John W. Mecom Jr.
John W. Mecom Jr. (born 1940[1]) is the chairman of the John W. Mecom company and former owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team.
Mecom is the son of Texas oilman John W. Mecom Sr. and his wife Mary Elizabeth. He was a student at the University of Oklahoma.[2][3]
He is the owner and chairman of the John W. Mecom company, which was started by his father. The company is primarily involved in real estate and the oil and gas industry.
John, Jr. followed with his own achievements in the oil and gas industry, and in various real estate ventures. He also branched out into professional sports with a special interest in motorsport and football. In the early 1960s he formed his own racing team, Mecom Racing that successfully competed throughout the U.S. and had such drivers as Roger Penske, Pedro Rodriguez, AJ Foyt and Jackie Stewart. Graham Hill raced his car to victory at the 1966 Indianapolis 500.[4]
In 1967, Mecom purchased the newly enfranchised New Orleans Saints for $8.5 million from the NFL and became the youngest owner of an NFL franchise.[5] He owned the Saints until 1985, when he sold the team for $64 million to New Orleans-native businessman Tom Benson.[6]
References
- ^ "Bloomberg Executive Profile". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ "John W. Mecom Jr. An Inventory of His Papers". Texas Archival Resources Online. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ^ Minetree, Harry (June 23, 1975). "John Mecom Jr. Prepares to Battle the U.s. to Keep Exotic Animals on His Texas Ranch". People. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ "Road Racing Drivers Club, John Mecom". Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "John W. Mecom Jr. An Inventory of His Papers". Texas Archival Resources Online. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Deal Made for Saints". New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
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