Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman who owned two pro sports franchises in the Dallas area, as well as an English Premier League soccer team, died Saturday, Dec. 6, at the age of 79.
Hicks died peacefully in Dallas, surrounded by family, a spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday.
As the owner of MLB’s Texas Rangers, Hicks signed shortstop Alex Rodriguez to what was then the largest contract in baseball history − a 10-year, $252 million deal at the 2000 Winter Meetings − one that wouldn’t be surpassed until Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million pact with the Miami Marlins 15 years later.
Hicks owned the Rangers from 1998 to 2010 as they won three division titles and appeared in the 2010 World Series.
Three years earlier, Hicks purchased the Dallas Stars of the NHL, owning them from 1995 to 2011 and winning a Stanley Cup in 1999.
‘Our franchise would not be in the position we are today without the ownership of Mr. Hicks,’ the team said in a statement. ‘His legacy will be honored by our franchise for decades to come.’
Hicks expanded his sports empire into the world of seccer in 2007, when he acquired a 50% stake in Liverpool of the EPL.
He also served on the University of Texas’s board of regents from 1994 to 1999.