The New England Patriots have become one of the most financially successful and high profile franchises in all of sport, making Robert Kraft one of the wealthiest owners in all of sports as well. In fact, in 2009, his valuation of the Patriots franchise was estimated to be around $1.2 billion.

Although this was down from a value of almost $1.7 billion in 2008 (the highest ever for an NFL franchise), it still made Mr. Kraft one of the richest men in the country and one of the richest sports owners in all of pro sports. In 2010, Forbes magazine estimated that Mr. Kraft had a net worth of $1.4 billion. (This is not including any of his other business interests with companies like the Kraft Group, TD Garden and Gillette Stadium.)

Born in 1957, Robert Kraft rise to becoming the owner of one of America’s most powerful sports teams began after several years working for his father’s company. He started off as a stock clerk in the family business before turning into a sales executive. By 1990, he had risen to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer before he was elected President and CEO in 1995 upon his father’s retirement. This was a time when the Patriots were going through a bad period, after finding themselves in last place in the AFC East and being out of contention for a playoff spot. In addition to his role as CEO, Mr. Kraft also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The turning point came in 1996, in what would be remembered as one of the biggest upsets, with the rise of the New England Patriots over “America’s Team” Dallas Cowboys. With this victory, Mr. Kraft and his team now had the confidence to take things to the next level and set out a strategy that would help them become one of the best teams in the league.

Even though Robert Kraft is well known today for his successful business career, he was also quite a talented football player earlier in his life, playing for Columbia High School in New Hyde Park, New York. He later on went on to play football at Colgate University, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.

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More about Kraft on https://www.thekraftgroup.com/robert-kraft/