RIP William Clay Ford Sr.

[Liut]

The book mentioned earlier is Ford: The Men and the Machine by Robert Lacey.

In retrospect, William Clay was much like his father, Edsel. Henry II's personality was much closer to his grandfather's.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

It is an amazing story, the history of the company.
A quintessentially American success story.
Looks like a good pull.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

We have discussed this before, but I am astounded at how quickly the Dolphins went from the picture of stability to a no-class organization, almost overnight.
They are a straight-up joke.
Clay Ford came from corporate royalty and might have not been a self-made man, but he had a gravitas many of his peers don't.
Not many owners have freighters named for them in their 30s.

Yeah, I think the bullying scandal put the spotlight on the Dolphins, but that franchise has been horrible for more than a decade.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

So do the Lions have a Smart(er) Son lined up, like Rocky Wirtz or Jim Irsay?

The Lions announced today that Mrs. Ford would become the majority owner, with Bill Jr. remaining as vice chairman.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2014/03/william_clay_ford_passes_major.html

 

[mustangj17]

We have discussed this before, but I am astounded at how quickly the Dolphins went from the picture of stability to a no-class organization, almost overnight.
They are a straight-up joke.
Clay Ford came from corporate royalty and might have not been a self-made man, but he had a gravitas many of his peers don't.
Not many owners have freighters named for them in their 30s.

In any other industry, it is a great trait to have. In sports, it makes your fans hate you. He was a good owner. He spent money and cared about his team. Too bad he never got to win.

 

[Starman]

So do the Lions have a Smart(er) Son lined up, like Rocky Wirtz or Jim Irsay?

The Lions announced today that Mrs. Ford would become the majority owner, with Bill Jr. remaining as vice chairman.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2014/03/william_clay_ford_passes_major.html

This has got to be a tax/accounting gambit. I don't ever recall Martha Ford appearing or being quoted in public. Ever.

Bill Jr. will be running the show. I suspect there are probably tax reasons majority control needs to go through Mama first.

From various reports, Bill Jr. was initially gung-ho to bring Matt Millen in, but decided much sooner than daddy it was time to pull the ejection handle. Supposedly the last couple years of Millen's reign of incompetence, Bill Jr was agitating to dump him, while WCF Sr was insisting they stick by him.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Yea, it's definitely tax thing. One of the news stations reported that whenever Martha Ford passes on, the Fords could be on the hook for $400 million inheritance tax bill. (40 percent of their "value", which is at $1 billion).

 

[Riptide]

Yea, it's definitely tax thing. One of the news stations reported that whenever Martha Ford passes on, the Fords could be on the hook for $400 million inheritance tax bill. (40 percent of their "value", which is at $1 billion).

That's awful. A billion dollars sure ain't what it used to be.

 

[mustangj17]

Yea, it's definitely tax thing. One of the news stations reported that whenever Martha Ford passes on, the Fords could be on the hook for $400 million inheritance tax bill. (40 percent of their "value", which is at $1 billion).

That's awful. A billion dollars sure ain't what it used to be.

Should help make up for the public financing of Ford Field.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Yea, it's definitely tax thing. One of the news stations reported that whenever Martha Ford passes on, the Fords could be on the hook for $400 million inheritance tax bill. (40 percent of their "value", which is at $1 billion).

So, will she just have to transfer ownership over to one of her kids?

 

[exmediahack]

The pallbearers should be Wayne Fontes, Monte Clark, Bobby Ross, Scott Mitchell, Herman Moore and Charlie Batch. The six who benefitted the most from that ownership group.

I think he had the idea that his coaches and free-agent signings were also UAW and he had to live with them, competent or not.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

We have discussed this before, but I am astounded at how quickly the Dolphins went from the picture of stability to a no-class organization, almost overnight.
They are a straight-up joke.
Clay Ford came from corporate royalty and might have not been a self-made man, but he had a gravitas many of his peers don't.
Not many owners have freighters named for them in their 30s.

In any other industry, it is a great trait to have. In sports, it makes your fans hate you. He was a good owner. He spent money and cared about his team. Too bad he never got to win.

Won life.
You don't amass a net worth of 1 1/2 billion bucks without winning.
Don't cry for me, Argentina....

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Yea, it's definitely tax thing. One of the news stations reported that whenever Martha Ford passes on, the Fords could be on the hook for $400 million inheritance tax bill. (40 percent of their "value", which is at $1 billion).

So, will she just have to transfer ownership over to one of her kids?

The reporter was unsure whether that would absolve them of the inheritance tax. And they pointed to the Jack Kent Cooke family having to sell the Redskins because they couldn't afford the tax when he died. Not sure how much truth there is to that, but that's what the news report said.