Malcolm Glazer

Malcolm Irving Glazer was a Jewish American businessman and professional sports-team owner.

Glazer (born May 25, 1928; died May 28, 2014) was born in Rochester, New York, the fifth of seven children in a Jewish household. In 1943, he inherited his father’s wholesale jewelry business. At that time he had just $300 to his name but within five years he started investing in other businesses.

First expanding into real estate, Glazer bought several mobile home parks in the 1970s, mainly in the Florida area. In 1976, he purchased three television stations and in 1984, Glazer founded First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his various business interests which included famous brands such as Zapata Corporation, Harley Davidson, Tonka and Omega Protein.

In 1995, Glazer bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a National Football League franchise, paying $192 million following the death of former owner Hugh Culverhouse. Glazer's ownership group quickly turned around the perennial losing franchise and in 2002, the Buccaneers won their first NFL Championship.

In May 2005, Glazer paid $1.47 billion for 28.7 percent of English Premier League soccer team Manchester United. The takeover was fiercely opposed by many fans of Manchester United, however, the club remained very successful as Glazer spent large amounts of money to attract the best players. The team won several Premier League titles and in 2008 won the UEFA Champions League.

In April and May 2006, Glazer suffered two strokes that caused impaired speech and loss of mobility in his right arm and leg.

Glazer passed away on May 28, 2014, having been still in poor health from the two strokes. He is survived by his wife Linda and six children: Avram, Kevin, Bryan, Joel, Darcie and Edward.

Sources: Wikipedia