William Morse Davidson, J.D., (born 1923, in Detroit, Michigan), is an entrepreneur and professional sports owner. He is the chairman of Guardian Industries Corp., one of the world's largest manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass. He is also the chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Detroit Shock of the WNBA, and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. His Pistons won the 1989, 1990, and 2004 NBA Finals; his Shock won the 2003 & 2006 WNBA Finals; his Lightning won the 2004 Stanley Cup. His combined business ventures have led him to an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area    - City 370. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this ball from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... Palace Sports and Entertainment - owned by billionaire philanthropist William Davidson - is a sports and entertainment company that owns and operates such venues as the Palace At Auburb Hills in Michigan and the St. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the worlds premier mens professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. ... The Detroit Shock is a Womens National Basketball Association team based in Detroit, Michigan. ... The Womens National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. ... The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. ... NHL redirects here. ... The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988-1989 NBA season Categories: | ... The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-1990 NBA season. ... The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003-04 National Basketball Association season. ... WNBA Championship Trophy The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA), played under a best-of-five playoff format. ... This is the current WikiProject: Ice Hockey Article Improvement Drive collaboration! The Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ...

Biography

A longtime basketball fan, Davidson purchased the Pistons in 1974 from Fred Zollner for $8 million. Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson relocated the team to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1978 and then to The Palace of Auburn Hills, an arena financed entirely with private funds, in 1988. Today, the worth of the Pistons franchise has been estimated at $402 million.[1] Davidson can regularly be seen at the team's home games. Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Fred Zollner (January 22, 1901 – June 21, 1982) was the founder and longtime owner of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (now the Detroit Pistons) and a key figure in the merger of National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America in 1949. ... A disputed record setting 93,173 fans in attendance for WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Palace of Auburn Hills (a. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1999, Davidson put in an unsuccessful bid to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning and gain a controlling interest in their home arena, the Ice Palace. They lost to insurance tycoon Art Williams, but only months later Williams sold the team to Davidson and Palace Sports at a huge loss. When Davidson acquired the Lightning franchise in 1999, the price was $100 million; its value has recently been estimated at $136 million. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... The St. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

Despite his age and what many fans referred to as a "sweet old man" image, Davidson proved those fans wrong. At a highly publicized victory parade in downtown Detroit (after the Pistons won the 2004 Championship), he refuted skeptics of the team by declaring "Bullshit!" The incident was captured by live TV across the nation and was not censored.

Davidson was honored by the Pistons in 2006 when he was given a banner next to the team's retired numbers. His name was also placed on the Palace floor along with Piston legends Dave Bing, Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Chuck Daly, Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, and Bob Lanier. 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... David Bing (born November 24, 1943 in Washington, DC) is a former All-Star basketball player in the NBA, primarily for the Detroit Pistons from 1966 to 1975. ... Bill Laimbeer at the White House after winning the WNBA Championship with the Detroit Shock. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Charles J. Chuck Daly (born July 20, 1930 in St. ... Joe Dumars (born May 24, 1963 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is the Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations and a former NBA basketball player. ... Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, and is currently the president of basketball operations for the NBAs New York Knicks as well as the coach, following the firing of Larry Brown. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Philanthropic activities

A noted philanthropist, Davidson has given extensively to various organizations. The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan was created at Davidson's alma mater, the Ross School of Business, following a gift of $30 million. Davidson's cummulative gifts to the school exceed $70 million. In addition, Davidson funds the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. The excavations on the southern wall of the temple mount in Jerusalem have been named the Davidson excavations in tribute to his generous donations to the project. He is also a contributor to the Wexner Foundation which gives grants to post-undergrad students of Jewish Studies. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An aerial view of Michigans central campus, with the art museum and law quadrangle in the foreground, and the business school in the background prior to the facilities enhancement project. ... The Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, known in the Jewish community simply as JTS, is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism. ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

See also

• List of University of Michigan alumni
• List of billionaires (2005)

This article is 260 kilobytes or more in size. ... What follows is the list of billionaires, in US dollars, worldwide for 2005 by Forbes, not including heads of state whose wealth is tied to their position (see list of heads of government and state by net worth). ...

External links

• Pistons.com William Davidson profile
• Forbes 400 list