Tom Benson, owner of Saints and Pelicans, dies at age 90

A.J. Perez | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson passes away New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson died at age 90 on Thursday.

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson died Thursday, about a month after he was first hospitalized with flu. He was 90.

Benson died at Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson, La., with his wife, Gayle, at his side, the Saints said in a news release. Benson was first hospitalized on Feb. 16.

Benson, who parlayed his beginnings as a car salesman into an auto dealership empire, purchased the Saints in 1985 for $70 million and the franchise made the playoffs for the first time two years later.

Saints Owner Tom Benson, 90, passed away peacefully today at Ochsner Medical Center with his wife Gayle Marie Benson at his side https://t.co/gjAIQYKdDw pic.twitter.com/BK5aS2vj0v — New Orleans Saints (@Saints) March 15, 2018

The Saints won the their only NFL championship, a victory against the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans native Peyton Manning, at Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010. The franchise made two NFC title game appearances and 11 playoff berths under the billionaire's tenure as owner.

"Tom Benson's contributions to New Orleans and the National Football League were legendary," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "He purchased a team that had never had a winning season; by the third year of his ownership, the Saints were in the playoffs. Tom kept the Saints together through the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, and his decision to bring the team back to New Orleans gave the entire region hope and confidence that they would recover. The Saints rewarded their fans with tremendous football and a Super Bowl championship.

"Tom loved New Orleans, where he was a generous and caring philanthropist. Within the NFL, he was a true leader among NFL owners."

TRIBUTES

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In 2012, Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets from the NBA for $338 million. The team, which had moved to New Orleans from Charlotte in 2002, was in flux after the league bought it from George Shinn in 2010.

At the time of the purchase, Benson said that he would seek to change the name to something that better fit the city. He chose to call the team the Pelicans, which had been the name of the minor league baseball team in the city from the late 1800s until 1959. Benson had bought the rights to the name in the late 1980s.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Benson a ''dear friend'' and said the ''loss of his authentic and unique presence will leave an enormous void."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement regarding the passing of @PelicansNBA owner Tom Benson pic.twitter.com/BMu9FodxRr — NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2018

A battle for who would inherit the Saints and the Pelicans began in 2014 when Benson disowned three heirs, a move that led to a protracted legal fight. Benson filed a lawsuit in 2015 to cut his daughter Renee, along with grandchildren Ryan and Rita LeBlanc, out of any ownership stake with the teams.

“Well, they tried to kill me for one thing.” Benson said in a March 2016 deposition. "I found out they didn't love me very much, trying to stab me in the back, wanted to take over everything, brought me to court saying I was crazy. You don't need any more than that."

Pelicans Owner Tom Benson, 90, passed away peacefully today at Ochsner Medical Center with his wife Gayle Marie Benson at his side https://t.co/RR2o0MGJc7 pic.twitter.com/BPpWqbb7bu — New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 15, 2018

Benson and his estranged family members reached a settlement in June 2016, days before a federal trial was set to get underway. The settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed, also included car dealerships, real estate and New Orleans TV station WVUE-FOX 8 that Benson also owned.

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While the Saints saw success under Benson, he wasn’t always the most beloved figure in the city. Years before Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005, Benson threatened to move the team if state and local regulators didn’t approve funding for a replacement of what he called the "dingy and depressing" Superdome. He seemed to do the same after Katrina, but instead the team helped drive a resurgence in New Orleans.

The Saints did return to the Superdome, where hundreds of people sought refuge in the aftermath of Katrina, as the Saints agreed to a lease extension through 2025.

Benson was a New Orleans native and attended Loyola University after he served in the Navy. Benson gave $11 million to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the stadium that hosts a preseason NFL game each year, formerly known as Fawcett Stadium, now bears his name.

Follow A.J. Perez on Twitter @byajperez