Billy Sullivan (American football)

William Hallissey "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. (September 13, 1915 — February 23, 1998) was an American businessman who owned the National Football League's New England Patriots from their inception in 1960 as the Boston Patriots until their sale to Victor Kiam in 1988.

Early life

Sullivan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1915 and graduated from Boston College in 1937. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E3D9143EF937A15751C0A96E958260 Billy Sullivan, 86 (82), Founder Of Football Patriots, Dies] New York Times. Accessed 20 October 2007.] The son of a Boston Globe correspondent, Sullivan himself became a sportswriter after college. He also served as a publicity director for Boston College, Notre Dame University, and the Boston Braves, putting out so many press releases that fellow sportwriter Red Smith dubbed Sullivan the "Maître de Mimeograph." ] . Sullivan also served in the United States Navy during this time. In 1946, he founded The Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based charitable organization.

NFL career

NFL franchise attempt

In 1959, Sullivan, by then involved in business ventures, requested a National Football League franchise in Boston. With Boston's five previous football franchises having folded or moved, the NFL later denied Sullivan's request. ]

AFL franchise

Having not succeeded in starting an NFL franchise, Sullivan then turned to the new American Football League in 1959. For $25,000, he was awarded the league's eighth and final team for their inaugural 1960 season, the Boston Patriots. ] Sullivan gave his son Patrick Sullivan the title of General Manager for the team and another son Chuck Sullivan the title of Executive Vice President. In 1964, Sullivan helped the AFL negotiate a 5-year, $30 million television agreement with broadcaster NBC. ]

AFL-NFL merger

In 1970, Sullivan played a part in the AFL-NFL merger by successfully requesting an antitrust exemption from the United States Congress. ]

New England Patriots

For the 1971 season, the Patriots' second in the post-merger NFL, Sullivan changed the team's name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots to correspond with the team's move into Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. He was named majority owner of the team in 1975. [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763347.html Billy Sullivan 1998 deaths] infoplease.com. Accessed 20 October 2007.] By 1988, the Patriots had played 28 full seasons, 14 of them with winning records, and had appeared in 1 AFL Championship game and 1 Super Bowl. In an attempt to avoid bankruptcy, Sullivan asked the NFL if he could sell 50% of the team in a public offering. ] The NFL refused the request, and Sullivan sold the team to Victor Kiam for $83 million the same year, with Sullivan remaining as the team's president until 1992. ] In 1991, Sullivan filed a $116 million antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and accepted an $11.5 million settlement of the case in 1996. ]

Death

After an 8-year battle with prostate cancer, Sullivan died in his Atlantis, Florida retirement home in 1998. ]

Notes and references