Tom Hicks, the former owner of Liverpool and two Dallas-area professional sports franchises, has died aged 79.
In 2007, the Texas businessman acquired a 50 per cent stake in Liverpool, whom he co-owned alongside George Gillett.
The club was sold to New England Sports Ventures (NESV, who later became Fenway Sports Group) in October 2010, after encountering financial difficulties. The pair did not oversee any trophy victories for Liverpool during their three-and-a-half years at the club.
Hicks told Sky Sports after the club was sold that he was devastated after claiming the club was wrestled from him in an “epic swindle”.
Hicks, who failed to become a popular figure among the Liverpool fanbase, also accepted that “something went wrong with my ability to communicate with the fans. I am saddened by it.”
Gillett and Hicks owned Liverpool for three-and-a-half years (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Alongside Liverpool, Hicks owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars from 1995 to 2011, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.
He also owned baseball’s Texas Rangers from 1998 to 2010, leading them to three American West Division titles and a World Series appearance.
“Being shoulder to shoulder with him was always about more than ballparks and stadiums, though,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement, as per Reuters.
“It was about personal respect, trust and friendship. We shared a lot of miles together, and I’ll miss him greatly. My heart goes out to his family.”
Hicks is survived by his wife Cinda Cree Hicks, to whom he was married for 35 years, and his six children — Thomas Ollis Hicks Jr., Mack Hardin Hicks, John Alexander Hicks, Robert Bradley Hicks, William Cree Hicks and Catherine Forgrave Hicks.
A statement from the family read: “Of everything he accomplished in his remarkable life, Tom Hicks’s most cherished title was, ‘Dad.’
“No matter the trials and tribulations he faced in life, he was constant in his generosity and love for his family. He remains a guiding force for our family, and we are deeply honored to continue expanding his legacy.
“Although we are devastated by this loss, we are profoundly grateful to have been his children.”
