Georgia Frontiere

Infobox_Person
name = Georgia Frontiere
residence =
other_names =

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imagesize =
caption =
birth_name =
birth_date = birth date|1927|09|11
birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri
death_date = death date and age|2008|1|18|1927|9|11
death_place = Los Angeles, California
death_cause = Breast cancer
known =
occupation = St. Louis Rams Owner

Georgia Frontiere (née Irwin) (November 21 1927 – January 18 2008), sometimes referred to as Madame Ram was the co-owner and chairwoman of the St. Louis Rams from 1979-2008. She grew up in a middle class home, the daughter of an insurance salesman and entertainer Lucia Pamela. When she was 15 years old, her parents divorced and a shaken Frontiere eloped with her boyfriend, a US Army soldier who died in World War II. After going to college at Pepperdine University for business and working for several years as a secretary, Frontiere decided that she wanted to enter show business. She moved to Los Angeles and later Miami, where she worked as a dancer, a singer, a weather forecaster, and in various other jobs.

In 1957 Frontiere, a well known Miami dancer, began running with an elite crowd. It was Joseph P. Kennedy, father of future president John F. Kennedy, who introduced Frontiere to Carroll Rosenbloom, NFL owner and millionaire uniforms manufacturer.

Frontiere inherited ownership of the team, then based in Anaheim, California, in 1979 after the death of her husband. Rosenbloom, an avid ocean swimmer, died mysteriously in the Atlantic. Although no evidence of foul play was uncovered it is rumored that Rosenbloom, a high stakes gambler, was killed over failure to repay debts. The PBS series "Frontline" investigated the story and reported mafia involvement.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Frontiere moved the Rams to St. Louis. The city of St. Louis provided a publicly funded stadium for $260 million, and more than $22 million was guaranteed in annual luxury suite and ticket revenues. In the 1999 season, under head coach Dick Vermeil and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

In 2004 Frontiere was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died, aged 80, on January 18 2008 at UCLA Medical Center.

ources

* [http://www.stlouisrams.com/offthefield/teaminvolvement/frontiere/ Profile page on St. Louis Rams official website]
* [http://www.sptimes.com/News/012300/Bucs/Weird_and_wild_road_t.shtml St. Petersburg Times Article]
* [http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=5527941 MyFox St. Louis article shortly after her death]
* [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=a26ilJGA_uNw "Rams Owner Georgia Frontiere Dies at 80 of Cancer" (Bloomberg)]

Persondata
NAME = Frontiere, Georgia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Irwin, Georgia (birth name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American football owner
DATE OF BIRTH = September 11, 1927]
PLACE OF BIRTH = St. Louis, Missouri
DATE OF DEATH = January 18, 2008
PLACE OF DEATH = Los Angeles, California