To most people around the world, Paul Allen was the co-founder of software giant Microsoft.
To sports fans, he was a benevolent owner of three different professional sports franchises in the Pacific Northwest – the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and as a part-owner of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC.
Allen died Monday of complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which he announced had resurfaced two weeks ago after being successfully treated in 2009.
He was 65.
Allen's interest in pro sports ownership began in 1988 after he and Microsoft partner Bill Gates took the company public and became billionaires.
He purchased the Trail Blazers in 1988 from California real estate developer Larry Weinberg for $70 million. Under his ownership, the Blazers made the playoffs 23 times and reached the NBA Finals twice (1990, 1992).
"Paul Allen was the ultimate trail blazer — in business, philanthropy and in sports," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "As one of the longest-tenured owners int eh NBA, Paul brought a sense of discovery and vision to every league matter large and small."
Allen's background in technology was a major asset for the NBA as the league expanded its media footprint, both nationally and internationally.
He was also instrumental in keeping the NFL in Seattle when he purchased the Seahawks in 1996 as its former owner was threatening to move the team to Southern California.
The Seahawks' iconic "12th Man" flag that's raised before every home game was Allen's idea as a way to pay tribute to the team's enthusiastic fans.
"His passion for the game, combined with his quiet determination, led to a model organization on and off the field," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "Our league is better for having Paul Allen be a part of it …"
The Seahawks appeared in three Super Bowls with Allen as owner, winning Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos 43-8 in East Rutherford, N.J.
Allen also had a stake in pro soccer in his hometown of Seattle. His Vulcan Sports and Entertainment company is a part-owner of the Sounders, who were established in 2009 and share the same home stadium with the Seahawks, CenturyLink Field.
The Sounders won the 2016 MLS Cup and were finalists in 2017.
The latest rankings by Forbes magazine had Allen as the 44th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of about $20.2 billion. He was the second-richest owner in U.S. pro sports — behind only Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner
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