Ann Mara, owner of 50 percent of the New York Giants with her children, died Sunday at the age of 85.
“I am sad to say that our mother has passed away,” John Mara, Ann’s son and the Giants’ president and chief executive officer, said via the team’s website. “She has been the leader of our family in every way, and we will miss her dearly.
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“She slipped in front of her home (in Rye, N.Y.) during the ice storm two weeks ago (January 18). She had been in the hospital since the following day, initially due to a head injury she suffered in her fall. After a few days, we were hopeful for her recovery, although we knew it would be a long road back. Unfortunately, there were complications.
“She loved her family, and all of us were able to spend time with her in these final days. All 11 of her children and our spouses and numerous grandchildren were with her when she passed away.”
Mara and her children assumed 50 percent ownership of the team when her husband, Wellington Mara, died in 2005.
Three of Ann’s four sons work in the Giants’ front office. Ann and Wellington also had seven daughters, 43 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Wellington’s father, Tim Mara, founded the Giants in 1925. The Mara family owned the team solely until 1991 when Bob Tisch bought 50 percent of the team. Tisch passed away just three weeks after Wellington in 2005. His son, Steve Tisch, is the Giants’ chairman and executive vice president.
“On behalf of my mother and sister and brother, I want to express our sympathy to John and the Mara family,” Steve Tisch said. “Ann Mara has been the wonderful matriarch of our franchise. Like her husband Wellington, Ann was passionate about her faith, her family and her football team. Her energy and enthusiasm for her franchise were unmatched. We will miss her and are deeply saddened for the Mara family's loss."