Tim Mara
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Born: | New York, New York, U.S. | July 29, 1887
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Died: | February 16, 1959 New York, New York, U.S. | (aged 71)
Career history | |
As owner | |
1925–1959 | New York Giants |
Career highlights and awards | |
Timothy James Mara (July 29, 1887 – February 16, 1959) was the American founding owner of the
Early life
Mara, the son of Elizabeth (née Harris) and John Mara, a policeman, of Irish descent, was born into poverty on
New York Giants
Formation of the Giants
In 1925, the NFL was in need of a franchise in a large city that could be used to showcase the league.
This backing led Mara to purchase the NFL franchise for New York at a cost of $500–about $7,426.99 in 2020.[3] Mara and March even signed Jim Thorpe to play several half games in order to boost attendance. However many of the New York sports fans still took to college football and stayed away from the pro sport. During the Giants' first season, attendance was so poor that Mara lost over $40,000. To tap into New York's college football fans, Mara tried to sign ex-college football superstar Red Grange only to find that he already was a member of the Chicago Bears. However still looking for a way to cash in on Grange's popularity, Mara scheduled a game against the Bears to be played at the Polo Grounds. The gate receipts totaled $143,000 for that one game against Grange and the Bears, and Mara recovered all of his losses for the 1925 season.
Battle with the AFL and first NFL Championship
In 1926, Grange and his manager,
By now, Mara was now willing to admit the Yankees into the NFL, as the only survivor of the defunct AFL. He even allowed the team to play its home games at Yankee Stadium. However, Mara was able to dictate the Yankees' schedule. When the Giants were in the Polo Grounds, the Yankees were to be on the road.
The next year, the Giants went 11-1-1 and won their
Takeover of the Wolverines
In 1929, Mara was looking for a player who might approach Grange in fan appeal. He saw
Great Depression era
During the
Battles with other rival leagues
In 1936 and 1937, Mara successfully battled for New York's pro football market against the Brooklyn Tigers and the New York Yankees of the second American Football League. He also successfully outlasted the New York Yankees of the third American Football League.[citation needed]
However, from 1946 to 1949, Mara engaged in an all-out war with the All-America Football Conference. Mara and the Giants were faced with two AAFC opponents in the New York City area, the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Again Mara fought hard for New York's pro football fanbase and eventually won. When the two leagues partially merged after the 1949 season, Mara demanded and got the best players from the combined New York-Brooklyn franchise that had operated in 1949.[citation needed]
Legacy
Mara died in 1959 at the age of 71. His vast contributions to the NFL were recognized with his 1963 election to the charter class of 17 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
Family
Mara left the Giants to his sons, Jack and Wellington Mara, and each inherited a 50% stake. Wellington is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside his father. His grandson through Jack, Timothy J. Mara was later part-owner of the Giants, and his other grandson John Mara, a son of Wellington, is currently the Giants' president and part owner. Only the Chicago Bears (owned by the Halas-McCaskey family since 1921) have been in the hands of one family longer than the Giants. In 1991, Timothy J. Mara, representing his mother and his sister, sold their half-interest in the team.[4]
Tim's great-granddaughters Rooney and Kate Mara are actresses.[5]
References
- ^ a b Wellington, the Maras, the Giants, and the City of New York, Carlo DeVito, Triumph Books, 2006, pp 5 & 6
- ^ Gottehrer. pg. 24
- ^ "Calculate the value of $500 in 1925. How much is it worth today?". www.dollartimes.com. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (2 June 1995). "Timothy J. Mara, 59, Dies; Former Co-owner of Giants". The New York Times.
- ^ Red, Seth Walder, Christian. "Examining the Mara family tree as the NY Giants seek their fourth Super Bowl against Patriots". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Sources
- Gottehrer, Barry. The Giants of New York, the history of professional football's most fabulous dynasty. New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1963 OCLC 1356301