Tim Mara

Timothy James " Tim " Mara ( born July 29, 1887 in New York City, New York, † February 16, 1959, ibid ) was an American officer in American Football. He was the founder and owner of the New York Giants of the National Football League ( NFL).

Life

Youth

The ancestors of Tim Mara came from Ireland. At the age of 13 he worked in a movie theater as an usher. As a newspaper vendor he had contact with bookmakers, for which he sold bets against a revenue share. Private betting were legal at that time in New York City. At the age of 18 he started his own business as a bookmaker and had already developed a ansehliches assets.

Establishment of the New York Giants

The American Professional Football Association in 1920 started its gaming operations. Two years later, the league was renamed the National Football League ( NFL). The NFL had in their early years, financial problems, most professional teams were located in small towns. In order to develop new markets, the NFL was forced to expand into larger cities. 1925 turned to Joseph Carr, the executive director of the NFL on the New York Boxpromotor Billy Gibson and offered him to acquire a franchise for a team in New York. The purchase price was U.S. $ 500. Gibson had no interest in this business and Carr pointed to his friend Tim Mara, who had his boxer Gene Tunney sponsored. Tim Mara bought the franchise and the New York Giants were founded.

Professional football was at that time still not very popular. The football fans were interested almost exclusively in college football. To increase the popularity of his team, committed Mara Jim Thorpe, who became famous as Olympic champions, football and baseball players in the United States, as a new player. The first coach of the team was Bob Folwell, the Mara a year later replaced by Joe " Doc" Alexander.

Their home games carried the Giants from the Polo Grounds. Your first NFL titles won by the Giants in 1927 under coach Earl Potteiger. In the years 1934 and 1938 Mara won with his coach Steve Owen his second and third titles. The fourth title followed in 1956. Mara managed many top players on the team from New York to bind. 20 players of Mara were taken after their careers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Players like Ed Danowski, Jim Poole, Ray Poole, Otto Bacher quick or Shipwreck Kelly were elected during her career on All Pro.

Although the city of New York repeatedly witnessed the founding of other professional football teams that were on the Giants in direct competition, as the Brooklyn Dodgers or the New York Yankees, or in a competitive league, such as the Brooklyn Dodgers ( AAFC ), were settled, succeeded Mara be to keep team in the profit zone.

After his death his sons Wellington and Jack Mara took over the management of the Giants. Tim Mara was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. The New York Giants honor him in MetLife Stadium at the Ring of Honor He died of a heart attack and is buried at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.