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Jeremy Maurice Jacobs Sr. (born January 21, 1940) is an American
billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...
businessman, the owner of the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
and chairman of
Delaware North Delaware North is an American multinational food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 5 ...
. ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine ranks him as 669th richest person in the world.


Early life and education

Jacobs was born in 1940, the son of Genevieve (née Bibby) and Louis Jacobs. His mother was of
Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
descent, and his father was the son of
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
immigrants from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. The original
surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
of his family's paternal side was Yakobovitch.Ocala Star Banner: "Fan-tastic Food - Delaware North to Dish Up Treats at New Arena" by John Affleck
September 20, 1996
In 1915, his father and his father's two brothers, Charles and Marvin, founded a company that first sold concessions in theaters and then expanded to major league ballparks.Success.com: "Boston Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs Works for Peanuts - How he raised his father's concessions company to global heights"
retrieved January 3, 2012
His father took over the company in the 1950s when the health of his brothers faltered and Jeremy took over at age 28 when his father died in 1968. Louis also at one point was the operator at the
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball, Canisius Golden Griffins (Nationa ...
and owned the Buffalo Bisons of the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
and the Cincinnati Royals of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
. Jacobs has a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management, and attended the six-week
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
Advanced Management Program.


Career


Delaware North

Jacobs owns and operates the business founded by his father and uncles,
Delaware North Delaware North is an American multinational food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 5 ...
. Delaware North is a global hospitality and food service business headquartered in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
. The company operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gaming and entertainment industries. Delaware North also owns and manages TD Garden, home to the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
and the
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...
. It was paid for with Jacobs' own funds. On January 6, 2015, Jacobs relinquished the title of CEO and named Jerry Jacobs Jr. and Louis Jacobs co-CEOs. He also named Charlie Jacobs CEO of Delaware North's Boston Holdings.


Boston Bruins

Jacobs was listed for several years in a row as one of Sports Business Journal's Most Influential People in Sports. He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in Western New York in October 2006. Jacobs has owned 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 ...
's
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
since 1975. Jacobs represents the club on the NHL's Board of Governors and serves on its executive committee. At the NHL Board of Governors meeting in June 2007, Jacobs was elected chairman. He replaced the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
' Harley Hotchkiss, who stepped down after 12 years. After years of disappointing performance, Jacobs replaced numerous general managers and coaches. Harry Sinden, the longtime president of the team, retired active work and moved into an advisory role. New management included Peter Chiarelli and head coach Claude Julien. Cam Neely, a former Bruins player, was also lured back to the new organization and was named president. These changes were effective. The Bruins record in the 2008–09 season was the second best in the NHL. In 2011, the Bruins won their first
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
in 39 years after beating the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
in a seven-game series. During his tenure, Jacobs has been referred to as one of the "most militant hard-line" owners in the NHL. His ownership began when the NHL was locked in a bitter rivalry with the upstart
World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...
. Jacobs vehemently opposed every proposal for an amalgamation with the WHA, in large part because of the close proximity of the WHA's New England Whalers. Jacobs was one of three owners (along with the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
' Harold Ballard and the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
' Jack Kent Cooke) to vote against the 1979 agreement that saw four WHA organizations (including the Whalers) enter the older league as expansion franchises, which was not enough votes to block the so-called "merger" although Jacobs nevertheless insisted the Whalers drop their regional moniker and become the
Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1 ...
upon entering the NHL. Jacobs was later accused of being responsible for the 2012–13 lockout.Strang, Katie
"Bruins owner takes shots at NHLPA"
Espn.go.com. January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
Described as "villainous" and a "bully", he was reportedly hated by the players. On the first day of the 2012–13 NHL season after the lockout ended, Jacobs blamed the Players' Association for the season's delay, saying of the union, "There was no expression of a desire to make a deal." Jacobs responded to reports that he was a "hard-liner" in the 2012–13 NHL lockout by saying he put the good of the league ahead of his own interest in keeping the players on the ice. "I'm coming off winning a Stanley Cup (in 2011). I've got a sold-out building. I have a financially sound business. No Debt. Ownership for 37 years," he said. "I'm the last guy that wants to shut this down – absolutely the last one out there." Despite relinquishing the role of CEO to his son Charlie, he remains very active in the team and still holds the title of NHL Chairman of the Board of Governors. ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth to be US$2.8 billion in November 2021.


Philanthropy

In 2007, Jacobs donated $1 million to support an endowed chair in immunology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The gift was made to Roswell Park's Leaders for Life endowment campaign in honor of Jacobs' brother, the late Dr. Lawrence D. Jacobs, an immunology researcher who died in 2001. The
University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...
received a $10 million gift from Jacobs, his wife Margaret, and other family members on June 11, 2008, to establish the Jacobs Institute. The Jacobs Institute supports research and clinical collaboration on the causes, treatment, and prevention of heart and vascular diseases. This gift was also made in honor of his late brother, Lawrence. The Jacobs' gift was at the time the largest single gift ever made to the University at Buffalo. The donation also made the Jacobs family the university's most generous donor, with gifts totaling $18.4 million. Jacobs has also served the University at Buffalo as chairman, trustee, and director of its foundation, chairman of the President's Board of Visitors, advisor to the School of Management, and as chairman of the University at Buffalo Council. The Jacobs family and their company, Delaware North, donated $250,000 to the Martin House Restoration Project in March 2012. They had made an earlier donation of $146,000. The project aims to restore the Darwin D. Martin House in
Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...
, one of
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...
's designs. In November 2012, Jacobs and his family announced a $1 million donation to the Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship. Say Yes Buffalo is "an education-based initiative that provides a powerful engine for long-term economic development, which will radically improve the life course of public school students in the City of Buffalo." In 2013, Jacobs paid for a two-year study on the nutrition and food preferences of cancer patients. The study, called the Cancer Nutrition Consortium, focused on patient preferences and issues related to their ability to eat and drink while undergoing cancer treatment, including therapies like chemotherapy and radiation. The consortium aimed to help cancer patients make healthy choices that will support their treatment. On April 17, 2013, Jacobs announced that he had pledged $100,000 on behalf of the Bruins and its players to The One Fund Boston to help victims of the
Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing, sometimes referred to as simply the Boston bombing, was an Islamist domestic terrorist attack that took place during the 117th annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarna ...
and their families. Jacobs, his wife, Margaret, and his family gave $30 million to the University at Buffalo's medical school at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The school was renamed the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The donation is the second largest ever in school history. The donation brought the Jacobs family's total contributions to the University at Buffalo to more than $50 million. Jacobs is also heavily involved in the funding of the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
Foundation, which was founded and is chaired by his son Charlie. The Bruins Foundation provides grants to local organizations that seek to improve the lives of children through education, health, athletics, and a broad range of community outreach projects. In July 2015, Jacobs donated $250,000 to Iroquois Central High School in Elma, NY for the improvement of its athletic fields. Part of Jacobs’ East Aurora, NY estate is located in Elma.


Other activities

Jacobs holds honorary doctorates from the University at Buffalo, Canisius College, Johnson and Wales University, and Niagara University, where he was awarded an honorary doctor of commercial science in October 2013. He is currently serving his second term on the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Members of the board are selected by the
Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
and advise the Secretary on government policies and programs that affect the U.S. travel and tourism industry. Jacobs has made substantial contributions to the presidential campaigns of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
,
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
,
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
,
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
,
Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; February 24, 1942 – March 27, 2024) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Originally a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
, and John Edwards. He reportedly contributed over $650,000 to municipal elections in the village of Wellington, Florida. The Jacobs family has been involved in a dispute with developer Mark Bellissimo over proposed development within Wellington's Equestrian Preserve of a major
equestrian sports Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...
complex near his home in the village. Jacobs also owns an interest in NESN, the New England Sports Network, sharing ownership with John Henry, a friend and owner of the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
.


Personal life

Jacobs' father Louis was the owner of many sports teams along with his business empire that included owning the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball League, the Buffalo Bisons and the Providence Reds of the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
, the Buffalo Bisons of the
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
in
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
, and the Ice Follies along with being the owner of the
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball, Canisius Golden Griffins (Nationa ...
and the Cincinnati Gardens. Jacobs and his wife Margaret reside in Elma, New York and in Wellington, Florida. They have six children (three sons and three daughters), eighteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Their children are: * Jeremy "Jerry" Maurice Jacobs Jr., co-CEO of Delaware North Companies. In 1990, he married Alice Carroll French, an attorney. *Louis "Lou" Michael Jacobs, co-CEO of Delaware North. In 1989, Louis married Joan Babcook in Buffalo. * Charles "Charlie" Marvin Jacobs, CEO of Delaware North's Boston Holdings. In 1999, Charlie married Kimberly Diane Warren, a model and actress. *Margaret Lynn Jacobs, account executive at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith in New York. In 1986, she married John Bartlett Reichenbach of Carlisle, Massachusetts. *Katie Louise Jacobs married James D. Robinson IV in 1992. *Lisann Jane Jacobs married John Victor Holten in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
in 1983. They divorced; Lisann Jacobs is married to Dr. Bruce Platt.


Awards and honors

*2011
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
champion (as owner of the Boston Bruins) *2015 Lester Patrick Award *
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
(Class of 2017).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Jeremy 1940 births Living people American billionaires American people of Polish-Jewish descent Boston Bruins owners Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Jewish American sports executives and administrators Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York University at Buffalo alumni Stanley Cup champions Lester Patrick Trophy recipients 21st-century American Jews Delaware North