Mike McBath
Encyclopedia
Michael Strickler McBath (born May 29, 1946 in Woodbury, New Jersey
) is an American businessman
, former professional American football
player, and part-owner of the Orlando Predators
of the Arena Football League. He is a former president of the NFL Retired Players Association.
McBath is currently a senior vice president with Union Bank of Switzerland
(formerly Paine Webber
).
, one of the Arena Football League's most successful franchises. McBath and his partners sold the team in 1997, but he returned as a part-owner in 2004.
with the Buffalo Bills
. McBath was released mid-way through the 1972 after suffering a sciatic nerve
injury. He signed briefly with the Washington Redskins
before moving to World Football League
to play a season with the Florida Blazers.
McBath was a two-way player at Penn State
, playing offensive and defensive line. He was inducted into the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 for his accomplishments while at Woodbury Junior-Senior High School
in Woodbury, New Jersey.
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....
) is an American businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
, former professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, and part-owner of the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
of the Arena Football League. He is a former president of the NFL Retired Players Association.
McBath is currently a senior vice president with Union Bank of Switzerland
Union Bank of Switzerland
Union Bank of Switzerland was a large integrated financial services company located in Switzerland. The bank, which at the time was the second largest bank in Switzerland, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998, to become UBS to form what was then the largest bank in Europe and the second...
(formerly Paine Webber
Paine Webber
Paine Webber and Company was an American stock brokerage and asset management firm that was acquired by the Swiss bank UBS AG in 2000. The company was founded in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts, by William Alfred Paine and Wallace G. Webber. Operating with two employees, they leased premises at 48...
).
AFL ownership
In 1991, McBath co-founded the Orlando PredatorsOrlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
, one of the Arena Football League's most successful franchises. McBath and his partners sold the team in 1997, but he returned as a part-owner in 2004.
Football
McBath played five seasons (1968–1972) in the National Football LeagueNational 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...
with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. McBath was released mid-way through the 1972 after suffering a sciatic nerve
Sciatic nerve
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve fiber in humans and other animals. It begins in the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limb...
injury. He signed briefly with the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
before moving to World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
to play a season with the Florida Blazers.
McBath was a two-way player at Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, playing offensive and defensive line. He was inducted into the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 for his accomplishments while at Woodbury Junior-Senior High School
Woodbury Junior-Senior High School
Woodbury Junior-Senior High School is a comprehensive community middle school and public high school that serves students in sixth through twelfth grades from Woodbury, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Woodbury Public Schools system.As of the 2008-09 school year, the...
in Woodbury, New Jersey.
Charity
McBath is involved with Orlando-based "The City of Legends," an organization which provides benefits and services for retired professional athletes in exchange for participation in local charity events.External links
- Orlando Predators History, orlandopredators.com, November 16, 2006.
- Bills Alumni Spotlight: Mike McBath, Jim Gehman, buffalobills.com, February 9, 2004.
- The City of Legends website