Tell me about Jack Kent Cooke

[Dblock804]

Was he in the first Pay per veiw? Boxing at the Garden. Foreman, Ali? Like Brokered the deal maybe an agent?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Dblock804

Was he in the first Pay per veiw? Boxing at the Garden. Foreman, Ali? Like Brokered the deal maybe an agent?

Right. He bankrolled that fight and was the promoter. Don King before Don King

[SmootSmack]

JKC also at one point owned Muzak (so all that music you'd hear in elevators and in retail stores, that belonged to him), and part of Showtime

[12thMan]

For what's it worth, growing up in the city, DC loved Jack Kent Cooke the owner. His personal life was another story. Cooke was a winner to the core. I also suspect it's one of the reasons the area hasn't, 'till this very day, fully embraced Dan Snyder. Every now and then, I still hear the old timers talk about Cooke.

I can say for me at least, there are probably three or four faces that I've come to associate with the franchise over the years. Jack Kent Cooke was most definitely one of them. I still remember him wearing those dark sunglasses and a checkered hat like it was yesterday.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

For what's it worth, growing up in the city, DC loved Jack Kent Cooke the owner. His personal life was another story. Cooke was a winner to the core. I also suspect it's one of the reasons the area hasn't, 'till this very day, fully embraced Dan Snyder. Every now and then, I still hear the old timers talk about Cooke.

I can say for me at least, there are probably three or four faces that I've come to associate with the franchise over the years. Jack Kent Cooke was most definitely one of them. I still remember him wearing those dark sunglasses and a checkered hat like it was yesterday.

I agree he is part of the reason Snyder is not embraced in the DC area but if he had won a few SB's like Jerry Jones did in Dallas that would change very fast. Remember how much Jerry Jones was first hated in Dallas when he came in and fired the legend (shoot I forgot his name) but you get my point.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I agree he is part of the reason Snyder is not embraced in the DC area but if he had won a few SB's like Jerry Jones did in Dallas that would change very fast. Remember how much Jerry Jones was first hated in Dallas when he came in and fired the legend (shoot I forgot his name) but you get my point.

What do the locals think of JJ now? I know a lot of dallas fans think he put his ego over the Tuna's head when he got TO. Maybe if the tuna had stayed that team would've made it to the super bowl.

So, JJ was hated at first, but it's been a long time since those bowls & they haven't won a playoff game since 97? I also have read that a lot of fans are upset w/his new stadium & the high ticket prices. Sound familiar?

[Slingin Sammy 33]

JKC, you could always count on him for a quote (check out my sig). He stayed out of the football side of the business and left that to Gibbs and Bethard, when those two couldn't agree they would bring the dispute to Cooke, who would settle it. He was like the Danny in one way, he wasn't afraid to spend money to bring in whatever talent Bethard and Gibbs needed.

The sunglasses and hat look is classic.

[cochise]

If I remember correctly he made his start selling encylcepedia's from door to door in Canada.

[cochise]

Also, JKC is known as the only owner to never ask for a dime from the city for his stadium and/or his orginzation !

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by cochise

Also, JKC is known as the only owner to never ask for a dime from the city for his stadium and/or his orginzation !

Isn't the reason the stadium is now in Maryland because the City wouldn't give him the land to build it?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Frplg:

The reason the stadium is in PG County and not in DC is a very complex issue but the short version is that the DC Government could never bring itself to the point of exercising eminent domain over land to build the stadiu, in DC.

It is far more complex than that because the government's "inability"/refusal to do so is tied up in other issues where JKC refused to guarantee certain pieces of the construction work and supervisory work to companies who were "favorites". There was lots of other "stuff" going on here but the nonsense went on for about 10 years and then JKC decided he had to look elsewhere.

[Dirtbag59]

Just finished it. Paper ended up barely missing the 3,000 word mark. Anyway just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who contributed to the thread. Especially (God I know I'm going to miss someone here) sportscurmudgeon, mrreddman, smootsmack, 70 Chip, 12thman, FreddyG, and SlinginSammy.

Sammy I also thought you'll be happy to know that I opened the essay with the quote from your sig. Though I freaked out for a second because I realized I'd have to cite the quote and I knew that citing SlingingSammy33 from the Warpath.net wasn't going to cut, luckily the quote happened to be in one of my sources so it worked out in the end. From there on I opened each section of the paper with a JKC quote.

”[If] an angel fairy came down and said, '[You can have anything]....you would like to own,' I wouldn't be surprised if you said a football club and particularly the Washington Redskins.'' — Jack Kent Cooke, 1996 (AP, JKC Quotes)

Legacy: An Introduction to Jack Kent Cooke

“Yes I was very good at it, because I believe you can do almost anything you want to do if you're willing to apply yourself with deliberation, with a smidgen of common sense, and the will to do it above all.'' — Jack Kent Cooke, When asked how he was able to excel at selling encyclopedias despite that fact that he ‘hated it’. (Heyward Interview)

T’was a Man Named Jack: Cooke’s Life Story

“Nobody’s going to write a book about me [50 years from now], because nobody’s going to find anything worth writing a book about.” — Jack Kent Cooke, summer 1995 (AP, JKC Quotes)

Blueprint: The Beliefs and Habits that Made Cooke Great

I am in a state of ectasy. Never mind that nonsense about euphoria and so on, it is sheer unadulterated, uncompromising ectasy.” — Jack Kent Cooke, after winning the 1983 Super Bowl (AP, JKC Quotes)

Conclusion

Of course my favorite quote from the paper concerns the PLC's:
“imagine if you were on a trip and you checked into a hotel and the fellow said 'first thing you have to do is give me a personal payment for the right to rent a room.’ What would you say?" [No sir.] "That’s right, in fact I wouldn't even say sir I'd say, no you stupid ass" (Fox 5 Special).


Anyway just wanted to extend another thank you to everyone that helped with the thread.

[SmootSmack]

Jack Kent Cooke bought the Lakers from Bob Short...who gained later infamy in Washington, DC when he outbid Bob Hope (yes, that Bob Hope) and purchased the Washington Senators, hired Ted Williams as the team's manager, and subsequently sent the team packing to Arlington, Texas.

[CRedskinsRule]

I truly hope Snyder will one day fill the shoes worn by JKC. That would be an awesome thing.

[MeanEvilSkin]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

I truly hope Snyder will one day fill the shoes worn by JKC. That would be an awesome thing.

Snyder is too arrogant to learn.