlets have referred to the 1-6 Chiefs' start as "rock bottom" and "competing against history".

Hunt has yet to comment publicly on the Chiefs' season, though it is reported that he has spoken with several fans, and that the Chiefs have refunded tickets to holders who have complained. The Kansas City Star has referred to the season as among the worst in the history of professional sports.

On January 4, 2013, The Kansas City Chiefs officially hired Andy Reid to be the next Head Coach.

Columbus Crew
Under Hunt, the Columbus Crew won their first MLS Cup championship on November 23, 2008.

West Ham United FC
Hunt was linked to the £120M purchase of West Ham United on August 6, 2009. However on 19 January 2010, David Sullivan and David Gold bought the east London club.

Crystal Palace FC
By February 2010, rumours started to abound that Clark Hunt was one of the interested parties looking at buying Crystal Palace FC from the administrators P&A Partnership.