John W. Henry

John W. Henry
A portrait shot of a merry-looking middle-aged Caucasian male (John W. Henry) looking straight ahead. He has short greying hair, and is wearing a blue-striped shirt with the top button open. In the background is a baseball stadium.
Owner of Boston Red Sox
Assumed office
February 2002
Preceded by John Harrington
Owner of Liverpool Football Club
Assumed office
October 15, 2010
Preceded by Tom Hicks &
George N. Gillett, Jr.
Personal details
Born John William Henry II
(1949-09-13) September 13, 1949
Quincy, Illinois, U.S.
Spouse(s) Mai Henry (divorced)
Peggy Sue Henry (m. 1993–2008)

Linda Pizzuti (m. 2009)
Children Two daughters (one with Peggy, one with Linda), one son (with Linda)[1]
Alma mater Victor Valley High School
Victor Valley College
University of California
Profession Businessman, Investor
Net worth IncreaseUS$2.6 billion (September 2018)[2]

John William Henry II (born September 13, 1949) is an American businessman and investor and the founder of John W. Henry & Company, an investment management firm. He is the principal owner of The Boston Globe, the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club and co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. In March 2006, Boston Magazine estimated Henry's net worth at 1.1 billion but noted that his company had recently experienced difficulties.[3] In November 2012, the company announced that it would stop managing clients' money by the end of the year, and Henry confirmed that total assets under the firm's management had fallen from $2.5 billion in 2006 to less than $100 million as of late 2012.[4] As of July 2017, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $2.6 billion.[2]

Early life

John William Henry II was born on September 13, 1949 in Quincy, Illinois. His parents were soybean farmers, and he split his time growing up between Illinois and Arkansas. His asthmatic condition[5] at the age of 15 prompted his family to move to Apple Valley, California.[6] After his graduation from Victor Valley High School in Victorville, he attended Victor Valley College,[7] then the University of California (at Riverside, Irvine, and Los Angeles), where he majored in philosophy but did not graduate[8] — partly the result of performing on the road in two bands, Elysian Fields and Hillary.[9]

Henry started trading corn and soybean futures to learn the basics of hedging the price risk of holding an inventory of these commodities, whether in storage or out in the field. In 1976, a commodities broker at Reynolds Securities asked him to advise other farmers, but he declined. After spending a summer in Norway with his first wife, Mai, Henry developed a mechanical trend following method for managing a futures trading account. He tested his trend-reversal method—which was never out of the market but always held a position (either long or short) in every one of the markets in the account's "basket" of commodities—"using his own money" (in the words of his marketing literature of 1983). When that test proved successful, he founded John W. Henry & Company in 1981,[10] opened a small office across the street from the airport in Irvine, California, and began marketing his management to the largest commodity brokerage firms in America. That proved so successful by 1983 that he moved to considerably larger quarters at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. In 1989, Henry moved to Westport, Connecticut. Two years later, Henry established a second office in Boca Raton.[11]

John W. Henry & Company, Inc.

JWH was established in 1981 and began taking retail clients in 1982.

The firm's management methods make mechanical, non-discretionary trading decisions in response to systematic determinations of reversals in each market's direction, with the explicit intention of precluding not only human emotion, but also any subjective evaluation of factors outside of price behavior (such as the so-called fundamentals), to trigger each decision to be long or short each market, or not. On November 9, 2012, John W. Henry & Co., the financial trading firm owned by the Red Sox owner, informed clients it would stop managing their assets on December 31, 2012.[12]

Baseball

John W. Henry grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, especially their star Stan Musial. After acquiring his fortune, his first foray into professional sports was in purchasing a Minor League Baseball team, the Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League, in 1989. He was also one of the founders of the Senior Professional Baseball Association, a winter league in Florida composed of retired major league players. Henry co-owned the winning team in the 1989–90 season, the West Palm Beach Tropics, managed by former Boston Red Sox "Impossible Dream" (1967) manager, Dick Williams. Henry sold his interest in 1990, and the league went out of business the following year. In 1990, Henry negotiated to purchase the Orlando Magic NBA team, for a short time was the lead general for an expansion team which became the Colorado Rockies, and headed a group attempting to land an NHL expansion bid in Florida, which would eventually be given to Phil and Tony Esposito, who created the Tampa Bay Lightning.[13][14] Subsequently, Henry negotiated to buy the Miami Heat and later the New Jersey Nets.

Henry entered Major League Baseball with his purchase of a small interest in the New York Yankees in 1991. Henry became the sole owner of the Florida Marlins in 1999, purchasing the club from Wayne Huizenga for a reported $158 million. In January 2002, Henry sold the Marlins in a multi-franchise deal to Jeffrey Loria, then owner of the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals).

Boston Red Sox

Following his sale of the Marlins, Henry led a purchase of the Boston Red Sox with partners Tom Werner and the New York Times Company from the Yawkey Trust headed by John Harrington. Henry, as principal owner and Werner, as chairman, assembled a front office team headed up by Larry Lucchino with the express goal of "breaking the Curse of the Bambino." He also hired baseball sabermetrics pioneer Bill James, whose work became widely known following the publication of Moneyball in 2003. Henry accomplished his championship goal in the 2004 World Series, against his former childhood favorite Cardinals, and again in 2013. The team also won the 2007 World Series against a franchise with which Henry had pre-expansion involvement, the Rockies. Henry is also responsible for saving Fenway Park from the wrecking ball. The previous Red Sox owners had planned on building a new Fenway Park next door, but Henry chose to keep and renovate (including new seats over the Green Monster) the current Fenway Park, which celebrated its centennial in 2012.

Henry was in the news in August 2017, when he said the team would lead a campaign to change the name of Yawkey Way, where Fenway Park is located. The Red Sox had been the last team in Major League Baseball to integrate, and Henry said, "I am still haunted by what went on here a long time before we arrived."[15] The change was approved by the City of Boston in April 2018, and the name reverted to Jersey Street in May 2018.[16]

Henry also enjoys playing baseball simulations, including Out of the Park Baseball.[17]

New England Sports Ventures

Henry and Werner established New England Sports Ventures in 2001. The company owns the Boston Red Sox, 80% of the New England Sports Network (which also carries the NHL's Boston Bruins), Fenway Park, Fenway Sports Management (a sports marketing and management firm), various real estate properties surrounding Fenway Park, and as of 2010, Liverpool Football Club

In 2009, the company made its first foray into European sports with an unsuccessful bid for the French Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille.[18]

In 2010, New England Sports Ventures changed its name to Fenway Sports Group.

Liverpool Football Club

In October 2010 the Fenway Sports Group took over Liverpool F.C. The previous ownership, Tom Hicks and George N. Gillett, Jr., had become extremely unpopular among Liverpool fans for his failure to deliver on the promise of a new stadium or on the promise that no debt would be placed onto the club, as well as disrespectful treatment of its manager and front office.[19][20][21] and for his allegedly misleading statements about planned and past investment in players.[22][23] Having lost around £154 million on the pressured sale of their debt-ridden club, Hicks and Gillett announced they would that they would sue co-owners and creditors for at least $1.6 billion for the "extraordinary swindle" they suffered. In January 2013, Hicks and Gillett had lost a Court of Appeal case and agreed to drop the suit.[24][25]

On February 26, 2012 Liverpool won the 2012 Football League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, beating Cardiff City 3–2 on penalties after the game finished 1–1 after 90 minutes and 2–2 after extra time. This was Liverpool's first trophy since the 2006 FA Cup Final win over West Ham United on May 13, 2006 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. In May 2012 he made a controversial decision by firing manager and club icon Kenny Dalglish citing the club's poor league results. This was regarded as a poor decision by some football pundits such as Dalglish's friend Alan Hansen, given Dalglish's success in lifting the club from four points above the relegation zone to a cup win.[26][27] In July 2012, after successfully persuading Brendan Rodgers to become the new manager,[28] John Henry stated the reason behind parting company with Dalglish had not been due to failing to win the FA Cup, nor the Suarez case (as assumed by Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson[29]), but due to the club's poor league performance in the second half of the 2011-12 season.[30]

Despite almost taking Liverpool to their first Premier League title in over 20 years during the 2013–14 season, poor performance in the subsequent season saw Henry sack Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager on October 4, 2015.[31] On October 8, 2015, Henry appointed Jürgen Klopp as the new manager of Liverpool F.C.[32] The move was praised by Liverpool supporters and seen as a show of Henry's ambition for the club.[33]

NASCAR

In 2007, Henry's Fenway Sports Group bought a 50% stake in Jack Roush's Roush Fenway Racing stock car racing team.[34] Driver Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway in February 2007 marking Henry's first win as an owner. In February 2009 the team won their first Daytona 500 with Matt Kenseth. Henry is currently listed as the owner of the #17 Ford driven by Sprint Cup driver Ricky Stenhouse, Jr..

iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations

In September 2004 Henry and David Kaemmer founded iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations for developing a racing simulation service aimed at both real-world racers and racing simulator enthusiasts. The service was launched in August 2008.

Boston Globe

In the predawn hours of Saturday, August 3, 2013, both The Boston Globe and The New York Times carried stories on their web sites reporting that Henry had agreed to purchase The Globe, the Worcester [Mass.] Telegram & Gazette and related New England media properties for $70 million in cash. The Globe's story described Henry as "a personally shy businessman with a history of bold bets." The 'Times story quoted Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy as confirming the sale deal.

Both stories included a statement from Henry: "The Boston Globe's award-winning journalism as well as its rich history and tradition of excellence have established it as one of the most well-respected media companies in the country." In the reported statement, Henry cited "the essential role that its journalists and employees play in Boston, throughout New England, and beyond."

The stories noted that Henry had initially been among a group of partners who had joined in bidding on The Globe properties, but ended up agreeing to acquire them individually. However, The Times story reported him saying: "In coming days there will be announcements concerning those joining me in this community commitment and effort."

At the time of the purchase, a conservative San Diego media mogul alleged that he outbid Henry for The Globe and that the management of The New York Times did not accept his offer because they preferred to sell to someone who would continue the "liberal" editorial slant of The Globe.[35]

Henry was briefly portrayed by Arliss Howard in the 2011 film Moneyball, which follows Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane and his quest to build a winning team in 2002. Towards the end of the film, Beane travels to Boston's Fenway Park where he meets with Henry, who wants Beane to become the new GM of the Red Sox. The film notes that Beane turned down a five-year, $12.5 million contract with Boston and returned to Oakland, but adds that the Red Sox, despite failing to hire Beane, did implement many of his "Moneyball" ideas and would go on to win the 2004 World Series, marking the first Red Sox championship in 86 years.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "On Top of the Globe" (June 2017). Boston. p. 63. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "John Henry". Forbes. July 29, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ 50 Wealthiest Bostonians Archived July 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Boston Magazine, March 2006, accessed July 6, 2007
  4. ↑ John W. Henry to Stop Managing Client Money Wall Street Journal, November 9, 2012
  5. ↑ Steve WulfESPN The Magazine senior writerArchive (September 26, 2011). "MLB - How John Henry built his sports empire - ESPN The Magazine - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  6. ↑ "John Henry - Red Sox Owner". Awesome Stories. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  7. ↑ "John W. Henry is featured in Financial World Wall Street 100 Article at". Streetstories.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  8. ↑ "John W. Henry: A self-made millionaire who brought glory days back to Boston Red Sox". Goal.com. October 6, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ "John W. Henry, soft-spoken businessman with an appetite for risk - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 2016-09-11.
  10. ↑ "TEN Facts about John W Henry and NESV". live4liverpool.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  11. ↑ "John W. Henry's House in Boca Raton, FL". Celebrity House Gossip. May 26, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Curse Of The Bambino On The Trading Floor?". News: Analysis & Commentary. BusinessWeek. March 20, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2006.
  13. ↑ Wulf, Steve (September 26, 2011). "The (dis)passion of John Henry". ESPN.
  14. ↑ Gave, Keith (December 12, 1990). "Poor decisions ruined St. Petersburg's NHL bid". The Baltimore Sun.
  15. ↑ Chavez, Chris (August 17, 2017). "John Henry Says Red Sox Will Lead Effort To Re-Name Yawkey Way". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Yawkey Way signs come down outside Fenway Park". Boston.com. AP. May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Out of the Park Baseball 16: Manager Mode Details and More". operationsports.com. February 13, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Liverpool FC: Fans go wild as club gets new owner John W. Henry after days of turmoil Click here for more information=Daily Mirror". October 16, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Hicks and Gillett 'relaxed' about debt". Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  20. ↑ "The Times & The Sunday Times". Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  21. ↑ Conn, David (June 5, 2009). "No new stadium. A huge debt. Despite their promises, Hicks and Gillett have 'done a Glazers' - David Conn". the Guardian. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  22. ↑ Echo, Liverpool (May 28, 2010). "Tom Hicks - You couldn't make it up (well actually, Tom can)". Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Football News - all the latest breaking football stories - Mirror Online". www.mirrorfootball.co.uk. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  24. ↑ Sachin Nakran (January 11, 2013). "Tom Hicks and George Gillett drop allegations against Liverpool directors". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ "NESV complete Reds takeover". Sky Sports. October 15, 2010.
  26. ↑ Hansen, Alan (May 17, 2012). "Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool sacking unfair - Alan Hansen". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  27. ↑ George Ankers (May 18, 2012). "Dalglish's demise the latest misjudgement in FSG's Liverpool reign of error". Goal.com.
  28. ↑ "Brendan Rodgers will not be set Champions League qualification target". The Guardian. London. July 20, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Sir Alex Ferguson says Suárez/Evra case contributed to Dalglish exit". The Guardian. London. July 20, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  30. ↑ James Pearce (July 26, 2012). "Liverpool FC principal owner John W Henry says Kenny Dalglish would have been sacked even if the club had won the FA Cup". Liverpool Echo.
  31. ↑ "Brendan Rodgers: Why Liverpool sacked their manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp confirmed as manager on £15m Anfield deal". Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp appointment a real show of ambition from FSG". This Is Anfield. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Red Sox owner buys 50% stake in Roush Racing". Boston Globe. February 10, 2007.
  35. ↑ "San Diego bidder questions Globe buy". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Moneyball script at IMSDb". IMSDB. IMDB. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
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