Hugh Culverhouse
Encyclopedia
Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr. (1919 – August 26, 1994) was the longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
of the National Football League
(NFL). He was a successful tax law
yer, and his real estate investments made him one of the nation's wealthiest men. His work brought him into contact with National Football League team owners, and his failed purchase of the Los Angeles Rams placed him in line to become the owner of the fledgling Buccaneer franchise. He owned the team from its inception until his death.
Culverhouse became one of the most influential team owners in the NFL, and was credited with modernizing the league, even while his teams were rarely competitive on the field. He oversaw the league's course of direction through two player strikes, and the modern league's financial stability is in great part due to his leadership. He held influence for over a decade, before stepping back due to criticism of what other owners saw as his overly-secretive ways.
Culverhouse was initially lauded for bringing professional football to the Tampa Bay area, but eventually came to be blamed for the team's struggles. His refusal to pay Doug Williams at a salary level comparable to that of the league's top quarterbacks insulted fans, and was seen as the beginning of the team's decline during the 1980s. It further led to the belief that Culverhouse was unconcerned with fielding a winning team, as long as the result was profitable. The Buccaneers' NFL-record streak of fourteen consecutive losing seasons cemented this perception, although Culverhouse did make several notable attempts to improve the team.
Culverhouse was diagnosed with cancer in 1992, and died in 1994. His apparent attempt to exclude his wife from his inheritance led to posthumous revelations of extramarital affairs. Ensuing lawsuits caused an ownership crisis that almost required the team to relocate to another city, before the Glazer family stepped forward with a purchase offer.
, Culverhouse attended the University of Alabama
, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity (Psi chapter). On the University of Alabama boxing team, he competed together with future governor George Wallace
, an experience to which he attributed his confidence in later life. He graduated in 1941. After serving in the Army Air Corps
in World War II
, he earned a law degree from his alma mater in 1947. He immediately took a job as an assistant state attorney general, serving there for two years. After serving in the Korean War
, he became legal counsel for the Internal Revenue Service
, where he prosecuted many of the cases resulting from the organized crime investigations of Senator Estes Kefauver
. He resigned from the IRS in 1962 after a decade of service, and moved to Jacksonville, Florida
, where he entered private practice, specializing in tax law
. Although he was considered to be one of the nation's top tax lawyers, one whose cases were sometimes cited by the Supreme Court of the United States
, his fortune was built on real estate investments. Listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the 250 wealthiest people in the United States, he eventually had investments in 37 companies and was worth over $
380 million at his death. He served as a personal representative of President Gerald Ford
, bearing the title of U.S. Ambassador, at the 1976 Winter Olympics
in Innsbruck, Austria. The University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration is named for him.
Culverhouse's investments included several banks, Provincetown-Boston Airlines
, the Palmer Ranch
real estate development near Sarasota, Florida
, and movie productions including A Chorus Line
and The Emerald Forest. He was criticized over a planned extension of Interstate 75
into South Florida, as its route went directly past land owned by numerous powerful investors, including Culverhouse, Governor Bob Graham
, State Attorney General Jim Smith, and the Arvida Corporation.
for $17 million, only to learn that Reeves later sold the team to Robert Irsay
for $19 million. When Irsay then traded teams with Rosenbloom, Culverhouse sued, claiming that the others had conspired to prevent his purchase of the team. An out-of-court settlement guaranteed Rosenbloom's aid in getting an expansion franchise for Culverhouse. The opportunity came two years later, when the league expanded to Seattle and Tampa. Culverhouse was offered the Seattle expansion franchise, but declined it due to his residence in Jacksonville. Philadelphia construction company owner Thomas McCloskey
was originally awarded the Tampa franchise, but soon found the business arrangement to be different than what he had expected, and backed out of the deal. Culverhouse was then awarded the franchise by the Art Rooney
-chaired NFL Expansion Committee, ahead of Fort Lauderdale furniture chain (and future Boston Celtics
) owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.
The name "Tampa Bay Buccaneers" was chosen as a nod to the team representing not only the city of Tampa, but the entire Florida Suncoast
area; and to the pirates who once inhabited the area.
Culverhouse quickly became one of the most influential NFL owners; he served as a member of the Player Club Relations Committee that handled player grievances, and of the NFL Congressional Committee. He was a member of the Executive Committee that handled negotiations during the 1982 NFL strike, an experience that earned him great praise from NFL negotiator Jack Donlan. Donlan praised Culverhouse's logic, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and his effectiveness "at getting his way". Culverhouse was credited with having a big hand in the owners' course of direction during the strike, and was responsible for recruiting Donlan as negotiator. He repeated the role during the 1987 players' strike, after which NFLPA President Gene Upshaw
described him as "formidable", and said that "at times, the whole league seemed to flow from this one guy". He was chairman of the NFL Finance Committee and the Management Council Executive Committee. His efforts were instrumental in bringing Super Bowl XVIII
to Tampa, despite a lack of adequate hotel space in the city. Culverhouse was also a pioneer in using computers to handle team finances and scouting reports. He was a member of the four-man committee that stripped ownership of the New England Patriots
from the Sullivan family when their debt became too great. Patriots founder Billy Sullivan
later accused Culverhouse of blocking his effort to propose a stock sale that would have eased the debt. Culverhouse distanced himself from the NFL power core in later years, stung by other owners' criticisms of the Management Council. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
credited Culverhouse for building much of the strength and unity of the modern NFL.
offseason of executives who had been involved with unpopular decisions that Culverhouse had supported at the time. In one case, marketing director Bill Marcum was fired due to public backlash over the team's $12 ticket prices for an exhibition in Jacksonville, even though Culverhouse had set the ticket prices, and Marcum had opposed them.
. Georgia's marriage to composer Dominic Frontiere
took place at Culverhouse's home, with Culverhouse himself, a notary public
, performing the ceremony. The relationship, in which Culverhouse served as an advisor to the Los Angeles Rams while maintaining ownership of the Buccaneers, was criticized as a conflict of interest
. The Los Angeles Coliseum Council accused the Rams of seeking Culverhouse's counsel when several players held out during the 1980
preseason; the Buccaneers won a 10–9 victory over that same unprepared Rams team early that season. Culverhouse also oversaw a reorganization of the Rams' front office; the relationship earned him the nickname of "Godfather" of the Rams. Culverhouse and Frontiere were two of the owners named in a lawsuit brought by Al Davis
, who alleged that their campaign contributions to Senator Robert Byrd
of West Virginia
were an attempt to buy his support in helping to prevent Davis' planned move of the Oakland Raiders
to Los Angeles.
Culverhouse's relationships with other NFL owners were occasionally, as in his relationship with the Rams, alleged to constitute conflicts of interest. His $3 million loan to help Philadelphia Eagles
owner Leonard Tose
with his gambling debts was one example, as it violated the NFL constitution and bylaws. On other occasions, he was criticized for his overly-secretive ways as NFL Finance Committee Chairman, as other league owners found it difficult to obtain information on how league finances were being spent. In particular, owners were upset about not being informed about money given to NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
in a 5-year extension of his contract. The extension was awarded to him by the Finance Committee as a reward for negotiation of the league television contract in 1982, even though Rozelle had five years remaining on his current contract.
Culverhouse was considered to have drawn a closer friendship than an owner should to his coach, having guaranteed John McKay employment for life. When the team began to lose, area fans blamed McKay, and felt that there was no hope for any change. He was, however, credited with recognizing the need for a change in leadership, as he went outside of the organization in seeking a replacement when McKay retired. He then upset fans by broadcasting advertisements thanking fans for their support, while simultaneously raising ticket prices.
, a running back who had two total carries in his two years in Tampa Bay. After the 1982
season, Williams asked for a $600,000 contract that would pay him among the league's top quarterbacks. Culverhouse refused to budge from his initial offer of $400,000, which he said would make Williams one of the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. Williams' agent disputed this, saying that Culverhouse's offer was substantially less than what several other quarterbacks made. With negotiations at a standstill, the Buccaneers traded the following season's first-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals
in exchange for Jack Thompson, a backup quarterback who had been unable to unseat Ken Anderson, as an insurance policy should Williams prove impossible to sign, or have trouble recovering from offseason knee surgery. Williams interpreted this as a sign that the team did not want him, and instead signed a contract with the Oklahoma Outlaws of the United States Football League
.
His hard line with Williams created the perception that Culverhouse was more concerned with profits than with putting a winning team on the field. It aroused suspicions that Culverhouse's main concern was the Buccaneers' salary structure, and that this was related to the frequency with which the team traded away its first-round draft choices. Williams' comments that he would have been treated differently had he been white resonated with the Bay Area African American
community, who saw the Buccaneers' ensuing on-field woes as retribution, boycotted Buccaneer games by the thousands, and commented that Culverhouse throws parties that cost more than what Williams was asking for. The Buccaneers missed Williams' confidence and ability to make big plays at key times, and lost their first nine games in 1983
, when they had been expected to contend for the playoffs. They then launched a streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons, the longest since the merger between the NFL and the All-America Football Conference
in 1950, and would not have another winning season in Culverhouse's lifetime. The timing of the situation coincided with the ascendance of the Tampa Bay Bandits
, who led the USFL in attendance with a wide-open, crowd-pleasing offense led by local hero Steve Spurrier
, while the Buccaneers were losing games with a conservative offense that fans found boring. Attendance having dropped sharply, Culverhouse then further alienated fans by berating them, accusing them of apathy.
games also be blacked out, sometimes even when Buccaneer games were sellouts. He further inflamed fans in 1989
by proposing to move some of the team's games to Orlando, due to poor attendance. Several local radio stations responded with billboards saying "Hugh gotta go!", and with a picture of a screw next to Culverhouse's name. The Tampa Chamber of Commerce countered with a billboard thanking Culverhouse for bringing Super Bowl XXV
to Tampa.
that Culverhouse had never blocked any deals, even those involving a great amount of money. Later, however, the team let go or traded away many of its players who were highly-paid and/or demanded more money, including Dave Pear
, Doug Williams, Ricky Reynolds
, Reggie Cobb
, Mark Carrier
, and Jeris White
. First-round draft choices were frequently traded for players who were not considered to be of equal value, as when the team traded for often-injured defensive end Wally Chambers
without requiring that he first pass a physical examination. Frustration over being beaten by players he had pleaded with Culverhouse to sign contributed to the resignation of McKay. He also fired well-regarded personnel director Ken Herock
, when Herock demanded to be paid in line with his value around the league.
Despite the losing and the poor attendance, the Buccaneers were one of the NFL's most profitable teams for most of Culverhouse's ownership. In 1989, only the Chicago Bears
had higher profits than the 5–11 Buccaneers, who profited $6.3 million with the league's second-lowest payroll, while the Super Bowl
champion San Francisco 49ers
lost $16.2 million. The team attributed their low salaries to the players' youth, stating that it was the coaches who had made the decision to use younger players, who drew lower salaries than veterans. This contributed to the perception that Culverhouse was not committed to fielding a quality team, although the rookie contracts he gave to Vinny Testaverde
and Paul Gruber
were so high as to upset other team owners, while he made Ray Perkins one of the five highest-paid NFL head coaches. He also offered Bill Parcells
$6.5 million to coach the team, offered draft pick Bo Jackson
a five-year, $7 million contract that was at the time the highest in NFL history for a rookie, paid Keith McCants
an NFL-record $2.5 million signing bonus, and paid Steve Young $6 million in salary, plus another $1 million for the buyout of his USFL contract.
in 1992. After a successful operation to remove a tumor and part of his lung, he began chemotherapy a few months later, when a routine exam revealed a recurrence of the cancer. Despite his health problems, he remained a hard worker until the end, and even went hunting in Tanzania
only four days after having part of his lung removed. An experimental procedure failed to stop the cancer, and he died on August 25, 1994, at the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans
. He was survived by wife Joy, daughter Gay
, and son Hugh, Jr.
owner Peter Angelos
, New York Yankees
owner (and Tampa resident) George Steinbrenner
, and Massachusetts developer Socrates Babacas. In response to the ensuing publicity, the trust administering Culverhouse's estate then issued a statement that the team was not for sale. They reversed their position two months later, as a poor early-season record led to declining fan support and revenues. The decision to sell the franchise came on the same day that Joy filed a $25 million claim against Hugh's estate. Hugh had paid $16 million for the franchise, which was now valued at $142 million. With Barnett Bank
filing claims for $20.8 million against the Culverhouse estate, the trustees came very close to accepting Angelos' $200 million dollar offer, which would have involved relocating the team to Baltimore, Maryland. Fearful of losing the team, civic leaders presented a proposal guaranteeing ticket sales of at least 55,000 for all home games for the next two years. The team was eventually sold to Palm Beach, Florida
businessman Malcolm Glazer
for $192 million, the largest price ever paid for a professional sports franchise.
executive for managing the estate and included a 10-year golden parachute
clause. She also alleged that the value of Culverhouse's estate had been misrepresented to her at the time that she signed the agreement. The lawsuits made the details of the Culverhouse estate public. When it was discovered that the trust had paid hush money
to a mistress of Hugh's, Joy's lawyer alleged that Hugh had planned to divorce Joy, and that the trust was created to deprive her of her rightful assets. Court depositions revealed three extramarital affairs, including Susan Brinkley, wife of broadcaster David Brinkley
. The suits were eventually settled, with each of the three trustees being paid $3 million to remove themselves from the handling of his estate, and Joy being allowed to appoint her own trustees. Joy then said of Hugh, "I'd like to pull him out of the grave and shoot him with every bullet I could get".
Culverhouse was also a member of the board of trustees who administered the annual Florida Prize award for outstanding work in the visual or performing arts.
Culverhouse's fatal flaw: "He was cheap"
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He was a successful tax law
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
yer, and his real estate investments made him one of the nation's wealthiest men. His work brought him into contact with National Football League team owners, and his failed purchase of the Los Angeles Rams placed him in line to become the owner of the fledgling Buccaneer franchise. He owned the team from its inception until his death.
Culverhouse became one of the most influential team owners in the NFL, and was credited with modernizing the league, even while his teams were rarely competitive on the field. He oversaw the league's course of direction through two player strikes, and the modern league's financial stability is in great part due to his leadership. He held influence for over a decade, before stepping back due to criticism of what other owners saw as his overly-secretive ways.
Culverhouse was initially lauded for bringing professional football to the Tampa Bay area, but eventually came to be blamed for the team's struggles. His refusal to pay Doug Williams at a salary level comparable to that of the league's top quarterbacks insulted fans, and was seen as the beginning of the team's decline during the 1980s. It further led to the belief that Culverhouse was unconcerned with fielding a winning team, as long as the result was profitable. The Buccaneers' NFL-record streak of fourteen consecutive losing seasons cemented this perception, although Culverhouse did make several notable attempts to improve the team.
Culverhouse was diagnosed with cancer in 1992, and died in 1994. His apparent attempt to exclude his wife from his inheritance led to posthumous revelations of extramarital affairs. Ensuing lawsuits caused an ownership crisis that almost required the team to relocate to another city, before the Glazer family stepped forward with a purchase offer.
Early life
A native of Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Culverhouse attended the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
fraternity (Psi chapter). On the University of Alabama boxing team, he competed together with future governor George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
, an experience to which he attributed his confidence in later life. He graduated in 1941. After serving in the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he earned a law degree from his alma mater in 1947. He immediately took a job as an assistant state attorney general, serving there for two years. After serving in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he became legal counsel for the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, where he prosecuted many of the cases resulting from the organized crime investigations of Senator Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
. He resigned from the IRS in 1962 after a decade of service, and moved to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, where he entered private practice, specializing in tax law
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
. Although he was considered to be one of the nation's top tax lawyers, one whose cases were sometimes cited by the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, his fortune was built on real estate investments. Listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the 250 wealthiest people in the United States, he eventually had investments in 37 companies and was worth over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
380 million at his death. He served as a personal representative of President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, bearing the title of U.S. Ambassador, at the 1976 Winter Olympics
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
in Innsbruck, Austria. The University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration is named for him.
Culverhouse's investments included several banks, Provincetown-Boston Airlines
Provincetown-Boston Airlines
Provincetown-Boston Airline , or better known as PBA, was an airline that operated between 1949 and 1989. The airline operated a route network in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and at one time was the largest commuter airline in the United States before its purchase by People...
, the Palmer Ranch
Palmer Ranch
Palmer Ranch is a massive real estate development in Sarasota County, Florida between the cities of Sarasota and Osprey. Located very roughly by Clark Road, Tamiami Trail and Interstate 75, it was part of the original 80,000 acres of Florida land purchased by Bertha Honoré Palmer, wife of Chicago...
real estate development near Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, and movie productions including A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line (film)
A Chorus Line is a 1985 musical film directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Michael Douglas. The screenplay by Arnold Schulman is based on the Tony Award-winning book of the 1975 stage production of the same name by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante...
and The Emerald Forest. He was criticized over a planned extension of Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
into South Florida, as its route went directly past land owned by numerous powerful investors, including Culverhouse, Governor Bob Graham
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
, State Attorney General Jim Smith, and the Arvida Corporation.
Ownership of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 1972, Culverhouse had a handshake deal to buy the Los Angeles Rams from owner Dan ReevesDan Reeves (NFL owner)
Daniel "Dan" Reeves was the owner of the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams from 1941 to his death in 1971.In addition to the controversial move of the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Reeves is remembered for being the first NFL owner to sign an African-American player in the post World War II era...
for $17 million, only to learn that Reeves later sold the team to Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
for $19 million. When Irsay then traded teams with Rosenbloom, Culverhouse sued, claiming that the others had conspired to prevent his purchase of the team. An out-of-court settlement guaranteed Rosenbloom's aid in getting an expansion franchise for Culverhouse. The opportunity came two years later, when the league expanded to Seattle and Tampa. Culverhouse was offered the Seattle expansion franchise, but declined it due to his residence in Jacksonville. Philadelphia construction company owner Thomas McCloskey
Thomas McCloskey
Thomas D. McCloskey was a Philadelphia construction magnate. He became the president of McCloskey & Co. Builders when his father, former Democratic National Treasurer Matthew H. McCloskey, was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ireland....
was originally awarded the Tampa franchise, but soon found the business arrangement to be different than what he had expected, and backed out of the deal. Culverhouse was then awarded the franchise by the Art Rooney
Art Rooney
Arthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...
-chaired NFL Expansion Committee, ahead of Fort Lauderdale furniture chain (and future Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
) owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.
Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.
Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. was an American veteran of World War II, businessman, a former owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team, a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder, and a philanthropist....
The name "Tampa Bay Buccaneers" was chosen as a nod to the team representing not only the city of Tampa, but the entire Florida Suncoast
Florida Suncoast
The Florida Suncoast is a colloquial name for the west-central and southwest peninsular Florida coastal area between Tarpon Springs to the north, and Naples to the south, and includes the Tampa Bay Area. This region is sometimes also referred to as the Sun Coast...
area; and to the pirates who once inhabited the area.
Culverhouse quickly became one of the most influential NFL owners; he served as a member of the Player Club Relations Committee that handled player grievances, and of the NFL Congressional Committee. He was a member of the Executive Committee that handled negotiations during the 1982 NFL strike, an experience that earned him great praise from NFL negotiator Jack Donlan. Donlan praised Culverhouse's logic, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and his effectiveness "at getting his way". Culverhouse was credited with having a big hand in the owners' course of direction during the strike, and was responsible for recruiting Donlan as negotiator. He repeated the role during the 1987 players' strike, after which NFLPA President Gene Upshaw
Gene Upshaw
Eugene Thurman Upshaw, Jr. was an American football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and later the NFL, later the executive director of the National Football League Players' Association...
described him as "formidable", and said that "at times, the whole league seemed to flow from this one guy". He was chairman of the NFL Finance Committee and the Management Council Executive Committee. His efforts were instrumental in bringing Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
to Tampa, despite a lack of adequate hotel space in the city. Culverhouse was also a pioneer in using computers to handle team finances and scouting reports. He was a member of the four-man committee that stripped ownership of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
from the Sullivan family when their debt became too great. Patriots founder Billy Sullivan
Billy Sullivan (American football)
William Hallissey "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. was an American businessman who owned the Boston Patriots franchise from their inception in the American Football League until their sale, as the New England Patriots of the NFL, to Victor Kiam in 1988.-Early life:Sullivan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts...
later accused Culverhouse of blocking his effort to propose a stock sale that would have eased the debt. Culverhouse distanced himself from the NFL power core in later years, stung by other owners' criticisms of the Management Council. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue is a former Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. Tagliabue's retirement took effect on September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL...
credited Culverhouse for building much of the strength and unity of the modern NFL.
General criticism
Culverhouse was criticized by other team owners as the team prepared for its debut season, who said that his involvement in day-to-day team operations was reminiscent of the owners of the expansion Falcons and Saints, teams which had yet to achieve a winning season after a decade of play. Buccaneer employees were described as living in an "atmosphere of fear", especially after the firings during the 19771977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, which as of remains a record in the modern National Football League. Fear of becoming the Buccaneers' first victim provided motivation to opposing teams...
offseason of executives who had been involved with unpopular decisions that Culverhouse had supported at the time. In one case, marketing director Bill Marcum was fired due to public backlash over the team's $12 ticket prices for an exhibition in Jacksonville, even though Culverhouse had set the ticket prices, and Marcum had opposed them.
Conflict of interest accusations
Culverhouse was named one of the executors of Rosenbloom's estate, and after Rosenbloom's death, Culverhouse continued a business relationship with his widow, GeorgiaGeorgia Frontiere
Georgia Frontiere was the majority owner and chairman of the St. Louis Rams football team and the most prominent female owner in a league historically dominated by males....
. Georgia's marriage to composer Dominic Frontiere
Dominic Frontiere
Dominic Frontiere is an American composer, arranger, and jazz accordionist. He is known for composing the theme and much of the music for the first season of the television series The Outer Limits.-Early years:...
took place at Culverhouse's home, with Culverhouse himself, a notary public
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
, performing the ceremony. The relationship, in which Culverhouse served as an advisor to the Los Angeles Rams while maintaining ownership of the Buccaneers, was criticized as a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
. The Los Angeles Coliseum Council accused the Rams of seeking Culverhouse's counsel when several players held out during the 1980
1980 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1980 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 43rd year with the National Football League, the 35th season in Los Angeles, and the first season at Anaheim Stadium. The 1980 Los Angeles Rams ended thir season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses.-NFL Draft:...
preseason; the Buccaneers won a 10–9 victory over that same unprepared Rams team early that season. Culverhouse also oversaw a reorganization of the Rams' front office; the relationship earned him the nickname of "Godfather" of the Rams. Culverhouse and Frontiere were two of the owners named in a lawsuit brought by Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
, who alleged that their campaign contributions to Senator Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...
of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
were an attempt to buy his support in helping to prevent Davis' planned move of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to Los Angeles.
Culverhouse's relationships with other NFL owners were occasionally, as in his relationship with the Rams, alleged to constitute conflicts of interest. His $3 million loan to help Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
owner Leonard Tose
Leonard Tose
Leonard Hyman Tose was an owner of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1969–1985. He made a fortune in the trucking industry and was known for his lavish lifestyle...
with his gambling debts was one example, as it violated the NFL constitution and bylaws. On other occasions, he was criticized for his overly-secretive ways as NFL Finance Committee Chairman, as other league owners found it difficult to obtain information on how league finances were being spent. In particular, owners were upset about not being informed about money given to NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
in a 5-year extension of his contract. The extension was awarded to him by the Finance Committee as a reward for negotiation of the league television contract in 1982, even though Rozelle had five years remaining on his current contract.
Loss of popular support
Culverhouse was described as late as 1982 as a rare owner who was popular with players, coaches, and fans. He was commended for allowing his staff to handle football operations without interference, and for having the patience to allow John McKay to follow through with his building plan despite the franchise's 0–26 start. This changed after events surrounding the 1982 players' strike. A report issued by the National Football League Players Association prior to the start of negotiations revealed that the Buccaneers had the fifth-highest gross income of all NFL teams, while their average salary was only the 21st-highest. This directly contradicted statements made by Culverhouse in 1980, in which he told players that they were on one of the three highest-paid teams. The NFLPA figures showed that the Buccaneers were actually the third lowest-paying team, based on total salaries as a percentage of gross income. Culverhouse was then accused of trying to divide the players during the strike, when some of the team's assistant coaches contacted players to ask whether they would be willing to return to the team should training facilities be reopened.Culverhouse was considered to have drawn a closer friendship than an owner should to his coach, having guaranteed John McKay employment for life. When the team began to lose, area fans blamed McKay, and felt that there was no hope for any change. He was, however, credited with recognizing the need for a change in leadership, as he went outside of the organization in seeking a replacement when McKay retired. He then upset fans by broadcasting advertisements thanking fans for their support, while simultaneously raising ticket prices.
Doug Williams
Culverhouse's treatment of quarterback Doug Williams caused resentment not only on the team, but in the entire Bay Area community. Williams led the Buccaneers to the playoffs in three of his five years with the team, and was considered to be their single most important player. However, he was only paid $120,000 a year, which ranked 42nd among NFL quarterbacks, was less than what some teams' third-string quarterbacks made, and was lower than the salary of Terdell MiddletonTerdell Middleton
Terdell Middleton is a former professional American football player who played running back for seven seasons in the NFL. Originally a third round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Middleton was traded to the Green Bay Packers in the preseason...
, a running back who had two total carries in his two years in Tampa Bay. After the 1982
1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were regarded for the first time as a regular playoff contender. They were considered by some to be the best Buccaneer team yet, despite a mediocre offensive line and the lack of a feature running back. The team played only two games before the players' union called a...
season, Williams asked for a $600,000 contract that would pay him among the league's top quarterbacks. Culverhouse refused to budge from his initial offer of $400,000, which he said would make Williams one of the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. Williams' agent disputed this, saying that Culverhouse's offer was substantially less than what several other quarterbacks made. With negotiations at a standstill, the Buccaneers traded the following season's first-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in exchange for Jack Thompson, a backup quarterback who had been unable to unseat Ken Anderson, as an insurance policy should Williams prove impossible to sign, or have trouble recovering from offseason knee surgery. Williams interpreted this as a sign that the team did not want him, and instead signed a contract with the Oklahoma Outlaws of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
His hard line with Williams created the perception that Culverhouse was more concerned with profits than with putting a winning team on the field. It aroused suspicions that Culverhouse's main concern was the Buccaneers' salary structure, and that this was related to the frequency with which the team traded away its first-round draft choices. Williams' comments that he would have been treated differently had he been white resonated with the Bay Area African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community, who saw the Buccaneers' ensuing on-field woes as retribution, boycotted Buccaneer games by the thousands, and commented that Culverhouse throws parties that cost more than what Williams was asking for. The Buccaneers missed Williams' confidence and ability to make big plays at key times, and lost their first nine games in 1983
1983 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1983 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with high expectations, as it was considered by some to be the Buccaneers' best squad yet. They were predicted by some to be Super Bowl contenders,, but disappointment quickly set in as personnel changes and a rash of injuries contributed to a league-worst...
, when they had been expected to contend for the playoffs. They then launched a streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons, the longest since the merger between the NFL and the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
in 1950, and would not have another winning season in Culverhouse's lifetime. The timing of the situation coincided with the ascendance of the Tampa Bay Bandits
Tampa Bay Bandits
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
, who led the USFL in attendance with a wide-open, crowd-pleasing offense led by local hero Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
, while the Buccaneers were losing games with a conservative offense that fans found boring. Attendance having dropped sharply, Culverhouse then further alienated fans by berating them, accusing them of apathy.
Attendance and television availability
The long losing streak further penalized fans, as the NFL blackout policy usually prevented poorly-attended Buccaneer home games from being shown on local television. No Buccaneer home games were televised on local stations for several years following November 29, 1982, including a game on January 1, 1983 that sold out, but not in time to lift the blackout. In total, the Buccaneers had a streak of 32 consecutive blackouts before a November 9, 1986 game against the then-reigning Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears sold out in time to allow for local television. At one point, the CBS television network, which had the rights to NFC television broadcasts, correctly anticipated poor seasons from all of the Southern (Buccaneers, Falcons, and Saints) teams, and reorganized their viewing markets in such a way that Buccaneers games were not broadcast anywhere in the state of Florida. Culverhouse went so far as to dictate that Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
games also be blacked out, sometimes even when Buccaneer games were sellouts. He further inflamed fans in 1989
1989 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1989 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 5-11 season which finished winning 2 of the last 3 games including an upset of AFC East Champions....
by proposing to move some of the team's games to Orlando, due to poor attendance. Several local radio stations responded with billboards saying "Hugh gotta go!", and with a picture of a screw next to Culverhouse's name. The Tampa Chamber of Commerce countered with a billboard thanking Culverhouse for bringing Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
to Tampa.
Profitability
Although enjoyment factored into Culverhouse's purchase of the Buccaneers, it was first and foremost a business decision which he expected to be profitable. He admitted to being known for his frugality, due to moves such as wearing outdated clothing, and having the One Buc Place walls painted white to avoid having to spend money on projection screens. This was not initially a problem for the franchise, even though the budget airplane that Culverhouse chartered for the team almost crashed after their very first game; original coach John McKay reported in 19781978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 2-12 season. Since their two 1977 victories came in the last two games of the season, they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central. The Buccaneers entered the season with new...
that Culverhouse had never blocked any deals, even those involving a great amount of money. Later, however, the team let go or traded away many of its players who were highly-paid and/or demanded more money, including Dave Pear
Dave Pear
David Pear is a retired American football defensive tackle. He was the first Tampa Bay Buccaneers player to be selected to the Pro Bowl and played in Super Bowl XV for the winning Oakland Raiders....
, Doug Williams, Ricky Reynolds
Ricky Reynolds
Derrick "Ricky" Scott Reynolds , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 1987 NFL Draft. A 6' 0", 195-lb...
, Reggie Cobb
Reggie Cobb
Reginald "Reggie" John Cobb is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 225-lb...
, Mark Carrier
Mark Carrier (wide receiver)
John Mark Carrier is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1987 NFL Draft 57th overall. A 6'0", 198-lb. wide receiver from Nicholls State University, Carrier played in 12 National Football League seasons from 1987 to...
, and Jeris White
Jeris White
Jeris Jerome White is a former professional American football cornerback in the National Football League for nine seasons for the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. He played football at Radford High School, Honolulu, Hawaii and at the University of Hawaii...
. First-round draft choices were frequently traded for players who were not considered to be of equal value, as when the team traded for often-injured defensive end Wally Chambers
Wally Chambers
Wallace Hashim Chambers is a former American football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1970s...
without requiring that he first pass a physical examination. Frustration over being beaten by players he had pleaded with Culverhouse to sign contributed to the resignation of McKay. He also fired well-regarded personnel director Ken Herock
Ken Herock
Ken Herock was an American college and professional football player who played tight end. He played collegiately at West Virginia and professionally in the American Football League, where he played for the AFL Champion Oakland Raiders in the second AFL-NFL World Championship Game, held after the...
, when Herock demanded to be paid in line with his value around the league.
Despite the losing and the poor attendance, the Buccaneers were one of the NFL's most profitable teams for most of Culverhouse's ownership. In 1989, only the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
had higher profits than the 5–11 Buccaneers, who profited $6.3 million with the league's second-lowest payroll, while the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
champion San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
lost $16.2 million. The team attributed their low salaries to the players' youth, stating that it was the coaches who had made the decision to use younger players, who drew lower salaries than veterans. This contributed to the perception that Culverhouse was not committed to fielding a quality team, although the rookie contracts he gave to Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
and Paul Gruber
Paul Gruber
Paul Blake Gruber is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fourth overall in the 1988 NFL Draft...
were so high as to upset other team owners, while he made Ray Perkins one of the five highest-paid NFL head coaches. He also offered Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
$6.5 million to coach the team, offered draft pick Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....
a five-year, $7 million contract that was at the time the highest in NFL history for a rookie, paid Keith McCants
Keith McCants
Alvin Keith McCants is a former professional American football linebacker who played for six seasons in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Oilers, and the Arizona Cardinals from 1990 to 1995...
an NFL-record $2.5 million signing bonus, and paid Steve Young $6 million in salary, plus another $1 million for the buyout of his USFL contract.
Death and aftermath
Culverhouse was diagnosed with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1992. After a successful operation to remove a tumor and part of his lung, he began chemotherapy a few months later, when a routine exam revealed a recurrence of the cancer. Despite his health problems, he remained a hard worker until the end, and even went hunting in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
only four days after having part of his lung removed. An experimental procedure failed to stop the cancer, and he died on August 25, 1994, at the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans
Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans
The Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans is the official name of two teaching hospitals in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both hospitals are part of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, commonly referred to as the LSU Medical School in New Orleans.The two hospitals...
. He was survived by wife Joy, daughter Gay
Gay Culverhouse
Dr. Gay Culverhouse is the former President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Notre Dame College. She served as President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She founded the Gay Culverhouse Players Outreach Program,Inc. which assists retired NFL players access the benefits to which they may be entitled....
, and son Hugh, Jr.
Sale of the Buccaneers
Several investors stepped forward with offers to buy the Buccaneers after Culverhouse's death, including Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
owner Peter Angelos
Peter Angelos
Peter G. Angelos , is an American trial lawyer.Angelos is also the majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles, a baseball team in the American League East Division.-Career:...
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
owner (and Tampa resident) George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
, and Massachusetts developer Socrates Babacas. In response to the ensuing publicity, the trust administering Culverhouse's estate then issued a statement that the team was not for sale. They reversed their position two months later, as a poor early-season record led to declining fan support and revenues. The decision to sell the franchise came on the same day that Joy filed a $25 million claim against Hugh's estate. Hugh had paid $16 million for the franchise, which was now valued at $142 million. With Barnett Bank
Barnett Bank
Barnett Bank, founded in 1877, eventually became the largest commercial bank in Florida with over 600 offices and $41.2 billion in deposits. The purchase by NationsBank was announced August 29, 1997, but even before signs on Barnett's branches were changed, NationsBank merged with BankAmerica in...
filing claims for $20.8 million against the Culverhouse estate, the trustees came very close to accepting Angelos' $200 million dollar offer, which would have involved relocating the team to Baltimore, Maryland. Fearful of losing the team, civic leaders presented a proposal guaranteeing ticket sales of at least 55,000 for all home games for the next two years. The team was eventually sold to Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
businessman Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Irving Glazer is an American businessman and sports team owner. He is the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, most notably in the food processing industry...
for $192 million, the largest price ever paid for a professional sports franchise.
Lawsuits over the Culverhouse estate
Before Culverhouse's death, his wife, Joy, had signed a post-nuptial agreement to surrender her half of the estate. This was done on the advice of lawyer Fred F. Cone, Jr., who would later become one of the three trustees handling the Culverhouse estate. Joy charged that the trustees were mishandling the estate, and not paying her share. She filed a malpractice suit against Cone for advising her to give up her marital rights, and a second suit asking for accounting of the estate and removal of the trustees. She said that Hugh and Cone advised her to sign the agreement for tax reasons, and falsely claimed that Culverhouse was on the brink of bankruptcy. She charged that the three trustees, Cone, Jack Donlan, and Stephen F. Story, paid themselves $4.35 million in bonuses for arranging the Buccaneers' sale, sums far in excess of what Culverhouse himself had specified, and that they paid Story a sum that was comparable to the salary of a Fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
executive for managing the estate and included a 10-year golden parachute
Golden parachute
A golden parachute is an agreement between a company and an employee specifying that the employee will receive certain significant benefits if employment is terminated. Sometimes, certain conditions, typically a change in company ownership, must be met, but often the cause of termination is...
clause. She also alleged that the value of Culverhouse's estate had been misrepresented to her at the time that she signed the agreement. The lawsuits made the details of the Culverhouse estate public. When it was discovered that the trust had paid hush money
Hush money
Hush money is an informal term for financial incentives or rewards offered in exchange for not divulging information.Hush Money may also refer to:* Hush Money , a 1921 silent film directed by Charles Maigne...
to a mistress of Hugh's, Joy's lawyer alleged that Hugh had planned to divorce Joy, and that the trust was created to deprive her of her rightful assets. Court depositions revealed three extramarital affairs, including Susan Brinkley, wife of broadcaster David Brinkley
David Brinkley
David McClure Brinkley was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997....
. The suits were eventually settled, with each of the three trustees being paid $3 million to remove themselves from the handling of his estate, and Joy being allowed to appoint her own trustees. Joy then said of Hugh, "I'd like to pull him out of the grave and shoot him with every bullet I could get".
Philanthropy
In contrast with his frugal ways in business, Culverhouse frequently contributed to the community. Some of his notable donations include:- A $4.6 million gift to the University of South FloridaUniversity of South FloridaThe University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
, which established the Culverhouse Chair in Education at the University of South Florida Sarasota-ManateeUniversity of South Florida Sarasota-ManateeThe University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, also known as USF Sarasota-Manatee, was established in 1975 as a regional campus of the University of South Florida of Tampa, Florida. Initially the university jointly occupied the campus of New College until a new and separate campus was built in...
and was the largest donation in school history; - $600,000 to the University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, for the establishment of the Hugh F. Culverhouse Eminent Scholars Chair in Federal Taxation; - $500,000 to the Stetson University College of Law, for a visiting-professor chair.
- $10 million to the University of Alabama, the largest gift in school history of vacant Tarpon Springs, FloridaTarpon Springs, FloridaTarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
land to Habitat for Humanity - The first $1 million pledged for the construction of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
Culverhouse was also a member of the board of trustees who administered the annual Florida Prize award for outstanding work in the visual or performing arts.
External links
Lawyers, lovers, money and deceitCulverhouse's fatal flaw: "He was cheap"