Russ Brandon
| Russ Brandon | |
|---|---|
| Born | East Syracuse, New York, US |
| Alma mater | Saint John Fisher College '89 |
| Occupation |
Managing Partner/President – Buffalo Bills |
Russ Brandon (born 1967 or 1968)[1] is the President of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League, the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and Pegula Sports and Entertainment.[2]
Career
Brandon, a native of East Syracuse, New York[3] and an alumnus of Saint John Fisher College, began his career in the front office of the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball.
Buffalo Bills
He joined the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League in 1997.[4]
Brandon was first named to a high-level executive position within the franchise in 2006, being named director of non-football operations alongside general manager Marv Levy. Brandon, although his title did not change, assumed Levy's responsibilities as de facto general manager after Levy retired. Brandon was promoted to CEO upon the hiring of Buddy Nix as the Bills general manager.
Among other things, he is credited with expanding the Buffalo Bills fan base throughout the Western New York/Southern Ontario region, and was instrumental in the deal for the Bills to play two games per season (one pre-season, one regular season) in Toronto, Canada, which many football fans have regarded as a sacrifice of home field advantage in favor of revenue. An influential NFL executive, Brandon also serves on several league business and marketing committees.
As CEO, Brandon increased his influence on the team and handled most of its day-to-day operations while owner Ralph Wilson's health began to decline. This culminated in Wilson officially naming Brandon as President on January 1, 2013, giving Brandon full control over the franchise. Brandon is only the third person to serve as President of the Bills, after Wilson and Tom Donahoe.[5]
Since Wilson's retirement, Brandon had served as the team's representative in owner's meetings in lieu of Wilson, a position he continued even as his widow inherited the trust that held ownership of the team.[6]
Buffalo Sabres
Shortly after Terrence Pegula purchased the Bills, Brandon was also assigned the role of President of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, following the dismissal of previous President Ted Black on July 27, 2015.[7][8] With his assumption of the Sabres role, Brandon also became President of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. The change also changed Brandon's title with the Bills to that of "managing partner", but despite the title change, Brandon did not receive a partnership stake in the franchise (unlike predecessor Larry Quinn, who owned a share of the Sabres during his time of managing partner).
Filmography
- Draft Day (2014) (as himself)
References
Notes
- ↑ Pollock, Chuck (May 17, 2013). Olean Times Herald. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- ↑ Sabuda, Matt (March 18, 2012). "Russ Brandon Has Redefined the Buffalo Bills". Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ↑ http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/07/27/just-like-you-brandons-a-fan/
- ↑ Recalls turn Negrych into an All-Star. The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ Simon, Howard (1 January 2013). "Bills Owner Ralph Wilson Gives Up Control Of Franchise". WGR. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ↑ Graham, Tim (April 3, 2014). What does it mean that Mary Wilson is in control of the Buffalo Bills?. The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- ↑ http://wivb.com/2015/07/27/sabres-president-tim-black-parts-ways-with-team-russ-brandon-to-hold-reigns/
- ↑ http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-name-russ-brandon-president-part-ways-with-ted-black/
Further reading
- Fairburn, Matthew (4 October 2015). "How East Syracuse's Russ Brandon became one of most powerful sports figures in Western New York". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 5 October 2015.