Dan Snyder
Owner of the Washington Redskins
Live Web cast October 2, 2000, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT

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Daniel M. Snyder made his fortune in advertising, but he is best known as the owner and chairman of the Washington Redskins National Football League franchise.

In 1999, after a nine-month bidding process, NFL owners voted 31-0 to approve the sale of the team and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium for a record-setting $800 million to the group headed by Snyder. Shortly after buying the team, Snyder sold the naming rights to the stadium to FedEx for $207 million.

The team made the playoffs in the 1999 season, the first year of Snyder’s ownership, ultimately losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14-13. Despite spending a record-setting $100 million on players, the team didn’t make the playoffs in the 2000 season. Their 37-0 loss to the Packers on their second game of the 2001 season made franchise history. For the first time, the Redskins have not scored a touchdown in their first two games.

In 1985, long before his foray into football, Snyder founded Snyder Communications. He headed the company until it was sold for $2.3 billion in 2000 to the French marketing firm Havas. With the acquisition of Snyder communications, Havas became the fourth largest advertising agency in the world. Synder, 36, is also co-owner of Washington’s new Arena Football League franchise, which is scheduled to begin play in 2003.

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