Timothy J. Mara (August 6, 1935 – June 1, 1995) was an American businessman and part owner of the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
football team. He, along with his mother Helen and sister Maura Concannon, owned a 50% stake in the team from 1965 until 1991. However, Tim Mara was much more involved with the team than his mother or his sister were.
Biography
Tim Mara was the son of
Jack Mara
John V. Mara (March 21, 1908 – June 29, 1965) was an American co-owner of the New York Giants, an American football team that plays in the National Football League (NFL). Mara was the son of Elizabeth "Lizette" (née Barclay) and Tim Mara ...
, one of the two owners of the Giants with his brother
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
. His grandfather,
also named Tim, was the founder of the franchise having started it in 1925. Tim's father was named co-owner with brother Wellington beginning in 1930, but once Jack died in 1965 Tim, along with mother Helen and sister Maura, took over his father's stake in the team. However, Helen and Maura had little interest in the Giants and allowed Tim to vote their shares as well as his own. This effectively made Tim a full partner with Wellington, and he took the active role in day-to-day operations that his father had. At the time the younger Tim Mara took over, the Giants were in a state of decline, having just come off a two-win season that followed a trip to the NFL Championship game.
Tim and his uncle Wellington had a somewhat frosty relationship, mainly due to a clash in styles. Whereas Wellington Mara was more of a laid-back owner, his nephew was very outspoken and would not hold back from criticizing the team. Tim was also notorious for running the Giants in odd ways, such as changing parking arrangements one hour before a game. The personality conflict took an ugly turn by 1968. Things had come to such a head by 1979, Wellington and Tim were not speaking to each other at all. In that year, Mara upset his uncle by pushing to have former
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
coach
George Allen, who Wellington Mara was not fond of, hired to replace
John McVay as the Giants' coach. (
Ray Perkins was eventually hired). To make matters worse, Mara and his uncle were dealing with a revolting fanbase who was tired of seeing year after year of losing teams. The Giants had tallied only two winning seasons since their last title game appearance in 1963. Both men endured criticism for what was perceived as a lack of ability to see that or more of a concern over their personal squabbles than over the football teams. The Giants had actually bottomed out a year earlier, when a sure win over the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
turned into
a shocking loss when
Herman Edwards recovered a fumbled handoff and took it all the way back for a touchdown.
Eventually, NFL commissioner
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle (; March 1, 1926 – December 6, 1996) was an American professional football executive. Rozelle served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 until his retire ...
stepped in to mediate the feud and convince the Maras to do something to improve the team. This was accomplished by hiring
George Young, the director of personnel for the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
, to be the team's general manager, with full authority over football matters. Although Mara's job was made easier by this move, the feud between uncle and nephew continued to fester. However, things slowly began to improve for the Giants and by 1981, the team returned to the playoffs. In 1984, the Giants hit their stride and made the playoffs three consecutive years which culminated in a Super Bowl victory at the end of the 1986 season. Although Tim and Wellington Mara would still be at odds, the use of Young as a go-between enabled the Giants to run more effectively and for better hires to be made than had been made over the previous two decades of co-ownership. This was mentioned during the
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
postgame show, where CBS'
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN).
With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was the original host of their ...
brought up the schism between the Maras but how things were now better in spite of it. (This did not stop the owners from appearing separately during the program — the initial trophy presentation was made by Commissioner Rozelle to Wellington Mara while Tim was interviewed later and was not standing on the podium until after the trophy presentation; later, when the trophy from
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
was presented, Tim stood on the opposite side of Wellington with Commissioner
Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue (; born November 24, 1940) is an American lawyer who was the National Football League Commissioner, commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). He took the position in 1989 NFL season, 1989 and served until September ...
, Musburger (who was now working for ABC), and Young in between them and was not interviewed until his uncle left the stage.)
Shortly after the Giants' victory in Super Bowl XXV, in February 1991, Mara announced he was selling the 50% stake his family controlled to
Bob Tisch, president of
Loews Corporation
Loews Corporation is an American conglomerate headquartered in New York City. The company's majority-stake holdings include CNA Financial Corporation, Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, Loews Hotels and Altium Packaging.
The corporation positions ...
and former
Postmaster General of the United States
The United States postmaster general (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency.
The PMG is selected and appointed by ...
, saying "the time was right" and revealing he had tried to sell his stake twice before but decided not to. He spent the next three years still continuing the feud with his uncle until former Giant and broadcaster
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American professional football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback, flanker and safety for the New York Giants of ...
stepped in and brought the two together, where they seemed to come to more common ground.
On June 1, 1995, Tim Mara died of
Hodgkin's disease
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...
in
Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 US Census, the town had a population of 61,047. It is 84 miles north of Miami and 15 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach. ...
at the age of 59.
He was survived by an ex-wife and his mother and sister.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mara, Timothy J.
1939 births
1995 deaths
New York Giants owners
Timothy J.