Lions Ford dead at 88...Bills Ralph Wilson only original living owner left in NFL

[DetDannyWilliams]

Detroit Lions (http://www.nfl.com/teams/detroitlions/profile?team=DET) owner and chairman William Clay Ford Sr. has died of pneumonia at his home, team president Tom Lewand announced Sunday (https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/442707889380016128). Ford was 88

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000332066/article/detroit-lions-owner-william-clay-ford-sr-passes-away

Only Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, 95, has owned an NFL team longer than Ford. Wilson has been with Buffalo since its inception in 1959.

[Night Train]

You run a car company and own an NFL team.

That's a cool life.

RIP

[BertSquirtgum]

Ralphie-poo is a cyborg. We got him for the long haul.

[Skooby]

He'll outlive most everybody I reckon.

[Homegrown]

if the NFL was a tontine, then Ralph won

[GreedoII]

Truly unBILLevable. Why won't this old senile fool drop dead already!?!? Detroit will now win a Super Bowl since they are finally rid of old ass owner syndrome.

[stuckincincy]

RIP, Mr. Ford.

[MikeNC]

At least Ralph gave you guys something to do on Sundays..... Greedo's disrespect for wishing the man dead is unbelievable and truely insulting... This team had 4 chances in a row to be SB World Champs, and thats Ralph's fault? Go home and look at your father and think of all the times he didn't do what you wanted, you gonna wish him dead, doubtful.....

[pmoon6]

Truly unBILLevable. Why won't this old senile fool drop dead already!?!? Detroit will now win a Super Bowl since they are finally rid of old ass owner syndrome.Truly, the depths of humanity. Wishing death on a man just because your football team hasn't made the playoffs in a while?

May your wishes be visited on you ten fold.

[coastal]

I love me some spiked troll threads.

[SpikedLemonade]

Notice that there is no panic as to who is going to own the Lions or if the Lions are going to relocate to another city.

[justasportsfan]

At least Ralph gave you guys something to do on Sundays..... Greedo's disrespect for wishing the man dead is unbelievable and truely insulting... This team had 4 chances in a row to be SB World Champs, and thats Ralph's fault? Go home and look at your father and think of all the times he didn't do what you wanted, you gonna wish him dead, doubtful.....

Some people need to get a life if they want a person to die because of a game

[cookie G]

Notice that there is no panic as to who is going to own the Lions or if the Lions are going to relocate to another city.

That's because they're moving to Toronto.

So the Torontorians can cheer for the ...Bears and Packers.

[SpikedLemonade]

That's because they're moving to Toronto.

So the Torontorians can cheer for the ...Bears and Packers.

No NFL team is moving to Toronto in the next decade.

My point is is that it is Ralph himself who has caused the panic in Buffalo by being unwilling to announce this supposed secret succession plan.

Then again, if Ralph's goal was to sell the Bills through his estate at highest price possible including to a owner who wants to relocate the team, he would be doing what he is doing now and simply say nothing.

In other words, Ralph has no succession plan other than his estate selling the Bills no strings attached.

Only the NFL owners as a group can prevent the Bills from relocating.

[OpIv37]

At least Ralph gave you guys something to do on Sundays..... Greedo's disrespect for wishing the man dead is unbelievable and truely insulting... This team had 4 chances in a row to be SB World Champs, and thats Ralph's fault? Go home and look at your father and think of all the times he didn't do what you wanted, you gonna wish him dead, doubtful.....
No, it's not Ralph's fault that the team lost 4 straight SB's. It is his fault that we've only had 4 chances and that this team has had far more failure than success under his ownership. It took him 25 years after the merger to figure out how to do business in the NFL and have some success, and he still hasn't adjusted to the new realities of the salary cap and free agency 20 years later.

I won't go as far as wishing death on the guy, but the bar for judging Ralph has to be set much, much higher than simply giving us something to do on Sundays.

Some of you seem content to give Ralph credit for the one great thing he did in 1959 while forgetting that he proceeded to suck for the next half century and counting. The sorry state of this organization is on Ralph's head. Don't forget it.

[SpikedLemonade]

I won't go as far as wishing death on the guy, but the bar for judging Ralph has to be set much, much higher than simply giving us something to do on Sundays.

"Otherwise we are just a bunch of alcoholics gathering in a parking lot on Sunday mornings..."

[EricStratton]

No NFL team is moving to Toronto in the next decade.

My point is is that it is Ralph himself who has caused the panic in Buffalo by being unwilling to announce this supposed secret succession plan.

Then again, if Ralph's goal was to sell the Bills through his estate at highest price possible including to a owner who wants to relocate the team, he would be doing what he is doing now and simply say nothing.

In other words, Ralph has no succession plan other than his estate selling the Bills no strings attached.

Only the NFL owners as a group can prevent the Bills from relocating.


Show us all where the Ford publicly announced his succession plan prior to his death because if he did none of the Detroit papers know about it. There are presumptions made but nothing is public.

[Buffalogic]

Here comes a Jay-Z song.

[OpIv37]

Show us all where the Ford publicly announced his succession plan prior to his death because if he did none of the Detroit papers know about it. There are presumptions made but nothing is public.

Detroit's not in danger of moving, hence a succession plan is not nearly as important as it is for Ralph.

[SpikedLemonade]

Show us all where the Ford publicly announced his succession plan prior to his death because if he did none of the Detroit papers know about it. There are presumptions made but nothing is public.

They are keeping the Lions in the family.

Do you find even one article suggesting the Lions may relocate?

We can find hundreds of those for the Bills.

Why is that?

The City of Detroit is bankrupt.

[EricStratton]

There is no article showing a public succession plan. The Ford family more then likely has one but it has not been made public.

You seem to want the Wilsons to publish things that no other owners do.

- - - Updated - - -


Detroit's not in danger of moving, hence a succession plan is not nearly as important as it is for Ralph.


Do you know that he doesn't have one?

[SpikedLemonade]

"Pursuant to long-established succession plans, Mr. Ford's controlling interest in the Lions (http://www.nfl.com/teams/detroitlions/profile?team=DET) passes to Mrs. Martha Ford," the team said in a statement. "She and her four children will continue to be involved in the ownership of the franchise, as they have during Mr. Ford's tenure."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000332392/article/martha-ford-takes-controlling-interest-in-detroit-lions

[trapezeus]

ralph's biggest asset is the bills. his family doesn't have the cashflow to support the estate tax so a sale is a big portion of the family planning for the wilsons.

for the ford's, they have other successful industries they are in and have the basic liquidity to get the financing to manage that estate tax.

that's why it's an issue for ralph and family and not one for ford and family.

[EricStratton]

"Pursuant to long-established succession plans, Mr. Ford's controlling interest in the Lions (http://www.nfl.com/teams/detroitlions/profile?team=DET) passes to Mrs. Martha Ford," the team said in a statement. "She and her four children will continue to be involved in the ownership of the franchise, as they have during Mr. Ford's tenure."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000332392/article/martha-ford-takes-controlling-interest-in-detroit-lions


Was the plan made public prior to his death?

[OpIv37]

There is no article showing a public succession plan. The Ford family more then likely has one but it has not been made public.

You seem to want the Wilsons to publish things that no other owners do.

- - - Updated - - -




Do you know that he doesn't have one?

Of course I don't know, but the only evidence that there is a succession plan is that no one can prove that there isn't one

No one actually in a position to know has ever even hinted at one. And every time this topic comes up, I ask the following question, and I have yet to receive an answer:

If Ralph does have a succession plan, why is he keeping it a secret? Why live out his life a villain when he could be a hero?

I just want one good reason why it would be to his advantage to keep a succession plan secret.

[EricStratton]

Of course I don't know, but the only evidence that there is a succession plan is that no one can prove that there isn't one

No one actually in a position to know has ever even hinted at one. And every time this topic comes up, I ask the following question, and I have yet to receive an answer:

If Ralph does have a succession plan, why is he keeping it a secret? Why live out his life a villain when he could be a hero?

I just want one good reason why it would be to his advantage to keep a succession plan secret.



because you're asking people on a message board who have the same information as you do.


When the Jets owner died many years ago and the team was sold to plan was made public prior to his death because it would allow potential buyers the time to line up their financing and Hess had an idea of who he wanted the team sold to. Releasing a plan at the time wasn't good business and I suspect the Wilson family feels the same way.

The NFL is a business, placating the fans doesn't matter much.

[OpIv37]

because you're asking people on a message board who have the same information as you do.


When the Jets owner died many years ago and the team was sold to plan was made public prior to his death because it would allow potential buyers the time to line up their financing and Hess had an idea of who he wanted the team sold to. Releasing a plan at the time wasn't good business and I suspect the Wilson family feels the same way.

The NFL is a business, placating the fans doesn't matter much.

It's not just placating the fans- it's Ralph's legacy. And we know he cares about that. After all, it's not good business to have his name on the stadium instead of selling the naming rights, but he does it.

And in terms of potential buyers, I think too few will be more a problem for the Bills than too many- at least too few who want to keep the team in Buffalo. It would be to Ralph's advantage to have a local buying group ready to go so an out of town group doesn't swoop in and get the team before anyone local can get their financing together. Of course, that's assuming Ralph gives two ****s where the team ends up after he's gone, and I'm not convinced that he does.

[pmoon6]

:rofl: Douchebags, the core of Bills' Nation.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

He'll outlive most everybody I reckon.

My grandchildren --who have yet to be born because I have yet to find their grandmother -- will curse Ralph Wilson on their deathbeds after they die in their mid 90s and yet Ralph will go on.