Texas businessman and philanthropist Tom Hicks, who simultaneously owned NHL, Major League Baseball and English Premier League soccer clubs, died Saturday. He was 79.
Hicks formerly owned the Dallas Stars from 1995-2011 and the Texas Rangers from 1998-2010. He also acquired 50% ownership of Liverpool.
A news release from Hicks Holdings LLC early Sunday morning said Hicks died peacefully surrounded by his family in Dallas.
The 2022 inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame co-founded Hicks & Haas in 1984 and “was widely regarded as a pioneer in American business, reshaping private equity and introducing strategies that influenced an entire generation of investors,” according to a release.
“Tom Hicks was an innovative businessman and a pioneer in private equity,” Texas businessman Ross Perot Jr. said in the news release. “He combined his commitment to business and sports through his ownership of the Stars and the Rangers.”
The Rangers under Hicks’ ownership won American League West Division titles in 1998, 1999 and 2010, advancing to the World Series that season and losing to the San Francisco Giants in five games.
The Stars reached the pinnacle during his tenure from 1995-2011. Dallas won the Central Division in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons, and captured the Pacific Division for the next three seasons as well as in 2002-03 and 2005-06. The Stars beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final.
Jerry Jones, owner, president and general manager of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, called Hicks a close friend and great partner in a statement.
“He dreamed big and watching him bring the Stanley Cup here to Dallas was something that I will always cherish,” Jones said. “Tom was a champion for sports, and we had the same vision for Arlington — to make it a destination where fans could feel the heartbeat of our teams and our community together.
“Being shoulder to shoulder with him was always about more than ballparks and stadiums, though,” Jones continued. “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 is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cinda Cree Hicks, their six children and 14 grandchildren.
The children — Thomas Ollis Hicks Jr., Mack Hardin Hicks, John Alexander Hicks, Robert Bradley Hicks, William Cree Hicks and Catherine Forgrave Hicks — released a shared statement.
“Of everything he accomplished in his remarkable life, Tom Hicks’s most cherished title was, ‘Dad.’ No matter the trials and tribulations he faced in life, he was constant in his generosity and love for his family. He remains a guiding force for our family, and we are deeply honored to continue expanding his legacy. Although we are devastated by this loss, we are profoundly grateful to have been his children.”
