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76-531: Barron Hilton , son of Conrad Hilton , founded Conrad Hotels, taking the name from that of his father. Hilton Hotels was, at the time, a separate company from Hilton International, and could not operate hotels outside the United States under the Hilton name. The newly named chain solved that problem. Hilton International had already started their own chain of Vista Hotels within the United States, as they faced

152-885: A Shamrock Rovers game in Dublin , Ireland. In 1966, he viewed the FIFA World Cup in England, and then attended nine of the next 11 World Cup tournaments. In 1967, Hunt founded the Dallas Tornado as members of the United Soccer Association . In 1968 the league merged with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League . Hunt was an active advocate for

228-543: A balloon—with the Earthwinds Hilton and Global Hilton campaigns. While falling short of the ultimate goal, Hilton is credited with inspiring the efforts of those who achieved the feat. Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones were the first to make a trans-global flight in 1999; Steve Fossett became the first to complete the flight solo in 2002. From 1980 to 2009, he also hosted the Barron Hilton Cup ,

304-648: A child, Hilton was fascinated by aviation, and learned to fly when he was 17. After his wartime discharge, he attended the University of Southern California Aeronautical School, where he earned his twin-engine rating at age 19. Before joining his father in the hotel industry, Barron Hilton honed his business skills in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures. He acquired the Los Angeles-area distributorship of Vita-Pakt Citrus Products, co-founded MacDonald Oil Company, and founded Air Finance Corporation, one of

380-406: A classic car, and closing by flying off stage in a 110 lbs. crystal and ostrich feather cape. The company's expansion into Nevada had an immediate impact on its net income. By 1972, the two resorts contributed 45 percent of the company's income (before interest income, interest expense, write down of investments and sales of properties), nearly matching the income from the other 160 Hilton hotels in

456-435: A leading convention destination, capitalizing on the company's strength in that important market segment. Hilton personally introduced two innovations that have become standard features of casinos everywhere. Calling on his background in photography, he installed video cameras throughout the casinos to replace the "eye in the sky" system of observers peering through two-way mirrors in the ceiling. Las Vegas would also become

532-717: A new football league, and the American Football League was established in August 1959. The group of the eight founders of the AFL teams was referred to as the " Foolish Club ". Hunt's goal was to bring professional football to Texas and to acquire an NFL team for the Hunt family. Hunt became an owner of the Dallas Texans and hired future hall-of-Famer Hank Stram as the team's first head coach. The team, along with

608-633: A permanent suite in New York's Waldorf-Astoria. Hilton and several friends purchased the 475,000-acre Flying-M Ranch in Lyon County, Nevada (the property stretched across the California state line) in the mid-1960s, and he bought the others out in 1972. The ranch included an airport and a two-hole putting green. Barron Hilton died at his home in Los Angeles on September 19, 2019. He

684-592: A series of massive additions to the Flamingo Hilton and the Las Vegas Hilton, the company nearly tripled its rooms in Las Vegas by 1990, from 2,277 to 6,703. He also launched Conrad International in the '80s, and Hilton Garden Inn in the '90s. In contrast to his gamble on gaming, Hilton earned a reputation as a financial conservative. After seeing his father struggle to overcome the effects of

760-410: A small fleet of aircraft at his Flying M Ranch east of the sierras in northern Nevada that includes sailplanes, tow planes, aerobatic aircraft, hot air balloons and classic, restored biplanes. He flew them all until he retired from the cockpit in 2012 at age 84. In the '90s, he boldly backed the first attempts to capture one of the last great milestones in aviation—flying non-stop around the world in

836-417: A unique, worldwide glider competition. Pilots who flew the longest triangular flights during each two-year period in six regions of the world earned participation in a weeklong soaring camp at his Flying M Ranch. Co-founder Helmut Reichmann , Germany's three-time world soaring champion, devised a handicap system that enabled pilots flying older gliders to compete with elite pilots in high-performance aircraft of

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912-532: Is a natural law, a Divine law, that obliges you and me to relieve the suffering, the distressed and the destitute. Charity is a supreme virtue, and the great channel through which the mercy of God is passed on to mankind. It is the virtue that unites men and inspires their noblest efforts. 'Love one another, for that is the whole law;' so our fellow men deserve to be loved and encouraged—never abandoned to wander alone in poverty and darkness. The practice of charity will bind us—will bind all men in one great brotherhood. As

988-559: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Her religious beliefs prevented her from working on Sundays, and she claimed in the lawsuit that the hotel wouldn't accommodate her. In 2019, Ms. Pierre was awarded $ 21.5 million by a jury, but did not receive the full amount because punitive damages in the United States cannot exceed $ 300,000. [REDACTED] Media related to Conrad Hotels at Wikimedia Commons Barron Hilton William Barron Hilton (October 23, 1927 – September 19, 2019)

1064-574: The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation , a humanitarian charity which he had established in 1944. In his will, Conrad also gave Barron the right to purchase those shares in order to maintain family control of the company, but the foundation challenged the option in probate court . It took an entire decade to resolve the issue. Hilton's right to exercise his option was upheld in an appeals court ruling in March 1988, giving him voting power over roughly 34 percent of

1140-518: The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation . Included was an immediate pledge of $ 1.2 billion, the proceeds of the sale of Hilton Hotels Corporation and Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which was placed in a charitable remainder unitrust that would be transferred to the foundation upon Hilton's death at whatever value the trust was worth at that time. The remainder of the funds that constitute Hilton's pledge of 97 percent of his estate will come from his personal assets, which were estimated at $ 1.1 billion at

1216-631: The Great Depression and World War II , he maintained the strongest balance sheet in the industry. Throughout his 30 years as CEO, he carried a low debt-to-capital ratio and a high credit rating , enabling him to gobble up such properties as Bally's Reno (formerly the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino-Reno). The 2,000-room resort was opened in 1978 for $ 230 million, and purchased by Hilton in 1992 for $ 88 million. With strong cash flow and plenty of liquid investments on hand, he

1292-540: The Kappa Sigma fraternity. In 1972, he was selected as Kappa Sigma's Man of the Year. On the strength of his great inherited oil wealth, Hunt applied for a National Football League expansion franchise but was turned down. In 1959, professional American football was a distant second to Major League Baseball in popularity, and the thinking among NFL executives was that the league must be careful not to "oversaturate"

1368-699: The Tuskegee Airmen . The gallery includes an early childhood education component funded by the Hilton Foundation to help youngsters catch the same enthusiasm for aviation that he discovered as a child when Lindbergh and Earhart were making headlines. In 2012, Barron was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum . For his lifelong support of aviation, Hilton received

1444-694: The Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks. The oldest ongoing national soccer tournament in the United States, the U.S. Open Cup (founded 1914), now bears his name in honor of his pioneering role in that sport stateside. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972; into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1982; and into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993 for his contribution to

1520-544: The founder of the Chiefs rather than the owner , and publicly listed his telephone number in the phone book for the rest of his life. From 1960 to 2005, the Chiefs reached the postseason fourteen times with Hunt as founder, with nine coming after 1971. The Chiefs reached the AFC Championship Game to compete for the trophy named in 1984 after Hunt on one occasion during his lifetime, losing in 1993. In 1966,

1596-619: The 1970s and early 1980s, Hunt and his brothers Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt attempted to corner the silver market. They began buying silver in the early 1970s. By the end of 1979, their ownership of one-third of the world silver market caused the price to rise from $ 11 an ounce in September 1979 to $ 50 an ounce in January 1980. In the last nine months of 1979, the brothers profited by an estimated $ 2 billion to $ 4 billion. However, on March 27, 1980, subsequently referred to within

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1672-633: The AFL, began play in 1960 . As a response to the newly formed league and the presence of an AFL franchise in Dallas, the NFL quickly placed a new franchise of their own in Dallas, the Dallas Cowboys , who also began play in 1960 . As a result, the Dallas Texans, despite being one of the more successful AFL teams in the league's early days, had little luck at the gate, as they had to compete with

1748-709: The AFL-NFL merger, which helped the National Football League grow into America's passion." The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri , Kay Waldo Barnes , requested that all city flags fly at half-staff the following Thursday and Friday after Hunt's death. Upon Hunt's death, his son Clark was named the chairman of the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas, having been elected by Hunt's other children, Lamar Hunt Jr. , Sharron Munson, and Daniel Hunt. Though Hunt's wife and children shared legal ownership of

1824-672: The Atlantic. When he was 7 or 8 years old, he would ride his bike to Love Field in Dallas to watch the exotic planes of the day take off and land. He promised himself that he would one day learn to fly. He took private flying lessons at a field on the north shore of Oahu during his time in the Navy, and got his pilot's license at age 17. In addition to his single-engine and multi-engine ratings, Hilton eventually earned glider, lighter than air (balloons) and helicopter ratings as well. He maintained

1900-486: The Cowboys for fans. By the end of the 1962 season, Hunt concluded that Dallas was not big enough to support two teams, and began to consider moving the team. Kansas City became one of the contenders, as Hunt wanted a city to which he could easily commute from Dallas. To convince Hunt to move the team to Kansas City, mayor H. Roe Bartle promised Hunt home attendance of 25,000 people per game: Hunt finally agreed to move

1976-753: The Dallas Texans) and reached the first-ever Super Bowl , which the Chiefs lost to the Green Bay Packers . The Chiefs remained successful through the 1960s, and in 1970 the Chiefs won the AFL Championship and Super Bowl IV (the last Super Bowl played when the AFL was a separate league, prior to it being absorbed into the NFL as the American Football Conference ) over the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings . Hunt insisted that he be listed in team media guides as

2052-509: The Flying M Ranch and never returned, perishing in a crash in the Sierras. In spite of an intensive search, the wreckage wasn't discovered until the following spring. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause(s) of this accident to be "the pilot's inadvertent encounter with downdrafts that exceeded the climb capability of the airplane. Contributing to the accident were

2128-727: The Hunt-founded parks is the Hunt-developed SubTropolis , a 55 million-square-foot (5.06 million m ), 1,100-acre (450 ha) manmade limestone cave which is claimed to be the World's Largest Underground Business Complex (TM) . Hunt's extensive business dealings in Clay County contributed to the Chiefs having their NFL Training Camp at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri until 1991. During

2204-505: The Las Vegas Hilton two months a year—performing two shows a night, seven nights a week—until shortly before his death in 1977. Presley set a world entertainment record at the Las Vegas Hilton for selling out 837 consecutive concerts. Having played Las Vegas since 1944, Liberace had created the resident entertainer model on the Las Vegas Strip the year before he befriended Elvis at Presley's first, and less-than-successful foray on

2280-651: The NASL a year before the league itself finally collapsed in 1984. Hunt returned to soccer as one of the original founding investors of Major League Soccer , which debuted in 1996. He originally owned two teams: the Columbus Crew and the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City ). In 1999, Hunt financed the construction of the venue now known as Historic Crew Stadium , the second, and first since 1913, of several large soccer-specific stadiums in

2356-429: The NFL and AFL agreed to merge, with a championship game between the two leagues to be played after that season. In a July 25, 1966, letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle , Hunt wrote, "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon." Hunt would later say the name was likely in his head because his children had been playing with a Super Ball toy. Although the leagues' owners decided on

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2432-616: The NFL. A primary benefactor of this outcome was Lamar Hunt. In 1981, after 15 seasons and losses in the millions, Hunt and his Dallas Tornado partner Bill McNutt decided to merge their team with the Tampa Bay Rowdies franchise, while retaining a minority stake in the Florida club. Two years later, along with Rowdies principal George Strawbrige , they sold the Rowdies to local investors. The move effectively ended Hunt's ties to

2508-656: The Open Era of tennis. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. Hunt was the founder of two theme parks in Kansas City: Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun , which opened in 1973 and 1982 respectively. The two parks were an outgrowth and adjoined a vast industrial park he developed in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri . Immediately south of

2584-457: The Strip in 1956. Liberace was signed by Hilton to the same showroom as Presley beginning in 1972, for an unprecedented $ 300,000 per week. Barron Hilton was a major influence in pushing Liberace to always outperform his previous shows, with more and more of the entertainer's famous brand of showmanship. True to form, Liberace played his last show at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1980, arriving on stage in

2660-660: The USA. In 2003, Hunt purchased a third team, the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas ), after announcing that he would partially finance the construction of their own soccer-specific stadium . On August 31, 2006, Hunt sold the Wizards to a six-man ownership group led by Cerner Corporation co-founders Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig. In 1968, Hunt co-founded the World Championship Tennis circuit, which gave birth to

2736-725: The United States and elsewhere. Conrad was considered the luxury flagship brand in the Hilton Family of Brands, named after company founder Conrad Hilton , until being supplanted by The Waldorf-Astoria Collection in 2006. In 2017, Marie Jean Pierre, a former dishwasher at the Conrad Miami Hotel, sued the Conrad in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida claiming the Miami hotel had violated

2812-414: The United States. On the hotel front, in 1975 Hilton sold a 50 percent interest in six of the company's largest hotels to Prudential Insurance Company for $ 83 million. He took a leaseback to manage the properties, collecting lucrative management fees and a percentage of their gross profits. Perhaps more importantly, the sale proved that these hotels were worth double their book value, demonstrating

2888-652: The United States. He was the principal founder of the American Football League (AFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as MLS's predecessor, the North American Soccer League (NASL), and co-founder of World Championship Tennis . He was also the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL), the Kansas City Wizards of MLS, and at the time of his death owned two other MLS teams, Columbus Crew and FC Dallas . In Kansas City , Hunt also helped establish

2964-662: The availability of a new stadium, the city received a baseball expansion franchise from the National League, and the San Diego Padres began play in 1969. Hilton also served as AFL president in 1965, and helped forge the merger between the AFL and the NFL, announced in 1966, which created the Super Bowl. In all, the Chargers won five divisional titles, and one AFL Championship , during Hilton's six years at

3040-567: The birth of professional Open Era tennis. The National Soccer Hall of Fame bestowed upon Hunt their Medal of Honor in 1999, an award given to only three recipients in history thus far. He was married for 42 years to his second wife Norma , and had four children, Sharron, Lamar Jr. , Daniel, and Clark Hunt . Hunt was born in El Dorado, Arkansas , US, on August 2, 1932. He was the son of oil tycoon H. L. Hunt and younger brother of tycoons Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt. Lamar

3116-776: The board to expand into Las Vegas by purchasing the International and the Flamingo from financier Kirk Kerkorian . Hilton Hotels thus became the first company listed on the New York Stock Exchange to venture into the gaming market. Renamed the Las Vegas Hilton and the Flamingo Hilton , the two resorts tapped a new source of income from gambling in a state where it had been legal since 1931. Barron could also see that Las Vegas would become

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3192-580: The burdens of our mistakes, so are they in their innocence the repositories of our hopes for the upward progress of humanity. Give aid to their protectors and defenders, the Sisters, who devote their love and life's work for the good of mankind, for they appeal especially to me as being deserving of help from the Foundation." Hilton was born the year Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis across

3268-546: The company now strategically complete, Bollenbach spun off the gaming business, which merged with Harrah's in 2005 and was renamed Caesars Entertainment . In 2007, private equity firm The Blackstone Group purchased Hilton Hotels Corporation, consisting of 2,800 hotels with 480,000 rooms in 76 countries and territories. Blackstone paid $ 47.50 per share, a 32 percent premium over the July 2 closing price. The $ 26 billion, all-cash transaction included $ 7.5 billion of debt. Host Hotels & Resorts veteran Chris Nassetta

3344-457: The company's outstanding shares . Conrad's bequest of stock was worth $ 160 million when he died in 1979. Thanks to his son's successful management of the Hilton Hotels Corporation, those shares were worth $ 654 million when the settlement was reached late in 1988. In a press statement issued after the favorable ruling, Hilton said it gave him "the opportunity to structure an arrangement whereby my father's two objectives, retaining control of

3420-449: The death of the Bills' Ralph Wilson in 2014, Hilton became the last surviving member of the Foolish Club —the nickname the original AFL owners gave each other, as they absorbed the start-up expenses and player salaries necessary to compete with the established NFL. Once charged with the responsibility for Hilton Hotels Corporation, Barron Hilton soon showed his father's genius for cost controls and real estate deals. In 1970, he convinced

3496-416: The downdrafts, high density altitude, and mountainous terrain." Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum honored Hilton in 2010 by christening the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery. The redesigned exhibit recognizes aviators like Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and

3572-458: The funds you will expend have come from many places in the world, so let there be no territorial, religious, or color restrictions on your benefactions, but beware of organized, professional charities with high-salaried executives and a heavy ratio of expense. Be ever watchful for the opportunity to shelter little children with the umbrella of your charity; be generous to their schools, their hospitals and their places of worship. For, as they must bear

3648-408: The helm of the club. In 1966, directors of Hilton Hotels Corporation asked Hilton to succeed his father as president and chief executive officer of the company, provided that he drop his football responsibilities. He sold his majority interest in the team for $ 10 million—a record for any professional sports franchise at the time—after an initial investment in a franchise fee of just $ 25,000. With

3724-763: The latest design. Once at the Flying M, they flew recreationally alongside world champions and celebrities invited to attend by Hilton. Beginning in 1996 with its predecessors, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., EADS , had served as a partner in the event. Over the years, a number of notable pilots regularly joined Hilton for weekends at the Flying M. They include entertainers John Denver and Cliff Robertson ; astronauts Neil Armstrong , Gene Cernan , Bill Anders , and Ulf Merbold ; and test pilots and record-holders: Chuck Yeager , Johnny Myers , Clay Lacy , Bruno GanTenbrink , Bob Hoover , Carroll Shelby , Sully Sullenberger , and air, sea and land adventurer, Steve Fossett . On Labor Day, 2007, Fossett took off from

3800-401: The lease would expire in 1979, Hilton deftly negotiated to buy the hotel and real estate from the railroad. The landmark property, whose current value is estimated around $ 1 billion, was purchased by Hilton for just $ 35 million. As competitors aggressively spread across the U.S. in the '80s, Barron held his own by rehabbing his own hotels and increasing revenues in Las Vegas. Through

3876-446: The market by expanding too quickly. Hunt also attempted to purchase the NFL's Chicago Cardinals (now based in Arizona ) franchise in 1959 with the intention to move them to Dallas, but was again turned down (the team moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1960). In response, Hunt approached several other businessmen who had also unsuccessfully sought NFL franchises, including fellow Texan and oilman Bud Adams of Houston , about forming

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3952-402: The merger with the National Football League that created the Super Bowl . Like his father before him, he pledged 97 percent of his wealth to the humanitarian work of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. At the time, the gift was projected to increase the foundation's endowment from $ 2.9 billion to $ 6.3 billion, and will make his estate the organization's most significant donor. Hilton

4028-411: The name "AFL-NFL Championship Game", the media immediately picked up on Hunt's "Super Bowl" name, which would become official beginning with the third annual game in 1969, which was won by the AFL's New York Jets over the NFL's Baltimore Colts . In 1967 Hunt helped promote professional soccer in the United States. Hunt's interest in soccer began in 1962 when he accompanied his future wife, Norma, to

4104-421: The name in a contest, and Hilton selected it because of the bugle call and "Charge!" cheer that was often sounded during USC football games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . The Chargers began playing at the Coliseum in 1960, but in spite of winning the Western Division , the club found it difficult to compete for fans with the Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in their own stadium. Hilton moved

4180-485: The nation's first aircraft leasing businesses. In 1954, Barron was elected vice president of Hilton Hotels, running the company's franchise operations and creating the Carte Blanche credit card as a service to the company's customers. In 1959, Lamar Hunt offered Hilton the Los Angeles franchise in the new American Football League (AFL). Hilton named his team the Chargers , but denied that he did it to create synergy with his new credit card business. A fan had nominated

4256-665: The precious-metals industry as Silver Thursday , the price collapsed. In September 1988, the Hunt brothers filed for bankruptcy under the United States Bankruptcy Code Chapter 11. Hunt had three brothers, Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr, Nelson Bunker and William Herbert. His half-sister Swanee Hunt was Ambassador to Austria. Married twice, Hunt first married Rosemary Carr. The pair met in Dallas as teenagers, went to Southern Methodist University together and married in 1956. Together they had two children Lamar Jr. and Sharron Hunt. The pair divorced in 1962, due in part to Hunt's travel schedule. In 1964, he married again. His second wife

4332-747: The prestigious FAI Gold Air Medal from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 2009, the same award bestowed upon some of his closest friends and personal heroes, like Yeager, Armstrong, Cernan, Jones, Fossett, and Lindbergh himself. In 2012, Hilton was also inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in San Diego, and was hailed as the "patron saint of sport aviation." In 1947, Barron Hilton married Marilyn June Hawley; they remained married until she died in 2004. They had eight children: William Barron Hilton, Jr.; Hawley Anne Hilton; Stephen Michael Hilton ; David Alan Hilton; Sharon Constance Hilton; Richard Howard Hilton ; Daniel Kevin Hilton; and Ronald Jeffrey Hilton; William Barron Hilton, Jr.

4408-468: The remaining 6 million shares were placed in the W. Barron Hilton Charitable remainder unitrust , of which Barron was the executor. He received 60 percent of the unitrust income, and the foundation 40 percent, during his lifetime, then the fund would transfer to the foundation. On December 25, 2007, Hilton announced that he would follow in his father's footsteps by leaving about 97 percent of his estate, estimated at that time to be $ 2.3 billion, to

4484-405: The same prohibition on operating there under the Hilton name. The first Conrad hotel, the Conrad Jupiters Gold Coast in Australia, opened its doors in 1985. When the two Hilton chains were rejoined in 2005, the need for the Vista and Conrad names vanished. Vista was phased out, while the Conrad brand was retained as a luxury wing of Hilton. Numerous hotels have since been opened under that name in

4560-431: The selective acquisition of management contracts and hotels in emerging markets. In 1977, he completed a hotel purchase that his father had initiated 28 years earlier. When Conrad Hilton bought the Waldorf-Astoria in 1949, he actually bought the hotel's operating company and its 30-year lease to run the hotel. The building, and the land under it, were still owned by the realty arm of the Penn Central Railroad . Knowing that

4636-414: The self-proclaimed "Entertainment Capital of the World". Of all the headliners to perform at the Hilton or the Flamingo, the most successful and spectacular were certainly Liberace and Elvis Presley . After a decade in the movies, Elvis Presley again began performing in front of live audiences in 1969 at the opening of the International (a few years later renamed the Las Vegas Hilton). He went on to star at

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4712-414: The sport and the league and the Dallas Tornado won the NASL championship in 1971 and were runners-up in 1973. The NFL owners were not happy with Hunt's ownership in and promotion of pro soccer. The NFL attempted to force legal requirements that would disallow team ownership in more than one sport for owners of NFL franchises. This strategy backfired on the NFL, and the NASL won an anti-trust case against

4788-420: The stock in family hands, and benefiting charity through the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, can both be achieved. I am confident that my father would be pleased with this accord." The settlement was finalized in 1989. Neither Hilton, nor the foundation, had to actually pay for the shares; they split them instead. Hilton received 4 million shares, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation received 3.5 million shares, and

4864-426: The team to Kansas City, and in 1963 the Dallas Texans were rebranded the Kansas City Chiefs . While the Chiefs' first two seasons had attendance not matching the levels Mayor Bartle had promised, in 1966 average home attendance at Chiefs games increased and reached 37,000. By 1969, Chiefs' average home attendance had reached 51,000. In 1966, the Chiefs won their first AFL Championship (after having previously won it as

4940-432: The team to San Diego in time for the 1961 season and played in tiny Balboa Stadium , which the city had expanded to 30,000 seats. Hilton began working with the local newspapers to engender support for construction of a state-of-the-art stadium. Encouraged by San Diego Union sports editor Jack Murphy , among others, a referendum was passed in 1965, and the Chargers began play in the new San Diego Stadium in 1967. With

5016-408: The time. Throughout his career, Conrad Hilton supported a variety of causes, particularly those involving the nuns that had helped educate him in his native New Mexico . He established the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 1944, and made a total of $ 7.6 million of gifts before his death. In his last will and testament, Conrad left general guidance for the use of his endowment. He wrote: "There

5092-411: The underlying value of the company's real estate holdings. The transaction also enhanced the value of the stock held by every HHC shareholder. Hilton used the proceeds to pay down high interest debt, and repurchase 20 percent of the company's stock—all at market rate —which was still trading well below the company's book value. Hilton continued to expand the domestic hotel chain through franchising and

5168-404: Was 74 years old. Upon his death, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Hunt "a founder of the NFL as we know it today," adding "He's been an inspiration for me." Said Dan Rooney , chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers : "Lamar Hunt was one of the most influential owners in professional football over the past 40-plus years, He was instrumental in the formation of the American Football League and in

5244-430: Was a schoolteacher and hostess for the Dallas Texans , Norma , to whom he was married until his death. They had two sons, Clark and Daniel. Norma Hunt was one of the very few and the only woman to attend every Super Bowl , from 1967 until her death in June 2023. Hunt died December 13, 2006, at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas of complications related to prostate cancer , having been hospitalized for weeks. He

5320-610: Was able to weather the inevitable recessions and business interruptions that struck the industry from the mid-'60s to the mid-'90s. Hilton continued as chairman of the board through the next decade as his hand-picked successor, Steve Bollenbach , dramatically expanded the company through a series of mergers and acquisitions. The advent of friendly capital markets in the late '90s enabled him to acquire such brands as Embassy Suites , Doubletree , Hampton Inn , Homewood Suites , Bally's and Caesars. Then, in 2005, he reacquired Hilton International, 38 years after it had been sold to TWA. With

5396-437: Was an American business magnate , philanthropist and sportsman. The second son and successor of hotelier Conrad Hilton , he was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hilton Hotels Corporation and chairman emeritus of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation . Hilton, a notable pilot and outdoorsman, was also a founder of the American Football League as the original owner of the Los Angeles Chargers , and helped forge

5472-466: Was born in Dallas , Texas, to Mary Adelaide (née Barron) and Conrad Nicholson Hilton , founder of Hilton Hotels . Hilton grew up with three siblings, Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Jr. , Eric Michael Hilton , and Constance Francesca Hilton . His father was of Norwegian and German descent and from New Mexico while his mother was from Kentucky. He served in the Navy during World War II as a photographer. As

5548-592: Was born in 1948 and Ronald Jeffrey Hilton was born in 1963. Barron Hilton had 15 grandchildren, including Richard Hilton's daughters Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton Rothschild , and four great-grandchildren. His primary residence in Holmby Hills was the Jay Paley House , originally designed in the 1930s for Jay Paley by architect Paul Williams . It was used as the 'Colby mansion' in exterior scenes for The Colbys television series. He also maintained

5624-461: Was hired to manage the company, which was renamed Hilton Worldwide , Inc. and is now known as Hilton, Inc. Now celebrating the 100th year since Conrad Hilton purchased his first hotel, the company has expanded to include 17 brands, 5,800 hotels, and 939,000 rooms in 114 countries of the world. In 1979, Barron Hilton's father, Conrad Hilton , died at age 91. He left 13.5 million shares of Hilton Hotels Corporation stock—97 percent of his estate—to

5700-480: Was raised in Dallas, Texas . He attended Culver Military Academy and graduated from The Hill School in Pennsylvania in 1951 and Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1956, with a B.S. degree in geology . Hunt was a college football player who rode the bench but was still an avid sports enthusiast during his time in college and throughout his entire childhood. While attending SMU in 1952, Hunt joined

5776-668: Was the last surviving child of Conrad Hilton. Hilton was a member of a duck club on Venice Island in the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta near Stockton in Northern California. Every year he put on a large Fourth of July fireworks display, attracting thousands of boaters to watch it. Lamar Hunt Lamar Hunt Sr. (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American businessman most notable for his promotion of football , soccer , and tennis in

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