J. Wayne Weaver (born January 14, 1935) is an American businessman. He owns the shoe store chains Shoe Carnival and Nine West, and was the first owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 2011.
Wayne Weaver | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 14, 1935 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | University of Florida |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman of footwear store Shoe Carnival, former majority owner of Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Spouse | Delores Barr Weaver |
| Children | 2, son Brian Weaver and daughter Leigh Weaver-Sutton, 2 grandchildren |
Biography
editWeaver was born in Columbus, Georgia. He worked his way up the corporate ladder at the St. Louis-based clothing company, Brown Group, Inc. In 1978, Weaver founded his own shoe corporation, which he sold in the 1990s.
Marriage
editWayne Weaver met Delores Barr when she worked at his mother's dress shop;[1] they married in 1955. In a 1998 interview, Wayne Weaver stated, "The thing I admire most about my wife is her passion for wanting to change the world. She believes down in the depth of her soul that she can make the world a better place."[1] Wayne and Delores have two children, son Brian Weaver, and daughter Leigh Weaver-Sutton and two grandchildren.[2]
She is Chairman and CEO of the Jaguars Foundation, which grants over $1 million annually[3] to organizations that assist "economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families", according to the foundation's mission statement.[4] Delores Weaver was honored in 2002 with the Community Leadership Award by FBI then-Director Robert Mueller.[5] She was also named, Children's Champion 2007 by Episcopal Children's Services in recognition of her years of leadership at the Jaguars Foundation that have had a profound impact upon Jacksonville youth. The honor was created in 2006 to recognize a Jacksonville resident who has committed their time and resources to help First Coast children.[6]
They were honored with the River Advocate Award from the St. Johns Riverkeeper at Mayor John Peyton's Environmental Luncheon on April 3, 2009.[7]
Jacksonville Jaguars
editWeaver was the leader of the ownership group that in 1993 won rights to an NFL expansion team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The league had previously asked him to own a team in St. Louis, but Weaver believed that the city preferred the St. Louis Cardinals to football.[8]
On November 29, 2011, Weaver announced that he and his partners would sell their interest in the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan.[9] The majority share in the Jaguars was sold for $760 million.[10] The sale was unanimously approved by the NFL owners on December 14, 2011[11] and was finalized on January 4, 2012.
On January 1, 2012, Weaver and his wife Delores were inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars in their final game as owners. The Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 19–13.
References
edit- ^ a b Bianchi, Mike: "Weaver knows his businesses" Jacksonville.com, September 4, 1998
- ^ Jaguars’ Wayne Weaver: ‘It starts with me’, staff article from the Jax Daily Record, August 24, 2010, accessed October 30, 2012.
- ^ Filaroski, P. Douglas: "Jags give awards" Jacksonville Business Journal, September 8, 2003
- ^ Foundation website, jaguars.com
- ^ Stuart, Dedvan: "Weaver receives FBI's Community Leadership Award" Jacksonville Business Journal, January 13, 2003
- ^ NFL Join the Team.com, March 2, 2007-Delores Weaver Honored
- ^ Patterson, Steve: "A little applause for area's environmentalists" Florida Times-Union, April 4, 2009
- ^ Litsky, Frank (December 1, 1993). "N.F.L. Expansion Surprise: Jacksonville Jaguars". The New York Times. p. B13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ Tania Ganguli (November 29, 2011). "Jack Del Rio fired, Jaguars being sold". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ "Sold for 760 Million". November 29, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Tania Ganguli. "Dream completed: NFL owners approve sale of Jaguars to Shahid Khan". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved December 11, 2011.