Breaking news regarding the sports football world and South Florida business.
Bill Parcells has become the new Vice President of Football Operations for the National Football League (NFL) Miami Dolphins and signs a four year contract.
Who is Bill Parcells?
Real name: Duane Charles “Bill” Parcells
Born: August 22, 1941 in Englewood, New Jersey
Nickname: The Big Tuna (The unusual nickname was given to him when he was the linebackers coach for the New England Patriots in 1980. “I think it goes back to my first time with the Patriots. There was an old commercial from Starkist with Charlie the Starkist Tuna, so my players were trying to con me on something one time, and I said, ‘You must think I’m Charlie the Tuna,’ you know, a sucker, and that’s kind of how it started. We started with it that year and they used to wear those little tuna helmets, you know, tuna pictures on their helmets. That’s where it all started.”)
Accomplishments: Bill Parcells has won two Super Bowl championship rings with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV. He has also won many awards and accolades such as 1994 AP NFL Coach of Year, 1986 AP NFL Coach of Year, 1986 Sporting News NFL Coach of Year, 1996 Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of Year, 1994 Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of Year, 1994 Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of Year, 1994 UPI NFL Coach of Year, 1986 UPI NFL Coach of Year, and was voted as part of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He is known in football circles to be one of the finest football minds in the business.
What’s the story behind this?
It’s really a fascinating peek at negotiations behind the scenes and playing the opposition in your negotiations against the other.
Bill Parcells had been in negotiations with the Atlanta Falcon’s owner Arthur Blank, with Mr. Blank putting major pressure on Parcells to sign a contract with them to become the new Falcon’s Vice President, with full power to hire and fire the head coach and general manager. It should be noted that 2007 has not been a good year for Arthur Blank. His head coach, Bobby Petrino, deserts his team in the middle of the season to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks. His starting quarterback, Michael Vick, was indicted and sent to prison for almost 2 years on charges of dogfighting and running an illegal gambling operation.
The contract seems sealed and delivered. Falcon’s owner Arthur Blank breathes a sigh of relief and feels he finally has something positive to deliver to the Atlanta fans. “I think I probably will do it,” said Bill Parcells by phone from his home. “The job description is to be the football operations overseer. We still have a little work to do, but I don’t think it’s anything major. I don’t expect any real deal-breaker. I don’t think there will be any major hangups.”
Not so fast – in swoops Wayne Huizenga.
It’s no secret in football circles that Wayne Huizenga allows those that run his football team to have full control. He likes to have knowledgeable football minds run his operation. Who better than the Big Tuna, Bill Parcells, to have full control?
Sources close to the Miami Dolphins organization tell me that Bill Parcells let it be known to the Dolphins that he was close in negotiations with the Falcons. Wayne Huizenga and the Dolphins then came in with a stronger offer.
This is huge news. What makes this so interesting from a business perspective is that Wayne Huizenga was recently contemplating selling the Dolphins football franchise to The Related Companies, a New York real estate firm headed by chairman and CEO Stephen M. Ross and Related Group founder and chairman Jorge Perez. In an apparent push before they made an official offer to Wayne Huizenga, they received a $1.4 billion investment from a group of investors. $400 million dollars for 7.5% stake in Related comes from Goldman Sachs and MSD Capital, which handle the investments for Dell CEO Michael Dell. $1 billion dollars comes from Middle Eastern interests which include The Mubadala Development Co., which is an investment arm of the government of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, The Olayan Group of Saudi Arabia, and an international investor who is unnamed at this time.
However, Bill Parcells demanded stability at the ownership position – and Wayne Huizenga acquiesced. Sources close to the negotiations say that the negotiations have ended and they are unlikely to resume. Huizenga was close to selling 49% of the team with The Related Group CEO Stephen Ross to obtain majority ownership within three years. The Bill Parcells signing has changed all of that.
Of course, it’s still possible Mr. Huizenga will sell a partial share, but that is also unlikely – he wants to appease the new savior of Miami football as much as possible.
What does this mean to the Miami Dolphins organization?
Now Wayne Huizenga has something to sell to fans for next season – most fans are pretty hard-pressed to lay down big money for season tickets after a 1-win or 2-win season. Parcells may end up retaining the current head coach and general manager combo (Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller, respectively) for at least the next season. The reason for this is that Miami fans will be likely to accept the status quo as long as they both have the endorsement of football legend Bill Parcells backing them up. Fans will also know that Bill Parcells will have final say on personnel matters (player drafting and free agency). Players may feel some pressure – all jobs will be up for grabs.
Looking ahead to the future of the Miami Dolphins organization under the helm of Bill Parcells fans can expect excellent player acquisitions. He played a major role in drafting 14 of the Dallas Cowboys’ current 22 starters. Check out this list of undrafted or late-round picks that have played major roles for the Cowboys under Parcells: Tony Romo, Mat McBriar, Marc Colombo, L.P. Ladouceur, Cory Procter, Ryan Fowler, Abram Elam, Tyson Thompson, Tony Curtis, Miles Austin, Oliver Hoyte, Sam Hurd, Stephen Bowen, Joe Berger, Pat McQuistan, Jay Ratliff, Jacques Reeves, Patrick Crayton and Nate Jones.
And thus this marks the beginning of the Parcells-Dolphins era.
In 2006, CasaDecor transformed the venerable Miami Women’s Club into four floors of designer rooms.
Designer Fanny Haim created an all-white hotel suite that includes a spa. Designer Billy Blanco’s library has a trio of curving chandeliers and shelves that lean diagonally. In a spa dubbed Earth and Water, designers Rudy Hernandez and Norma A. Galella used tile that mimics wood for the multicolored floor.