Hugh Culverhouse
| Hugh Culverhouse | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Hugh Franklin Culverhouse February 20, 1918 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 1994 (aged 76) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Businessman, Entrepreneur, Sports team owner/executive, Corporate/Tax attorney |
| Years active | 1947-1994, his death |
Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr. (February 20, 1919 – August 26, 1994) was the longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a successful tax lawyer, and his real estate investments made him one of the nation's wealthiest men. His work brought him into contact with National Football League team owners, and his failed purchase of the Los Angeles Rams placed him in line to become the owner of the fledgling Buccaneer franchise. He owned the team from its inception until his death.
Culverhouse became one of the most influential team owners in the NFL, and was credited with modernizing the league, even while his teams were rarely competitive on the field. He oversaw the league's course of direction through two player strikes, and the modern league's financial stability is in great part due to his leadership. He held influence for over a decade, before stepping back due to criticism of what other owners saw as his overly-secretive ways.
Culverhouse was initially lauded for bringing professional football to the Tampa Bay area, but eventually came to be blamed for the team's struggles. His refusal to pay Doug Williams at a salary level comparable to that of the league's top quarterbacks insulted fans, and was seen as the beginning of the team's decline during the 1980s. It further led to the belief that Culverhouse was unconcerned with fielding a winning team, as long as it was financially profitable. The Buccaneers' NFL-record streak of fourteen consecutive losing seasons cemented this perception, although Culverhouse did make several notable attempts to improve the team.
Culverhouse was diagnosed with cancer in 1992, and died in 1994. His apparent attempt to exclude his wife from his inheritance led to posthumous revelations of extramarital affairs. Ensuing lawsuits caused an ownership crisis that almost required the team to relocate to another city, before the Glazer family stepped forward with a purchase offer.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Culverhouse attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Psi chapter). On the University of Alabama boxing team, he competed together with future governor George Wallace, an experience to which he attributed his confidence in later life. He graduated in 1941. After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he earned a law degree from his alma mater in 1947. He immediately took a job as an assistant state attorney general, serving there for two years. After serving in the Korean War, he became legal counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, where he prosecuted many of the cases resulting from the organized crime investigations of Senator Estes Kefauver. He resigned from the IRS in 1962 after a decade of service, and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where he entered private practice, specializing in tax law. Although he was considered to be one of the nation's top tax lawyers, one whose cases were sometimes cited by the Supreme Court of the United States, his fortune was built on real estate investments. Listed by Forbes magazine as one of the 250 wealthiest people in the United States, he eventually had investments in 37 companies and was worth over $380 million at his death. He served as a personal representative of President Gerald Ford, bearing the title of U.S. Ambassador, at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. The University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration is named for him.
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