Russ Brandon

Russ Brandon
Born East Syracuse, New York
Alma mater Saint John Fisher College
Occupation Sports executive

Russ Brandon (born 1967 in East Syracuse, New York[1][2]) is an American sports executive, best known for his 21-year tenure in the front office of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.[3]

Career

Early career

Brandon,[4] an 1989 alumnus of Saint John Fisher College, began his career with the Rochester Red Wings in 1990, rising to co-general manager at the organization by the time he left in 1993.[5] After a brief stint with a New York Yankees division called Sports Advertising Network, he eventually joined the front office of the Florida Marlins and was there as part of the 1997 World Series championship team.

Buffalo Bills

Six days after the Marlins won the World Series, Brandon joined the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League on November 1, 1997.[5][6] Brandon was first named to a high-level executive position within the franchise in 2006, being named director of non-football operations alongside general manager Marv Levy. Brandon, although his title did not change, assumed Levy's responsibilities as de facto general manager after Levy retired. Brandon was promoted to CEO upon the hiring of Buddy Nix as the Bills' general manager. Among other things, he is credited with expanding the Buffalo Bills fan base throughout the Western New York-Southern Ontario region, and was instrumental in the deal for the Bills to play two games per season (one preseason, one regular season) in Toronto, Canada, which many football fans have regarded as a sacrifice of home-field advantage in favor of revenue. An influential NFL executive, Brandon also serves on several league business and marketing committees. As CEO, Brandon increased his influence on the team and handled most of its day-to-day operations while owner Ralph Wilson's health began to decline. This culminated in Wilson officially naming Brandon as president on January 1, 2013, giving Brandon full control over the franchise. Brandon is the third person to serve as president of the Bills, after Wilson and Tom Donahoe.[7] Since Wilson's retirement, Brandon had served as the team's representative in owners' meetings in lieu of Wilson, a position he continued even as his widow inherited the trust that held ownership of the team.[8]

Buffalo Sabres

Shortly after Terrence Pegula purchased the Bills, Brandon was also assigned the role of president of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League following the dismissal of previous president Ted Black on July 27, 2015.[9][10] With his assumption of the Sabres role, Brandon also became president of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. The change also changed Brandon's title with the Bills to that of "managing partner," but despite the title change, Brandon did not receive a partnership stake in the franchise (unlike predecessor Larry Quinn, who owned a share of the Sabres during his time of managing partner).

Resignation

Brandon announced his resignation from Pegula Sports and Entertainment on May 1, 2018.[11] In a statement to the press, Brandon stated that the departure had been planned since he had reached 20 years with the Bills franchise in November 2017 and that he fulfilled his duties to the Bills and Sabres for the remainder of the season before tendering his resignation. A report in The Buffalo News claimed that Brandon had been subject to an internal investigation regarding inappropriate relationships with female employees;[12] neither the Bills nor Brandon mentioned such in their statements.[13] Pegula's wife Kim, already active in the Bills' operations as a part owner, took over Brandon's positions.

After sports

In July 2018, Brandon interviewed for an executive position with New Era Cap Company.[14] Despite a false report from The Athletic claiming Brandon had accepted the position, New Era released a statement the day after the report denying it had ever offered Brandon the job.[15] The Athletic continues to insist the hiring happened and that Brandon had been quietly fired after the story broke.[16]

Filmography

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Pollock, Chuck (May 17, 2013). "Whaley takes his turn in long history of Bills GMs". Olean Times Herald. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ Fairburn, Matthew (October 4, 2015). "How East Syracuse's Russ Brandon became one of most powerful sports figures in Western New York". The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ Sabuda, Matt (March 18, 2012). "Russ Brandon Has Redefined the Buffalo Bills". Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Just like you, Brandon's a fan". BuffaloNews.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Spier, Mike (October 15, 2008). "Top Tier: '89 Fisher alumnus Russ Brandon has reached the peak of his profession". Cardinal Courier.
  6. ↑ Recalls turn Negrych into an All-Star. The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  7. ↑ Simon, Howard (January 1, 2013). "Bills Owner Ralph Wilson Gives Up Control Of Franchise". WGR. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  8. ↑ Graham, Tim (April 3, 2014). What does it mean that Mary Wilson is in control of the Buffalo Bills?. The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Sabres President Ted Black parts ways with team, Russ Brandon to take over". WIVB.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Sabres name Russ Brandon president, 'part ways' with Ted Black - Buffalo Hockey Beat". BuffaloHockeyBeat.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  11. ↑ https://twitter.com/PegulaSE/status/991422014773751809
  12. ↑ http://buffalonews.com/2018/05/01/russ-brandon-resigns-from-bills-sabres-after-internal-investigation/
  13. ↑ Rodak, Mike. "Russ Brandon, president of Bills and Sabres, resigns". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2018/07/31/russ-brandon-joins-new-era-cap-co.html
  15. ↑ https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/russ-brandon-not-hired-by-new-era-cap/71-579116230
  16. ↑ https://theathletic.com/453802/2018/07/31/new-era-cap-denies-russ-brandon-hire-even-though-he-was-in-company-phone-directory/

Further reading

  • Fairburn, Matthew (October 4, 2015). "How East Syracuse's Russ Brandon became one of most powerful sports figures in Western New York". The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  • Spier, Mike (15 October 2008). "Top Tier: ’89 Fisher alumnus Russ Brandon has reached the peak of his profession". Cardinal Courier.
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