Tom Hicks, Owner of U.S., U.K. Sports Teams, Dies at 79

Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, has died. He was 79, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Hicks owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars from 1995–2011, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999. (Photo: MLB) 

Spokesperson Lisa LeMaster said in a statement that Hicks died peacefully Saturday in Dallas, surrounded by family. Hicks owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars from 1995–2011, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.

He also owned baseball’s Texas Rangers from 1998–2010, a period when they won three American League West Division titles and made their first World Series appearance just months after the team was sold. In 2007, he acquired a 50% stake in Liverpool.

“Being shoulder to shoulder with him was always about more than ballparks and stadiums, though,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.

“It was about personal respect, trust and friendship. We shared a lot of miles together, and I’ll miss him greatly. My heart goes out to his family.” Hicks co-founded Hicks & Haas in 1984 and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst in 1989, helping reshape private equity and investing strategy.