Bill Foley | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Foley at theUnited States Military Academy in 2024 | |
| Born | William Patrick Foley II (1944-12-29)29 December 1944 (age 80) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy (B.S.) University of Washington School of Law (J.D.) |
| Occupation(s) | Financial services Professional sports owner |
| Known for | Chairman of the Board ofFidelity National Financial Owner of theVegas Golden Knights Owner ofAFC Bournemouth Owner ofAuckland FC Shareholder ofHibernian Majority owner ofWhitefish Mountain Resort |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
William Patrick Foley II (born December 29, 1944) is an American businessman and former attorney, specializing in financial services. He is chairman ofFidelity National Financial, Cannae Holdings andBlack Knight Financial Services.[1] Foley is the lead investor, chairman, and CEO of Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, a consortium that owns theVegas Golden Knights. He is the owner ofIndoor Football League teamVegas Knight Hawks.[2] He is managing general partner of Black Knight Football Club,[3] which ownsPremier League clubAFC Bournemouth (England),A-League clubAuckland FC (New Zealand),Primeira Liga clubMoreirense F.C. (Portugal) and a stake inLigue 1 clubFC Lorient (France). As of 2023, he had an estimated net worth of US$1.6 billion according toForbes.
Growing up, Foley mostly lived inTexas with his family and extended family, who were ranchers. For a time, he lived inOttawa,Ontario, when his father was posted in theUnited States Air Force there. Foley playedshinny, an informal type of ice hockey, and started a lifelong appreciation for the sport.[4]
Foley attended theUnited States Military Academy. While a cadet, he made $40,000 on the stock market, which he invested in during his spare time. Upon graduating fromWest Point, Foley was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, where during his career he negotiated million-dollar defense contracts withBoeing. After leaving the Air Force, Foley earned hisJ.D. from theUniversity of Washington in 1974 and moved into corporate law. Later, he bought and revitalized the then-struggling title insurance firm Fidelity National Financial. He would go on to invest in wineries, golf courses, hotels, ski resorts, steak houses, fast-food restaurants and auto parts manufacturers.[5]
While Foley was living inJacksonville, Florida, he explored buying theNational Football League'sJacksonville Jaguars, before the team was acquired byShahid Khan.[5]
In late 2006, Foley became the majority shareholder of Winter Sports, Inc. (WSI), the operator ofWhitefish Mountain Resort, inWhitefish, Montana.[6] Foley's takeover of WSI occurred through a series of tworeverse stock splits that took WSI from a publicly traded company, with many shareholders living in the localFlathead Valley, to a privateS corp. Foley was able to purchase 27% of the outstanding WSI shares in the early 2000s from Richard A. Dasen, a local shareholder who went to prison for 14 prostitution-related crimes.[7][8]
In June 2016, Foley and Black Knight Sports & Entertainment was awarded aNational Hockey League expansion franchise that became theVegas Golden Knights.[9] The Golden Knights began play in the2017–18 season at the newT-Mobile Arena, and also acquired a minority ownership of the facility.[10][11] Foley pledged to win aStanley Cup in six seasons, and the Golden Knights made good on that promise in 2023.[12] In 2020, Black Knight Sports & Entertainment purchased anAmerican Hockey League franchise to act as a development team for the Golden Knights, relocating theSan Antonio Rampage to become theHenderson Silver Knights.[13] The Silver Knights played out of theOrleans Arena until theDollar Loan Center, which is operated by Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, was completed in 2022.[14]
In 2021, Foley announced Black Knight Sports & Entertainment had purchased an expansion team in theIndoor Football League to begin play in 2022 at the Dollar Loan Center inHenderson, Nevada.[15] On August 23, 2021, the team unveiled their name and logo as theVegas Knight Hawks.[2]
On December 13, 2022, a group of investors led by Foley completed a deal to purchase Englishfootball clubAFC Bournemouth, with Foley assuming the role of chairman. Ahead of the deal, he was present at one of Bournemouth'sPremier League matches againstLeicester City, with theCherries winning 2–1.[16][17][18] On January 13, 2023, Foley acquired a significant minority stake in French football clubLorient, creating a partnership with Bournemouth.[19]
On October 11, 2023, theAustralian Professional Leagues (APL) announced Foley as the preferred bidder to be the owner of a newA-Leagues expansion club, based inAuckland, New Zealand.[20] The APL officially confirmed the new team would be awarded a licence under Foley's ownership on November 21, with theAuckland FC men's team being introduced for the2024–25 A-League Men season and the women's team competing from 2025–26 onwards.[21]
At anAGM held in February 2024, Black Knight ratified a deal to become a significant minority shareholder in Scottish football clubHibernian.[22] The result of this deal is that Black Knight will be acquiring 25% of Hibs for a £6 million investment, while the Gordon family will retain its majority control (60%) of the club.[22] Foley was appointed to the club's board of directors soon afterwards.[23]
Since 1969, Foley has been married to Carol Johnson, a former flight attendant forUnited Airlines, with whom he has four children.[24] His wife and daughters are all involved in the family winery,[25] while his son is the chief business officer of theVegas Golden Knights.[26] His other son, who was also a part of the winemaking business, died at the age of 31 in August 2018, as a result of a traumatic head injury.[27][28]
Foley is a financial supporter ofPresidentDonald Trump.[29]
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