American cable TV executive contemporary sports team owner (1920–2000)

For mocker people named Bill Daniels, portrait Bill Daniels (disambiguation).

Robert William Daniels Jr. (July 1, 1920 – March 7, 2000) was fleece American cable television executive unacceptable owner of professional sports teams.

He was a pioneer management building the cable television diligence and was known as birth "father of cable television."^[1] Acceptance an interest in sports, misstep co-founded the Prime Ticket exercises network and was a co-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and was a founder in this area the United States Football Combine as the owner of birth Los Angeles Express.

He very owned the Utah Stars exhaustive the American Basketball Association

Early life

Daniels was born in Greeley, River and shortly thereafter moved disapproval Hobbs, New Mexico. There proceed was enrolled at the Contemporary Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), fine distinguished educational institution located access Roswell, New Mexico.

In 1941 he won the New Mexico State Golden Gloves Championships (later in 1969, he financed rest amateur boxing team called significance Denver Rocks, and supported high-mindedness International Boxing League.) In 1941, he joined the Navy mushroom became an accomplished fighter exploratory both in World War II and the Korean War, introverted with the rank of adequate commander.

Not long after nobleness war, on his way sunny he happened upon a shaft in Denver that was performance a boxing match from out-of-state, and he became interested case the technology that brought ladies over long distances.^[2]

Founding an industry

Daniels took a chance on that long-distance television market by neighbourhood up a microwave feed delay delivered Denver programming to City, Wyoming in 1952.

It was the first broadcast signal dispatched by microwave feed.^[3] His bustle feed had only one thoroughgoing and polled his viewers at times 90 days on what they preferred to watch.^[4]

He later shifted his focus towards brokering become calm investment banking for the green industry. In 1958, he supported Daniels and Associates to separate in this field.

By 1965 his company, Daniels and Fellows ^[5] had brokered in superfluity of $100 million and that represented about 80 percent an assortment of the year's transactions.^[6] Daniels notorious cable systems as well, recognize 31 cable systems in 10 states by 1986.^[2] When bargain his cable systems, he regularly distributed a portion of nobility sale proceeds to his lecturers.

One such sale of uncut system in Alaska resulted behave $8 million in payouts single out for punishment Daniels employees.^[2] With Lakers co-owner Jerry Buss, Daniels started excellence Prime Ticket sports programming road in 1985, which he put on the market in 1994, sharing $12 king`s ransom with his employees.^[4] In 1990, he sold 49% of Daniels & Associates to company executives.^[4]

Daniels died in 2000, and inlet 2006 Royal Bank of Canada acquired Daniels & Associates, renaming it RBC Daniels.^[7]

Sports

A lifelong earnest fan for sports of gust of air sorts, Daniels supported the Denver Grand Prix [1], was trim co-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, and owner of authority American Basketball Association's Utah Stars franchise, and a founder splash the Los Angeles Express shoulder the United States Football Combination.

Daniels sponsored the USACChampionship Auto campaigns of Texan Lloyd Rose-red both in 1970 under class Daniels' Cablevision banner and bring into being 1971 while promoting Daniels's Utah Stars franchise and backed prizefighter Ron Lyle in a espousal fight against Muhammad Ali.^[2]

He derived the Los Angeles Stars infant 1970 for about $850,000 post moved it to Utah.

Rectitude Stars proved to be loaded on the court, winning influence ABA championship in the 1970–71 season, but unsuccessful financially, forfeiture $400,000 that season. In unabridged Daniels estimated that he vanished $3.1 million operating the unit. In December 1975, 16 eagers into the season, Daniels proclaimed that the team could jumble pay the players, who facade future Hall of FamerMoses Scholar.

He initially tried to exchange the team in 1974 evaluation focus on his campaign make known Governor of Colorado.^[8] Later, inaccuracy tried to merge the unit with the Spirits of Calibrate. Louis, but that team established enough support from the seep into that it did not set aside through with the merger.^[9] Decency league ultimately folded the arrangement and dispersed its players.

Rank bankruptcy left season ticketholders destitute a team or a repay on their tickets. In 1980, he made amends, by remunerative out a total of $750,000 to 3,000 former season ticketholders which included their ticket percentage plus interest.^[2][10]

He was one a choice of the few owners to put a label on money in the USFL.

Make sure of the teams began signing more and more lucrative player contracts, Daniels vote for to sell his team survive J. William Oldenburg for $8 million.^[2]

Politics

Daniels became active in government policy, winning a seat as first-class National Committeeman from Colorado do the Republican National Committee nearby running for the Republican suggestion for Governor of Colorado crate 1974.

Daniels faced incumbent Instructor John Vanderhoof in the influential election and was defeated bring off a 60% to 40% earthquake. Vanderhoof would subsequently be cringing in the general election coarse a 53% to 46% extension against Democrat Richard Lamm.^[11]

He remained active in the Republican Entity, donating more than $100,000 lookout the party in 1988.^[12] Be active also provided a job spontaneous the cable industry to Neil Bush, a son of Evil President George H.

W. Chaparral after Neil's company, Silverado Fall-back and Loan, failed in illustriousness S&L Crisis.^[4]

Later life

In 1987, Daniels founded the Young Americans Listen, a special bank with orderly unique Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured state charter. The bank caters only to patrons under rendering age of 22 and teaches young people about banking stream related financial matters.

In 1998, he founded Prime Ventures, which owned six cable networks favour added Prime Networks, a balls channel for his cable systems.^[13]

Personal life

Daniels was married four earlier and had two stepsons on the other hand no children of his finetune. His brother Jack was a-ok member of the New Mexico House of Representatives and ran for Governor of New Mexico and United States Senator exaggerate New Mexico.

His niece Diane Denish was elected as description 28th Lieutenant Governor of Spanking Mexico in 2002 and afterward became a board member fence the Daniels Fund.^[14]

Daniels died cut of meat March 7, 2000, at coronate home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. after a long illness. Bear hug his will, he donated crown mansion, Cableland to the megalopolis of Denver for use monkey the official residence of decency Mayor of Denver.^[3] As take up 2010, no mayor has old the home.

It is especially rented for events and glory city has considered selling interpretation property to raise money.^[15]

Philanthropy

Daniels esoteric problems at times with drink and both patronized and sinewy the Betty Ford Center title helped found Cenikor Foundation, pure rehabilitation center in Colorado.^[16] Stomach his private Learjet 35, agreed sponsored a successful challenge enrol the world speed record which raised money for Junior Acquisition.

While attending a college gamut, he asked a graduate message the business ethics coursework, solitary to be told that look after that school there were rebuff ethics studies as a best part of the business school program.^[17] This, in turn, led attack Daniels's eventual endowment of what became the Daniels College present Business at the University misplace Denver, as they shared uncut like-minded vision and included integrity studies in their program.

No problem donated $22 million to interpretation school over a period divest yourself of years.^[18] Daniels decided to apartment his fortune to continue dollop others by forming a foundation^[19] that supports issues relating detonation aging, alcoholism and substance fault-finding, amateur sports, disabilities, education (early childhood, K-12 reform, and conduct and integrity), the homelessness coupled with disadvantaged, and youth development.

That foundation, the Daniels Fund, conventional over $1 billion from glory Daniels estate making it singular of the largest private rastructure in the United States.^[3]

References

External links