1969: Jerry Wolman sells the
 |
| Ex-Eagles owner Tose |
Philadelphia Eagles to Leonard Tose for $16.1 million.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: This week in 1985, Tose sold the team for $65 million to Norman Braman. Tose died on April 15, 2003, in Philadelphia at the age of 88.
1980: Reunion Arena opens in Dallas.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: The arena, designed by HKS, was home to the Dallas Stars from 1993 until 2001, when the team moved into American Airlines Arena. The MISL Dallas Sidekicks currently call Reunion Arena home.
1987: Lou Lamoriello is named New Jersey Devils president.
 |
| Lamoriello |
FOLLOW-THROUGH: With the formation of YankeeNets, the combined operations of the New Jersey Nets and Devils led to a single president/general manager role, which Lamoriello assumed in July 2001. Lamoriello stepped down from his position with the Nets shortly after the January sale of the team from YankeeNets to Bruce Ratner. He remains, however, in his role with the Devils, who have won three Stanley Cups since his arrival.
1995: Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson steps down as chairman of Flagstar Cos., operator of Denny’s restaurants, to spend more time with his football team.
1995: ESPN2 hits the 20 million home mark 18 months after its launch.
1995: The American and National Leagues and the Major League Baseball Umpires Association reach agreement on a five-year collective-bargaining agreement, ending a lockout. At the heart of the agreement were increases in the umpires’ base salaries as well as bonuses for postseason games. The salary ranges of officials in the four major sports after the agreement are: MLB ($75,000-$225,000), NBA ($67,000-$177,000), NHL ($35,000-$181,000) and NFL ($30,000-$68,000).
1996: NFL owners approve the Oilers’ relocation from Houston to Nashville by a vote of 23-6. The team needed a minimum of 23 votes for approval. The Bills, Giants, Steelers, Redskins, Vikings and Bengals voted against the move, while the Raiders’ Al Davis abstained.
1997: A federal judge rules that the heirs of the late Cincinnati Bengals founder and owner Paul Brown are not liable for an estate tax deficiency of more than $40 million. The issue involved a 1983 stock option transaction between Brown and major shareholder John Sawyer, which the IRS claimed was designed to pass majority ownership of the team to Brown’s sons and elude estate taxes.
1997: Wilson Golf, citing a shift in marketing strategy, drops John Daly one month after he was admitted to the Betty Ford Center for alcohol abuse treatment. Daly had signed a $10 million endorsement deal after he won the PGA Championship in 1991.
1998: The Los Angeles Dodgers open a Tokyo office, the first MLB team to open an international branch office.
1999: The Minnesota Supreme Court rules the Twins are exempt from federal and state antitrust laws. The court says in a unanimous ruling that the state attorney “may not force Twins officials and [MLB] Commissioner Bud Selig to answer questions about actions they may have taken to try to get public money [for a new stadium].”
FOLLOW-THROUGH: On Nov. 15, 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court gave no reason for turning down a request by the Minnesota attorney general to reopen the legal status of the league under federal and state antitrust laws.
