Norman Braman (born August 23, 1932) is an American billionaire car dealer, art collector, and former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Early life and education
Braman was born in 1932 in West Chester, Pennsylvania,
[The American Presidency Project, Nomination of Norman Braman To Be Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization September 28, 1981] and grew up in the Cobbs Creek section of
Philadelphia, where his father owned a barbershop. Braman's parents were
immigrants from Europe. His
-born mother was a seamstress and his
Poland father a barber.
Braman was a water boy in his teenage years at the Eagles training camp, which was then in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
During the season, he would sneak into
Shibe Park to watch the team play.
Braman attended West Philadelphia High School and graduated from Temple University in 1955 with a degree in business administration.
Career
Braman began his career as a market research analyst for
Seagram in 1955. A few years later he took an executive position at Bargaintown U.S.A., a company owned by his father-in-law, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The business eventually became Keystone Discount Stores, a chain of self-service variety stores in the Philadelphia area. In the mid-1960s he spearheaded a merger between Keystone and Philadelphia Laboratories to create Philadelphia Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics. Braman was appointed president and CEO of the new company. Acquisitions under his tenure at PP&C included Vitamix Pharmaceuticals, F.A. Martin and Company, and U.S. Cocoa Corporation. Braman stepped down from his position at Philadelphia Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics in 1969 to pursue other interests.
Braman got his start in the automobile business in 1972 when he acquired controlling interest of Sharpe-Taylor Cadillac in Tampa, Florida. During these early years, Braman was mentored by well-known car dealer and fellow Philadelphia native
Victor Potamkin. In 1975, Braman bought the former Nolan Brown Cadillac in Miami, Florida. The following year, Braman took on his first import brands with the purchase of
BMW and Rolls-Royce dealership C.R. Berry Motors and moved both franchises next to his Miami
Cadillac dealership.
By 1980, Braman had Cadillac, BMW, Rolls-Royce,
Fiat Automobiles,
Lancia, and
Toyota dealerships along the 2000 block of Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.
While continuing to expand his dealership holdings in the South Florida area, Braman also added dealerships in Colorado. Today, Braman serves as chairman of Braman Management, an umbrella company for his automotive businesses that include dealerships in Florida and Colorado selling Acura, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Cadillac, Genesis Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia Motors, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche and Rolls-Royce.
In addition to his retail automotive businesses, Braman had majority ownership of Austin Rover Cars of North America (ARCONA), the distributorship for Sterling automobiles imported to the United States starting in 1987. The company's name was changed to Sterling Motor Cars in 1989 and closed in 1991 after sales of the Rover 800-based Sterling 825/827 models failed to meet expectations.
According to Forbes in July 2022, Braman has a net worth of US$2.6 billion.
Philadelphia Eagles
Braman and his brother-in-law, Ed Leibowitz, became owners of the Philadelphia Eagles in April 1985 having acquired them from
Leonard Tose for a reported $65 million. Initially, Braman owned 65% of the team while Leibowitz owned 35%. In July 1986, Braman bought out Leibowitz's interest. During Braman's ownership, the Eagles made playoff appearances in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992. They were
NFC East division champions in 1988. Despite the talent of the team, which at one time included players such as
Keith Jackson,
Reggie White,
Eric Allen, and
Seth Joyner, the Eagles failed to reach the
Super Bowl with Braman as an owner. The 1993 offseason saw him allow free agents to leave to sign with other teams, with White signing a four-year deal with the Green Bay Packers (days later, the Eagles signed Tim Harris to a three-year, $4.7 million deal), with White later remarking he wished could've had the opportunity to retire in Philadelphia. Joyner once described Braman as only concerned with money rather than winning.
It was Braman that elected to fire Buddy Ryan in January 1991 and replace him with offensive coordinator Rich Kotite (who Joyner once described as a "puppet" for Braman), reportedly in part because quarterback Randall Cunningham lobbied Braman for it (the only other candidate considered by Braman was defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher).
On April 6, 1994, Braman agreed to sell the team to a group led by movie producer Jeffrey Lurie. The reported selling price was $185 million, a record for a sports team franchise at that time. Never a fulltime resident in Philadelphia, Braman remarked at the time of the announcement, "I live in Miami and traveling the 16 weeks in the fall -- well, there's more to life than the National Football League."
Politics
Ronald Reagan nominated Braman to lead Immigration and Naturalization Services in September 1981. In November 1981, before Senatorial hearings began, Braman withdrew his nomination, citing the need to focus on his businesses.
He financially supported a recall election against Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez because of a huge property tax increase and pay hikes to Alvarez's top staffers.
In 2012, Braman established political groups to campaign against four incumbent Miami-Dade County commissioners with $440,000 in funding, focusing on the commissioners' support for the controversial Marlins Park project and a property tax hike in 2010.
Braman was a supporter of Marco Rubio,
Philanthropy
Braman and his wife, Irma, established the Norman and Irma Braman Family Foundation, which primarily helps fund medical and educational projects throughout the world.
Braman, an art collector, also serves as president of the Irma and Norman Braman Art Foundation, which supports the arts and culture in and around the Miami area.
Personal life
Braman is married to Irma Braman (née Miller).
[ Lebanon Daily News: "Sophie Miller Obituary" on December 6, 2009] They have two daughters:
[ The Florida House of Representatives House Resolution 9123 – A resolution honoring Norman Braman for his philanthropy
on behalf of the people of the State of Florida | 2008] Debra Wechsler and Suzi Lustgarten.
[ The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation: A New Center of Excellence – The Suzi and Scott Lustgarten Center for GI Motility retrieved March 24, 2013]
External links
