Kim Pegula

Last updated
Kim Pegula
Kim Pegula 2021 (cropped better).jpg
Pegula in 2021
Born
Kim S. Kerr

(1969-06-07) June 7, 1969 (age 55)
Seoul, South Korea
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Houghton College
Known forOwner of the Buffalo Bills,
President/CEO of Pegula Sports and Entertainment
Spouse
​
(m. 1993)​
Children3 (including Jessica Pegula)

Kim S. Pegula (formerly Kim Kerr; born June 7, 1969) is a Korean-born American former businesswoman and the wife of American multibillionaire Terry Pegula. She was the president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the holding company that managed the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League and the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, in addition to several other minor league sports teams and entertainment assets. By extension she was the president of several teams under Pegula Sports and Entertainment, including the Bills and Sabres; Pegula, Shahid Khan, Zygi Wilf were the only three NFL team owners who were not born in the United States. Pegula Sports and Entertainment was dissolved in 2023, following an incapacitating stroke she suffered the year prior.

Contents

Early life

Pegula was born on June 7, 1969, in Seoul, South Korea. [1] She reportedly has no recollection of her birth name and no record of her biological parents nor any account of her life in South Korea, only her date of birth, a secondhand account of being abandoned in the streets of Seoul at the age of five, and a DNA test that showed that one of her parents was likely Japanese. [2] She was brought to the United States and was adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr on December 30, 1974. She grew up with her adopted family in Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester. [3] Pegula participated in cheerleading and the school band, playing bassoon. After following her brothers' footsteps in enrolling at Houghton College, she and a roommate made plans to venture to Alaska to work near a fishing camp upon hearing there was money to be made. Unable to afford the fare, she applied for work at a restaurant in Belfast, New York; while interviewing for a waitressing gig, she met Terry Pegula who was dining at the restaurant. In 1991, Terry offered her a job at his natural gas company and they eventually entered a relationship; they married in 1993. [4]

Career

Pegula was involved in her husband's company, East Resources, from 1991 to its sale in 2010. Shortly afterwards, the Pegulas purchased the Buffalo Sabres and its two affiliated teams, the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL and the Rochester Americans of the AHL. [5] She influenced the planning and construction of LECOM Harborcenter, a mixed-use development next to the Sabres' arena and part of the revitalization of downtown Buffalo. After the death of longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, the football team was put up for sale. The Pegulas competed with Donald Trump and also a consortium of rock singer Jon Bon Jovi and key people in Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the team. The Pegulas won with an NFL record $1.4 billion all-cash bid. [6] [7]

Following the acquisition Kim and Terry Pegula reorganized their sports franchises, along with record label Black River Entertainment into a new company, Pegula Sports and Entertainment. She helped coin the term "One Buffalo" and is also involved with the NFL Foundation. The Pegulas have also donated significant amounts of money to their alma maters, including $12 million to Houghton College, which allowed it to build a new athletics complex and transition to NCAA Division III. [8] A fan of desserts, Pegula helped formulate "One Buffalo" branded premium ice cream and cupcake products. [9] Since its formation Pegula Sports and Entertainment, with Kim Pegula as its president and CEO, has made several acquisitions of property in Buffalo and launched a regional sports network, MSG Western New York. The company also acquired two more professional sports teams, the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (until divesting of the team a year later) and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League.

In March 2018, Pegula was named to the National Football League's business ventures committee, replacing Russ Brandon. Pegula is on the NFL's Super Bowl and major-event advisory committee. [10]

On May 1, 2018, after the abrupt resignation of Brandon as president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment as well as the Bills and Sabres, Pegula was installed as president over all of the Pegula Sports and Entertainment properties. [11] She became the first female team president in the history of both the NFL and NHL when she became president of the Bills and Sabres franchises. [12] Pegula remained president of the organization and its properties until its dissolution in 2023, which occurred after a major health incident in 2022 that left her unable to fulfill her duties. Her husband, Terry, took up Kim's president position with the Bills and Sabres, which like all other former PSE properties, would be managed separately. [13]

Pegula is also one of a handful of female NFL owners, including Sheila Ford Hamp (Detroit Lions), Virginia Halas McCaskey (Chicago Bears), Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans), Carol Davis (Las Vegas Raiders), Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers), Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints), Janice McNair (Houston Texans), Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks) and Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns).

Personal life

Kim and Terry Pegula have three children, Kelly, Matthew, and Jessica, who is a professional tennis player. Kim has two stepchildren, Michael and Laura, from Terry's previous marriage. The Pegulas have homes in East Aurora, New York, and Boca Raton, Florida. [8]

In June 2022, Pegula was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Boca Raton [14] for reasons the family would not disclose. [15] Pegula's daughter Jessica later stated that her mother's condition had improved by the time of Jessica's appearance at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and was rehabilitating. [16] On February 7, 2023, Jessica Pegula revealed in a Players' Tribune article that Kim Pegula's hospitalization was due to her having gone into cardiac arrest, which progressed into a "brain injury" leading to "significant expressive aphasia and significant memory issues" due to the prolonged lack of oxygen to her brain. [17] Jessica Pegula credited her sister, Kelly, for saving their mother's life as she had taken a CPR class just months prior. In late July 2023, she attended a training camp practice of Buffalo Bills, which was her first public appearance in 14 months. [4]

On March 23, 2023, Pegula was legally declared incapacitated. Her assets were placed into a trust managed by Terry and his longtime business partner Bob Long, while her stepdaughter Laura Pegula assumed Kim's role as Bills co-owner in early 2024. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Bills</span> National Football League franchise in Orchard Park, New York

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Sabres</span> National Hockey League franchise in Buffalo, New York

The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along with the Vancouver Canucks, when the league expanded to 14 teams. The Sabres have played their home games at KeyBank Center since 1996, having previously played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium since their inception. The Sabres are owned by Terry Pegula, who purchased the club in 2011 from Tom Golisano.

Ralph Cookerly Wilson Jr. was an American businessman and sports executive. He was best known as the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, a team in the National Football League (NFL). He was one of the founding owners of the American Football League (AFL), the league with which the NFL merged in 1970, and was the last of the original AFL owners to own his team. At the time of his death he was the oldest owner in the NFL, at age 95, and the third-longest tenured owner in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester Americans</span> American Hockey League team in Rochester, New York

The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Americans are the fourth oldest franchise in the AHL, and have the second longest continuous tenure among AHL teams in their current locations after the Hershey Bears.

The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Sports Network</span> American regional sports network (1990–2005)

Empire Sports Network was an American regional sports network that was owned by the Adelphia Communications Corporation. The network was available on cable providers in much of upstate New York, as well as parts of northern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. The network ceased operations on March 7, 2005, in the midst of Adelphia's financial collapse and bankruptcy.

Virginia Halas McCaskey is an American football executive who is the principal owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). She is the daughter of team founder George Halas and inherited ownership upon his death in 1983.

The Sabres Hockey Network is the official radio network and production company of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). The network is currently operated jointly by the Sabres and Audacy, Inc.

Black River Entertainment is an independent record label in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in country music. The company is partially owned by Terry Pegula. The label’s roster includes Kelsea Ballerini and she is the label’s main focus. The company also contains Black River Publishing and Sound Stage Studio both out of Nashville.

The 2010–11 Buffalo Sabres season was the 41st season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, this was the 40th season of play for the franchise and was celebrated as such by the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Resources</span>

East Resources, Inc., was an oil and gas exploration and production company with a focus on unconventional shale oil and gas resources in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Pegula</span> American businessman (born 1951)

Terrence Michael Pegula is an American billionaire businessman and petroleum engineer. He is the owner of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) and, with his wife Kim Pegula, the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He is also the president of both franchises. Amassing his fortune via investments in fracking, Pegula has interests in natural gas development, real estate, entertainment, and professional sports. His net worth is over $7 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Pegula</span> American tennis player (born 1994)

Jessica Pegula is an American professional tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 3 in singles, achieved on 24 October 2022, and world No. 1 in doubles, achieved on 11 September 2023. Pegula has won four singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including two WTA 1000 titles in each discipline. Pegula is a six-time major quarterfinalist in singles, having reached this stage at all four Grand Slam tournaments; thrice at the Australian Open (2021–2023), and once at the French Open (2022), US Open (2022), and Wimbledon (2023). She has also reached the singles final at the 2023 WTA Finals. In doubles, Pegula reached the final of the 2022 French Open, partnering with Coco Gauff, and the mixed doubles final of the 2023 US Open with Austin Krajicek.

Russell Jerome Brandon is an American sports executive, and current CEO and President of the United Football League (UFL). Brandon is best known for his 21-year tenure in the front office of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LECOM Harborcenter</span> Mixed use hockey themed development in Buffalo, New York

LECOM Harborcenter is an American mixed-use development in Buffalo, New York, developed by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The building occupies a full 1.7 acre city block formerly known as the Webster Block, directly across from and connected to the KeyBank Center and Canalside. The building is also near the southern terminus of the Erie Canal Harbor station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Highmark Stadium</span> Future stadium of the Buffalo Bills

Highmark Stadium is an American football stadium that is under construction in Orchard Park, New York. It will replace the Bills' existing stadium of the same name and is expected to open in time for the 2026 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSG Western New York</span> Television channel

MSG Western New York is an American regional sports network that is a joint venture between MSG Entertainment and Hockey Western New York LLC. The channel is a sub-feed of MSG Network, with programming oriented towards the Western New York region, including coverage of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres and the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. It replaced MSG Network on television providers in the Sabres' media market in 2016.

Pegula Sports & Entertainment (PSE) was an American sports and entertainment company based in Buffalo, New York. The company was established after billionaire Terry Pegula combined his sports, property and entertainment assets into one company. The company's assets include the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League, the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, the Buffalo Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, and the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. The company was operated by Kim Pegula, Terry's wife, as president and CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Buffalo Bills season</span> 59th season in franchise history

The 2018 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League, and the 59th overall. The season also marked the fourth full season under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. The team previously finished with a 9–7 record in 2017 and returned to the playoffs for the first time after having not been to the playoffs since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halifax Thunderbirds</span> NLL professional box lacrosse team in Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Halifax Thunderbirds are a professional box lacrosse team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays their home games at Scotiabank Centre which they share with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

References

  1. ↑ "Happy Birthday, Kim Pegula! – Buffalo Rumblings". SB Nation. 7 June 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Queen of Buffalo: A look at Kim Pegula's surreal journey". Official site of National Football League. NFL. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  3. ↑ Alan Pergament (October 7, 2015). "The story of the Bills owner will make you want to sob". The Buffalo News.
  4. 1 2 "Bills co-owner Kim Pegula makes 1st appearance at training camp since going into cardiac arrest". AP News. 31 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Owner: Kim Pegula" (PDF). Buffalo Bills. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres Owners Reach 'Definitive Agreement' to Buy Buffalo Bills". The Wall Street Journal. September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Pegula's Bills Bid to Be Vetted by NFL's Finance Committee". WNY News. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  8. 1 2 Sal Maiorana. "From orphan to NFL owner". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
  9. ↑ Kim Pegula presents One Buffalo Cupcake. WGRZ-TV. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ "NFL adds Kim Pegula to its business ventures group". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  11. ↑ "Russ Brandon resigns as Bills, Sabres president" . Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Buffalo Bills' Kim Pegula making history as first female team president in NFL". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  13. ↑ "Pegula appoints himself NHL Sabres president, dissolves parent company that also oversaw NFL's Bills". NBC Sports. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  14. ↑ Dougherty, Nathan (2022-06-16). "Insider Gives Update on Status of Bills Owner After Health Emergency". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  15. ↑ "Buffalo Bills, Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula undergoing medical treatment for undisclosed health issues". ESPN.com. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  16. ↑ "Jessie Pegula says mom is 'doing a lot better'". wgrz.com. June 29, 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  17. ↑ Pegula, Jessica (2023-02-07). "I Want to Talk to You About My Mom". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  18. ↑ Graham, Tim (May 1, 2024). "Terry Pegula transferred small percentage of Bills to daughter Laura Pegula". The Athletic. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.