Bill Daniels
Encyclopedia
Robert W. "Bill" Daniels (July 1, 1920 - March 7, 2000) was a pioneer in the cable television industry, commonly known as the "Father of Cable Television". He was an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and a founder of the United States Football League
(USFL).
and shortly thereafter moved to Hobbs, New Mexico
. There he was enrolled at the New Mexico Military Institute
(NMMI), a distinguished State of New Mexico supported educational institution located in Roswell, NM. He was the undefeated New Mexico Golden Gloves
Boxing Champion. In 1941, he joined the Navy and became an accomplished fighter pilot both in WWII and in Korea, retiring with the rank of full commander. Not long after the war, on his way home he happened upon a bar in Denver that was showing a boxing match from out-of-state, and he became interested in the technology that brought television over long distances.
feed that delivered Denver programming to Casper, Wyoming
in 1952. He soon shifted his focus towards brokering and investment banking for the growing industry. In 1958, he founded Daniels and Associates to specialize in this field. By 1965 his company, Daniels and Associates had brokered in excess of $100 million dollars and this represented about 80 percent of the year's transactions.
, and owner of the American Basketball Association
's Utah Stars
franchise and was a founder of the USFL. With Lakers co-owner Jerry Buss
, Bill started Prime Ticket sports programming network in the mid-1980s, which he later sold, sharing the proceeds with his employees. Daniel's sponsored the USAC
Championship Car campaigns of Texan Lloyd Ruby
both in 1970 under the Daniel's Cablevision banner and in 1971 while promoting Daniel's Utah Stars
franchise. In the case of the Utah Stars Basketball franchise, the team was not profitable and the league folded, leaving season ticket holders with no games, seats, or refunds. While Daniels was not financially obligated, he felt strongly about repaying the fans. Unable to make amends with his ticketholders at the time, years later he located and voluntarily repaid each Stars ticketholder with interest.
, a special bank with a unique Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
-insured state charter. The bank caters only to patrons under the age of 22 and teaches young people about banking and related financial matters.
and helped found Cenikor, a rehabilitation center in Colorado
. With his private Learjet, Bill sponsored a successful challenge to the world speed record which raised money for Junior Achievement
. While attending a college graduation, he asked a graduate about the business ethics coursework, only to be told that for that school there were no ethics studies as a part of the business school program. This in turn led to Bill's eventual endowment of the University of Denver
Business School as they were like-minded with Bill and included ethics studies in their program. The business school was renamed University of Denver Daniels College of Business thereafter. Daniels decided to use his fortune to continue helping others by forming a foundation that supports issues relating to aging, alcoholism and substance abuse, amateur sports, disabilities, education (early childhood, K-12 reform, and ethics and integrity) homelessness and disadvantaged, and youth development. This foundation, the Daniels Fund
received over one billion dollars from his estate when Bill Daniels died on March 7, 2000, making it one of the largest private foundations in the United States.
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
(USFL).
Early life
Bill was born in Greeley, ColoradoGreeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
and shortly thereafter moved to Hobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 28,657 at the 2000 census.Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lea County.-Geography:...
. There he was enrolled at the New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
(NMMI), a distinguished State of New Mexico supported educational institution located in Roswell, NM. He was the undefeated New Mexico Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
Boxing Champion. In 1941, he joined the Navy and became an accomplished fighter pilot both in WWII and in Korea, retiring with the rank of full commander. Not long after the war, on his way home he happened upon a bar in Denver that was showing a boxing match from out-of-state, and he became interested in the technology that brought television over long distances.
Founding an industry
Bill took a chance on this long-distance television market by setting up a microwaveMicrowave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
feed that delivered Denver programming to Casper, Wyoming
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
in 1952. He soon shifted his focus towards brokering and investment banking for the growing industry. In 1958, he founded Daniels and Associates to specialize in this field. By 1965 his company, Daniels and Associates had brokered in excess of $100 million dollars and this represented about 80 percent of the year's transactions.
Sports
A lifelong passion for sports of all sorts, Bill supported the Denver Gran Prix and boxers, was a co-owner of the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and owner of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
's Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
franchise and was a founder of the USFL. With Lakers co-owner Jerry Buss
Jerry Buss
Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss Ph.D., M.S. is an American businessman, real estate investor, and a former chemist. He is the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team along with other professional sports franchises in Southern California...
, Bill started Prime Ticket sports programming network in the mid-1980s, which he later sold, sharing the proceeds with his employees. Daniel's sponsored the USAC
USAC
USAC may refer to:* Unified Speech and Audio Coding, an audio compression scheme and MPEG-4 Audio Object Type* United States Army Cadet Corps, a non-profit youth education organization...
Championship Car campaigns of Texan Lloyd Ruby
Lloyd Ruby
Lloyd Ruby was an American racecar driver.Ruby raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1958-1977 seasons, with 177 career starts, including every Indianapolis 500 race during 1960-1977. He finished in the top ten 88 times, with 7 victories. His best Indy finish was 3rd in 1964...
both in 1970 under the Daniel's Cablevision banner and in 1971 while promoting Daniel's Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
franchise. In the case of the Utah Stars Basketball franchise, the team was not profitable and the league folded, leaving season ticket holders with no games, seats, or refunds. While Daniels was not financially obligated, he felt strongly about repaying the fans. Unable to make amends with his ticketholders at the time, years later he located and voluntarily repaid each Stars ticketholder with interest.
Young Americans Bank
In 1987, Daniels founded the Young Americans BankYoung Americans Bank
Cable magnate Bill Daniels created the Young Americans Bank in 1987 after a group of elementary students in Denver, Colorado were denied a loan from other banks for a school project...
, a special bank with a unique Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is a United States government corporation created by the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. , the FDIC insures deposits at...
-insured state charter. The bank caters only to patrons under the age of 22 and teaches young people about banking and related financial matters.
Philanthropy
Daniels had problems at times with alcohol and both patronized and supported the Betty Ford CenterBetty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center , is a non-profit, separately licensed residential chemical dependency recovery hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, that offers inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions as well as prevention and education programs for family and children...
and helped found Cenikor, a rehabilitation center in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. With his private Learjet, Bill sponsored a successful challenge to the world speed record which raised money for Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement or JA or JA Worldwide is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and senator Winthrop M. Crane. JA focuses on educating kids in K-12 about the free enterprise system...
. While attending a college graduation, he asked a graduate about the business ethics coursework, only to be told that for that school there were no ethics studies as a part of the business school program. This in turn led to Bill's eventual endowment of the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
Business School as they were like-minded with Bill and included ethics studies in their program. The business school was renamed University of Denver Daniels College of Business thereafter. Daniels decided to use his fortune to continue helping others by forming a foundation that supports issues relating to aging, alcoholism and substance abuse, amateur sports, disabilities, education (early childhood, K-12 reform, and ethics and integrity) homelessness and disadvantaged, and youth development. This foundation, the Daniels Fund
Daniels Fund
About Bill DanielsBill Daniels was a decorated fighter pilot in World War II, and went on to become one of the pioneers in the cable television industry. Throughout his lifetime he gave generously to people in need, and the organizations that serve them...
received over one billion dollars from his estate when Bill Daniels died on March 7, 2000, making it one of the largest private foundations in the United States.