Stephen Schott
Stephen Schott (born 1939) is a real estate developer and businessman from California, best known for his ten-year co-ownership of the Oakland Athletics.
Biography
Early life and career
A resident of the Silicon Valley, Schott attended Bellarmine College Preparatory before graduating from Santa Clara University in 1960.[1] Both schools now bear buildings in his name. In 1977, he and several partners formed Citation Builders, a real-estate and residence-development company; in 1988 he bought out his partners' shares, reformed the company as a family-run business, Citation Homes Central, and moved it to Santa Clara, California. Despite employing fewer than 25 people, Citation is now one of the largest homebuilders in the state of California, and has been responsible for the construction of over 50,000 individual residences.
Ownership of the Oakland Athletics
In 1995, he and partner Ken Hofmann purchased the Oakland Athletics from the Walter A. Haas, Jr. estate. Under their patronage, general manager Billy Beane's novel management and player-procurement strategies allowed the A's to place highly in post-season playoffs on unimaginably small budgets. Beane's approach to obtaining success within Schott's constraints was documented in Michael Lewis's book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Schott and Hofmann sold the A's to their current owners, a group of Los Angeles real estate developers headed by Lewis Wolff, in 2005.
Life and career after Major League Baseball
In 2003, Santa Clara University began to develop plans to build a new baseball field, allowing their nationally-recognized soccer team unrestricted access to pre-existing Buck Shaw Stadium. The project floundered under lack of funds until Schott donated USD $4 million, over half the stadium's total cost. The resulting facility—the Stephen Schott Stadium — opened April 30, 2005, with a game against Gonzaga University.
Personal life
Stephen Schott and his wife Pat have three children, including son Stephen Schott Jr. who is slated to take over the Citation Homes business. Reclusive by nature, Schott avoids the public eye, and a true estimate of his total net worth has not been released.
References
- ↑ Prodis Sulek, Julia (2010-07-12). "Rev. Paul Locatelli, former Santa Clara University president, dies at 71". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
External links
- Citation Homes: official site
| Preceded by Sandy Alderson |
Oakland Athletics President 1995-1996 |
Succeeded by Sandy Alderson |
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