William Davidson
Encyclopedia
William Morse "Bill" Davidson, J. D. (December 5, 1922 – March 13, 2009) was an American businessman who was President, Chairman and CEO of Guardian Industries, one of the world's largest manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass
. He was also owner of several North American professional sports teams and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He was also the chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment
, and principal owner of the Detroit Pistons
of the NBA
, the Detroit Shock
of the WNBA
, the co-owner of the Detroit Fury
of the Arena Football League, and the former owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning
of the NHL
and Detroit Vipers
of the IHL. His Pistons won the 1989
, 1990
, and 2004 NBA Finals
; his Shock won the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA Finals
; his Vipers won the 1997 Turner Cup
; Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2004 Stanley Cup
, making him the only owner in professional sports history whose teams have won an NBA Championship and a Stanley Cup
in the same year.
. Davidson entered the University of Michigan
in 1940, where he was a member of the track and field team; he majored in business at what is now the Ross School of Business
. Davidson later joined the U.S. Navy and played Armed Forces Football during World War II.
Following the war, Davidson garnered his law degree from Wayne State University Law School
in 1949. After three years of law practice, he rescued a wholesale drug company and a surgical supply company from bankruptcy.
Davidson would also take over his family's Guardian Glass Co. in 1957, the same year the company declared bankruptcy. Guardian Glass would be the precursor to his company Guardian Industries, one of the largest glass suppliers in the world. Davidson encouraged risk-taking, discouraged second-guessing and was seen as aggressive. Not without controversy, Guardian was sued at least six times between 1965 and 1988. In 1989, Guardian was ordered to pay its competitor Johns Manville $38 million for stealing fibreglass-making technology. Guardian now stands as one of the world’s giants of glass manufacturing with facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America in addition to its sprawling North American interests.
great Joe Schmidt
to be part of a group bidding on the Tampa expansion franchise. When the price went too high, the group bowed out of the bidding.
After two months, Fred Zollner, a car piston manufacturer who transferred the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons to Detroit in 1957, was rumored to be selling his franchise as it hadn't made a profit in 17 years. Being a longtime basketball
fan, Davidson bought from Zollner, his neighbor by way of their vacation homes in Golden Beach, Fla., the Pistons for $6 million.
Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson relocated the team to the Pontiac Silverdome
in 1978 and then to The Palace of Auburn Hills
, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds, in 1988. To help pay the $90 million construction cost, the Bob Sosnick-designed arena featured lower-level suites, then a never-seen-before feature.
His Pistons were at the league's forefront with respect to amenities. The franchise has a state-of-the-art practice facility, solely designed for the Pistons. During the offseason, team members are able to use the facilities while working on personal off-season conditioning goals. Against the advice of friends, Davidson was also the first owner to buy an airplane for his team, nicknamed Roundball One. Roundball Two, a newer, larger, multimillion-dollar aircraft refurbished with 42 luxury seats and a state-of-the-art video system was purchased in the summer of 1998. Davidson was also the first to encourage globalizing the marketing of the NBA. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Governors and was active on several committees, including the one that selected former NBA Commissioner Lawrence O'Brien in 1975.
In 2009, the value of the Pistons franchise has been estimated to be over $430 million. Regularly seen at the team's home games, Davidson had said repeatedly that he would never sell the Pistons and the franchise would remain in his family after he died.
In 1999, Davidson put in an unsuccessful bid to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning and gain a controlling interest in their home arena, the Ice Palace
. They lost to insurance tycoon Art Williams, but only months later Williams sold the team to Davidson and Palace Sports at a huge loss. When Davidson acquired the Lightning franchise in 1999, the price was $100 million; its value has recently been estimated at $136 million. Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup under Davidson's ownership in 2004. On August 7, 2007 Davidson sold the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise.
Davidson was honored by the Pistons in 2006 when he was given a banner next to the team's retired numbers. His name (as "Bill Davidson") was also placed on the Palace floor along with Piston legends Dave Bing
, Bill Laimbeer
, Vinnie Johnson
, Chuck Daly
, Joe Dumars
, Isiah Thomas
and Bob Lanier
.
In 2008, Davidson was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for his successes as an owner of the Pistons and Shock. He was also an inaugural inductee into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
At the time of his death, Davidson lived in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
with his wife, Karen. He had two children, Ethan and Marla, and three stepdaughters, including actress Elizabeth Reaser
.
3.5 billion, which led to Forbes ranking him as the 68th richest man in the United States.
In 1992, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan was created at Davidson's alma mater, the Ross School of Business
. A gift of $30 million was given to provide assistance in a special program to help develop market economies throughout the world. In total, Davidson's gifts to the school exceed $55 million.
In 1997, the Council of Michigan Foundations honored Davidson for his lifelong philanthropic efforts locally, nationally and internationally. He was listed as one of America’s most generous donors in a New York Times article that same year.
Davidson enabled the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to make long-term touring plans both in the U.S. and internationally with a renewable $2 million donation. He has pledged to fight cancer with a gift of $1 million to support collaborative research, prevention and early detection programs in breast and pediatric cancers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Children’s Research Center of Michigan.
After the Yom Kippur war, he along with fellow Detroit area philanthropist Dr. Lloyd J. Paul were flown to Israel by Prime Minister Golda Meir
and given the Prime ministers club award for outstanding Philanthropic deeds towards Israel. In 1999, he gave $20 million to establish the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute of Science
in Rehovot, Israel. This was then the largest private donation ever given to institute, a leading international science research center and graduate school. He later added another gift of $15 million to the same Institute. In addition, Davidson endowed the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
in New York with a $15 million gift. The excavations on the southern wall
of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have been named the Davidson excavations in tribute to his generous donations to the project. He also gave to the American Technion Society to establish the world’s first educational institution entirely dedicated to the international management of technology-based companies at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
. Davidson was also a contributor to the Wexner Foundation which gives grants to graduate students of Jewish Studies. In March 2007, Davidson donated $75 million dollars to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
, in Southfield, Michigan, and Davidson was buried in the Clover Hill Park Cemetery, in Birmingham.
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
. He was also owner of several North American professional sports teams and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He was also the chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment
Palace Sports and Entertainment
Palace Sports & Entertainment ' is a sports and entertainment company owned by Tom Gores.The company owns the Detroit Pistons of the NBA...
, and principal owner of the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, the Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
of the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
, the co-owner of the Detroit Fury
Detroit Fury
The Detroit Fury were an Arena Football League team. The team began play in 2001 and was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. The team was co-owned by William Davidson, who owned the Pistons, along with...
of the Arena Football League, and the former owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
of the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and Detroit Vipers
Detroit Vipers
The Detroit Vipers was an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.-Beginning:...
of the IHL. His Pistons won the 1989
1989 NBA Finals
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 NBA season. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers....
, 1990
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
, and 2004 NBA Finals
2004 NBA Finals
The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season. The Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference and the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference; the Lakers held home court advantage...
; his Shock won the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA Finals
WNBA Finals
The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002....
; his Vipers won the 1997 Turner Cup
Turner Cup
The Turner Cup is the championship trophy of the International Hockey League. The Cup is named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professional with the Detroit Red Wings organization, and played one season with the Indianapolis Capitals in the American Hockey League...
; Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2004 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, making him the only owner in professional sports history whose teams have won an NBA Championship and a Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
in the same year.
Biography
A Detroit native, Davidson was born to a Jewish family on December 5, 1922; he was a 1940 graduate of Central High SchoolCentral High School (Detroit, Michigan)
Central High School is the oldest secondary school in Detroit, Michigan; it is staffed and operated by the Detroit Public Schools.-History:In 1858, Detroit's first high school opened on Miami Avenue. By 1863, due to increased enrollment, the school was moved to a building that had formerly housed...
. Davidson entered the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1940, where he was a member of the track and field team; he majored in business at what is now the Ross School of Business
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...
. Davidson later joined the U.S. Navy and played Armed Forces Football during World War II.
Following the war, Davidson garnered his law degree from Wayne State University Law School
Wayne State University Law School
Wayne State University Law School is located in the City of Detroit’s Cultural Center, and is one of the schools of Wayne State University. It is one of two public law schools in the state of Michigan. The Law School has educated and trained lawyers since 1927, and its 10,000+ alumni serve as...
in 1949. After three years of law practice, he rescued a wholesale drug company and a surgical supply company from bankruptcy.
Davidson would also take over his family's Guardian Glass Co. in 1957, the same year the company declared bankruptcy. Guardian Glass would be the precursor to his company Guardian Industries, one of the largest glass suppliers in the world. Davidson encouraged risk-taking, discouraged second-guessing and was seen as aggressive. Not without controversy, Guardian was sued at least six times between 1965 and 1988. In 1989, Guardian was ordered to pay its competitor Johns Manville $38 million for stealing fibreglass-making technology. Guardian now stands as one of the world’s giants of glass manufacturing with facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America in addition to its sprawling North American interests.
Pistons ownership
Being acquainted with football, Davidson wanted to acquire a football franchise. In 1974, Davidson and college classmate Oscar Feldman enlisted ex-Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
great Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
to be part of a group bidding on the Tampa expansion franchise. When the price went too high, the group bowed out of the bidding.
After two months, Fred Zollner, a car piston manufacturer who transferred the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons to Detroit in 1957, was rumored to be selling his franchise as it hadn't made a profit in 17 years. Being a longtime basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
fan, Davidson bought from Zollner, his neighbor by way of their vacation homes in Golden Beach, Fla., the Pistons for $6 million.
Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson relocated the team to the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
in 1978 and then to The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds, in 1988. To help pay the $90 million construction cost, the Bob Sosnick-designed arena featured lower-level suites, then a never-seen-before feature.
His Pistons were at the league's forefront with respect to amenities. The franchise has a state-of-the-art practice facility, solely designed for the Pistons. During the offseason, team members are able to use the facilities while working on personal off-season conditioning goals. Against the advice of friends, Davidson was also the first owner to buy an airplane for his team, nicknamed Roundball One. Roundball Two, a newer, larger, multimillion-dollar aircraft refurbished with 42 luxury seats and a state-of-the-art video system was purchased in the summer of 1998. Davidson was also the first to encourage globalizing the marketing of the NBA. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Governors and was active on several committees, including the one that selected former NBA Commissioner Lawrence O'Brien in 1975.
In 2009, the value of the Pistons franchise has been estimated to be over $430 million. Regularly seen at the team's home games, Davidson had said repeatedly that he would never sell the Pistons and the franchise would remain in his family after he died.
In 1999, Davidson put in an unsuccessful bid to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning and gain a controlling interest in their home arena, the Ice Palace
St. Pete Times Forum
The St. Pete Times Forum is an arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, and arena football games, as well as concerts....
. They lost to insurance tycoon Art Williams, but only months later Williams sold the team to Davidson and Palace Sports at a huge loss. When Davidson acquired the Lightning franchise in 1999, the price was $100 million; its value has recently been estimated at $136 million. Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup under Davidson's ownership in 2004. On August 7, 2007 Davidson sold the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise.
Davidson was honored by the Pistons in 2006 when he was given a banner next to the team's retired numbers. His name (as "Bill Davidson") was also placed on the Palace floor along with Piston legends Dave Bing
Dave Bing
David "Dave" Bing is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, a businessman, and a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association , primarily for the Detroit Pistons...
, Bill Laimbeer
Bill Laimbeer
William "Bill" Laimbeer, Jr. is a retired National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons. Playing at center, the 6'11" Laimbeer was a four-time All-Star and integral part of the Pistons teams that won two championships...
, Vinnie Johnson
Vinnie Johnson
Vincent "Vinnie" Johnson is a retired American professional basketball player and a key player as sixth man for the Detroit Pistons during the team's NBA championships of 1989 and 1990.-College basketball career:...
, Chuck Daly
Chuck Daly
Charles Jerome "Chuck" Daly was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to consecutive National Basketball Association Championships in 1989 and 1990, and the Dream Team to the men's basketball gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He had a 14-year NBA coaching...
, Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars III , nicknamed Joe D, is a retired American basketball player in the NBA, and currently the Detroit Pistons' President of Basketball Operations....
, Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...
and Bob Lanier
Bob Lanier (basketball)
Robert Jerry "Bob" Lanier, Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992....
.
In 2008, Davidson was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for his successes as an owner of the Pistons and Shock. He was also an inaugural inductee into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
At the time of his death, Davidson lived in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
with his wife, Karen. He had two children, Ethan and Marla, and three stepdaughters, including actress Elizabeth Reaser
Elizabeth Reaser
Elizabeth Ann Reaser is an American film, television, and stage actress. Her work includes the films Stay, The Family Stone, and The Twilight Saga and the TV series Saved, Grey's Anatomy and The Ex-List....
.
Estimated wealth
His combined business ventures led him to an estimated net worth of $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....
3.5 billion, which led to Forbes ranking him as the 68th richest man in the United States.
Philanthropic activities
A noted philanthropist, Davidson had given extensively to various organizations. Davidson was one of the founders of the Pistons/Palace Foundation, a charity that has donated more than $20 million in cash and merchandise since 1989. In 1995, the foundation partnered with the City of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department to establish the Partnership to Adopt and Renovate Parks for Kids (PARK) Program, which provided restoration of Detroit parks, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, running tracks and playground equipment.In 1992, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan was created at Davidson's alma mater, the Ross School of Business
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...
. A gift of $30 million was given to provide assistance in a special program to help develop market economies throughout the world. In total, Davidson's gifts to the school exceed $55 million.
In 1997, the Council of Michigan Foundations honored Davidson for his lifelong philanthropic efforts locally, nationally and internationally. He was listed as one of America’s most generous donors in a New York Times article that same year.
Davidson enabled the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to make long-term touring plans both in the U.S. and internationally with a renewable $2 million donation. He has pledged to fight cancer with a gift of $1 million to support collaborative research, prevention and early detection programs in breast and pediatric cancers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Children’s Research Center of Michigan.
After the Yom Kippur war, he along with fellow Detroit area philanthropist Dr. Lloyd J. Paul were flown to Israel by Prime Minister Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
and given the Prime ministers club award for outstanding Philanthropic deeds towards Israel. In 1999, he gave $20 million to establish the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
in Rehovot, Israel. This was then the largest private donation ever given to institute, a leading international science research center and graduate school. He later added another gift of $15 million to the same Institute. In addition, Davidson endowed the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
in New York with a $15 million gift. The excavations on the southern wall
Southern Wall
The Southern Wall is a wall at the southern end of the Temple Mount and the former southern side of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It was built during King Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount platform southward on to the Ophel.-Construction:...
of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have been named the Davidson excavations in tribute to his generous donations to the project. He also gave to the American Technion Society to establish the world’s first educational institution entirely dedicated to the international management of technology-based companies at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a research-intensive institute of technology in Haifa, Israel. Originally called the Technikum, it was founded in 1912...
. Davidson was also a contributor to the Wexner Foundation which gives grants to graduate students of Jewish Studies. In March 2007, Davidson donated $75 million dollars to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Death
Davidson died on March 13, 2009 in his home at the age of 86. His health had been deteriorating for the years before his death; he had been using a wheelchair and very infrequently attended Pistons home games. His widow Karen succeeded him as owner of the Pistons. The funeral was held at Congregation Shaarey ZedekShaarey Zedek
Congregation Shaarey Zedek is a Conservative synagogue located at 27375 Bell Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan.-History:...
, in Southfield, Michigan, and Davidson was buried in the Clover Hill Park Cemetery, in Birmingham.