Archives for March 26, 2014

‘Wilson’s plans, in large part, may wind up revolving around the pesky issue of estate taxes and what provisions, if any, Wilson put in place to reduce or eliminate payment of those taxes upon his death. The timing of his death may also be a factor. In 2014, the federal tax rate for estates worth more than $5.34 million is 40 percent.’

‘”Mr. Wilson may have owned the Bills, but they were Buffalo’s team,” said former Mayor Anthony Masiello. “Unless you live or lived here, you have no way of knowing the deep attachment Buffalonians have with the Bills.”‘

‘For now, the Bills are in the early stages of a 10-year lease extension at Ralph Wilson Stadium that was signed in December 2012. It binds the Bills to Buffalo until 2022, with any prospective buyer on the hook for $400 million if he (or she) attempts to break the lease and move the team from Buffalo. The lease does have an escape window if the new owner notifies Erie County and New York state by Feb. 28, 2020. For that short period only the relocation penalty would be $28.36 million. The escape clause only kicks in if a judge fails or declines to issue an injunction that would prevent the team from leaving through the end of the lease.’

Blank issues statement on Wilson’s death (AtlantaFalcons.com)

Ralph Wilson, a founding AFL father, dies at 95 (Denver Post)

Remembering Ralph Wilson (DenverBroncos.com)

Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson dies at 95 (Detroit News)

Ralph Wilson built Bills into powerhouse for blue-collar Buffalo (Detroit News)

Buffalo Bills owner, ‘special man’ and Detroit’s Ralph Wilson dies at 95 (Detroit Free Press)

Bills owner Ralph Wilson, once a minority owner of Detroit Lions, dies at 95 (Ann Arbor News)

Ralph Wilson, Jr. was a true gentleman-sportsman (DetroitLions.com)

Statement from president Tom Lewand on passing of Buffalo Bills’ Owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. (DetroitLions.com)

Statement from Bob McNair on passing of Ralph Wilson Jr. (HoustonTexans.com)

Statement from the Indianapolis Colts on the passing of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. (Colts.com)

Shahid Khan statement on Ralph Wilson Jr. (Jaguars.com)

Buffalo Bills owner and ‘Foolish Club’ member Ralph Wilson Jr. dies at 95 (Kansas City Star)

Clark Hunt on the Passing of Ralph Wilson Jr. (KCChiefs.com)

Ralph Wilson dies at 95; founder of Buffalo Bills (Los Angeles Times)

Statement From Vikings Owner Zygi Wilf on Ralph Wilson Jr. (Vikings.com)

Statement from Robert Kraft on the passing of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. (Patriots.com)

Ralph Wilson, Founding Owner of the Buffalo Bills, Dies at 95 (New York Times)

Longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson dies as Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly battles cancer (New York Daily News)

Bills owner Ralph Wilson dead at 95 (New York Post)

Ralph Wilson had Giants owner John Mara’s admiration (Newsday)

Giants’ John Mara remembers legendary Bills owner, close family friend (Newark Star Ledger)

Woody Johnson’s Remarks on Ralph Wilson (NewYorkJets.com)

Raiders Statement on the Passing of Ralph Wilson (Raiders.com)

Lurie On Ralph Wilson And Kelly’s Plan (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

Statement from Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney and President Art Rooney II on Ralph Wilson (Steelers.com)

Chargers mourn death of Bills owner (San Diego Union Tribune)

Spanos Statement on Passing of Ralph Wilson (Chargers.com)

NFL loses a legendary owner in Ralph Wilson (Seahawks.com)

Ralph Wilson Jr.’s impact reaches well beyond Buffalo Bills (Saint Louis Post Dispatch)

Statement from Gregg Williams on the Passing of Ralph Wilson (StLouisRams.com)

Statement from Titans CEO/President Tommy Smith on Death of Ralph Wilson (TitansOnline.com)

Ralph Wilson, owner of Buffalo Bills, dies at 95 (Washington Post)

Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson dies at 95 (USA Today)

Detroit aching after the deaths of Wilson, Ford Sr. (USA Today)

‘I always appreciated Wilson’s wit and loyalty. Buffalo was lucky to have Wilson as an owner. He did everything possible to keep the team in Buffalo, even though he could have made more money if he had moved the team to another city.’

‘”No one loved the game of football more than Ralph Wilson,” Russ Brandon, Buffalo’s CEO, said Tuesday. “He passed away peacefully at his home with his beautiful wife, Mary, and his daughters by his side.”

‘Wilson had been in failing health for several years after having hip surgery in 2011. Though he spent much of his time at his home suburban Detroit, he was well enough to attend the Hall of Fame induction weekends over the past few years.’

‘Wilson was a major investor in a venture capital company that Snyder helped create.’

‘Reaction on the death Tuesday of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson…’.

‘Dan Kelly says his brother is humbled by an outpouring of prayers posted on social media. Jill Kelly has been providing updates on Twitter and her blog.’

‘Since joining his seven fellow compatriots, led by Lamar Hunt, in getting the American Football League off the ground, Wilson has overseen the development of a franchise which can boast 17 playoff appearances, 10 division crowns and four AFC championships along with two AFL titles (1964-65).’

‘”No one loved the game of football more than Ralph Wilson,” Brandon said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. “They don’t make ’em like Ralph Wilson, they just don’t.”‘

‘Wilson, the founder of the Bills and the only owner they have ever known, passed away at his Detroit-area home. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, Wilson is survived by his wife, Mary, and two daughters, Christy and Edith.’

‘Other charitable work includes thousands of dollars in grants to improve athletic fields in the Buffalo area and contributions to the Food Bank of WNY, the United Way, Ronald McDonald House, Shea’s Performing Art Center, SPCA of Erie County and the Hospice Center of Western New York, among other benefactors.’

‘It is also ironic that when the tour was wrapping up, which may have been close to the hour of Wilson’s passing, that the team’s Vice President for Marketing and Broadcasting said something, that Wilson himself might have said, had he been here.’