Former Spurs owner Red McCombs dies at age 95

Former San Antonio Spurs owner Red McCombs died on Sunday at the age of 95, his family announced on Monday.

“Red was a visionary entrepreneur who touched many lives and impacted our community in immeasurable ways. But to us he was always, first and foremost, ‘Dad’ or ‘Poppop.’ We mourn the loss of a Texas icon,” his family said in a statement.

McCombs was involved in multiple businesses during his life and was especially prominent in the sports world. He owned the Spurs, Nuggets and Minnesota Vikings at times during his life, bringing the Spurs from the ABA to the NBA.

McCombs bought the ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals and relocated them to San Antonio for the 1973-74 season, where they played as the Spurs. They became part of the ABA/NBA merger in 1976. He later sold his share in the Spurs to purchase the Denver Nuggets, whom he owned until selling them in 1985.

McCombs later re-bought a share of the Spurs and by 1988, he had bought out the team’s other owners. McCombs again sold the Spurs in 1993. He also bought the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 but sold them to the Wilf family in 2005.

McCombs was a major booster for the Texas Longhorns athletics who flexed his muscle with statements and opinions shared over the years. The University of Texas at Austin business school is named after him, as is the school’s softball field and the football stadium’s end zone facility.

McCombs received numerous tributes, including some from people who contextualized his role in making the Spurs what they are.