Seymour H. Knox III
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- This is about the hockey-team owner. For similar names, see Seymour Knox.
Seymour Horace Knox III (born March 9, 1926 in Buffalo, New York, died May 22, 1996 in Buffalo) was a philanthropist and sports entrepreneur. He owned the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from their foundation in 1970 to his death in 1996, and served as chairman of the team. He was the grandson of Seymour H. Knox I, the F.W. Woolworth Company co-founder, and son of art enthusiast Seymour H. Knox II.
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[edit] Hockey
Along with his brother Northrup R. Knox, he presented an application October 19, 1965 to obtain a National Hockey League expansion team in 1967, but was rebuffed. In 1968, the NHL Board of Governors rejected their agreement to move the Oakland Seals to Buffalo pending league approval. Finally, on December 2, 1969 the league announced its decision to expand to Buffalo and Vancouver for the 1970–71 season.
By 1975, the Sabres were in the Stanley Cup Finals and Knox was named The Hockey News executive of the year. Knox served on the NHL's Board of Governors for 25 years and was a director of the US Hockey Hall of Fame. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. Knox was a principal owner of the Buffalo Sabres from their foundation as a National Hockey League franchise in 1970 until his death in 1996. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
[edit] Other Buffalo Sports
The Knox Brothers were the impetus behind the establishment of the Buffalo Bandits of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League in 1991 and the Buffalo Blizzard of the National Professional Soccer League in 1992.
The brothers also brought their vision of a state of the art sports and entertainment complex originally named the Marine Midland Arena and now called the HSBC Arena to life. The 20,000 seat complex was completed in 1996 and is located at 1 Seymour H. Knox III Plaza on the waterfront in downtown Buffalo. It is the home of the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bandits as well as the former home of the Buffalo Blizzard and Buffalo Destroyers of the Arena Football League.
[edit] Education and Vocation
As a Buffalo born and bred sportsman, he excelled at excelled at tennis, squash, and polo. He studied at Yale and Columbia before serving as a decorated Corporal in World War II in the United States Army Field Artillery.
[edit] Philanthropy
As a philanthropist, Knox contributed to a vast array of Greater Buffalo charities and causes such as the Chamber of Commerce, United Way and Children's Foundation of Erie County. He had four children with his wife Jean: Seymour IV, Read, Avery and Helen, and several grandchildren. His eulogy remarks on the Congressional Record were made by Daniel P. Moynihan[1] in the U.S. Senate and John J. LaFalce[2] and Jack Quinn[3]in the House of Representatives.
