Albert A. Savill (February 3, 1917 – August 7, 1989) was a mortgage banker, real estate developer and an owner of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Orlando.

Career

Savill was born on February 3, 1917, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

but spent his childhood in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He started his business career with John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. and rose to assistant manager of the mortgage division when he left Boston in 1950. Savill went on to found the Savill-Mahaffey Mortgage Co. in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, which became the largest independent mortgage company in Indiana. He sold the company to American Fletcher National Bank in 1969. After moving to Orlando in 1979, he founded KMS Mortgage and Investment Co. in Seminole County. Savill was an owner of the

Indianapolis Capitols The Indianapolis Capitols were a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They played in the Continental Football League from 1968 to 1969 and Midwest Football League from 1972 to 1974 and 1977 to 1978. History The t ...

of the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fo ...

from 1963 to 1969. He was also an owner of the

Columbus Owls The Columbus Owls were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. Prior to 1973, the team was known as the Columbus Golden Seals since 1971. After 1977, the team moved and became the Dayton ...

of the International Hockey League from 1973 to 1978. Savill, along with Wren Blair and Otto Frenzel, bought the bankrupt

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

from the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(the interim owners) in 1975 for $3.8 million (equivalent to $ million in ). Upon becoming owner of the Penguins, he dissolved the farm system to save money and was forced to trade draft picks to keep the team marginally competitive. Savill and Frenzel remained part-owners of the team for two seasons, eventually selling the team to local shopping mall developer Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. in February 1977. Savill was a partner in building the 342-room Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

Death

Savill died in Orlando in 1989 after a brief illness at the age of 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savill, Al 1917 births 1989 deaths English emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Columbus, Ohio Pittsburgh Penguins owners 20th-century American businesspeople