Bill Davidson (businessman)

William Morse Davidson (December 5, 1922 – March 13, 2009) was an American businessman.

He was president, chairman and CEO of Guardian Industries, one of the world's largest manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass.

He was also owner of several North American professional sports teams and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, Davidson was principal owner of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the co-owner of the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League.

Davidson also owned the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League and Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League.

A Detroit native, Davidson was born to a Jewish family on December 5, 1922; he was a 1940 graduate of Central High School.

Davidson entered the University of Michigan in 1940, where he was a member of the track and field team; he majored in business at what is now the Ross School of Business.

Davidson later joined the U.S. Navy and played Armed Forces Football during World War II.

Zollner had founded the Pistons in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1941 and moved them to Detroit in 1957.

However, the Pistons had never turned a profit since the move to Detroit.

Davidson and Zollner had known each other for some time, since they both had vacation homes in Golden Beach, Florida.

Following the war, Davidson garnered his Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1949.

After three years of law practice, he rescued a wholesale drug company and a surgical supply company from bankruptcy.

Davidson would also take over his family's Guardian Glass Co. in 1957, the same year the company declared bankruptcy.

Guardian Glass would be the precursor to his company Guardian Industries, one of the largest glass suppliers in the world.

Davidson encouraged risk-taking, discouraged second-guessing and was seen as aggressive.

Not without controversy, Guardian was sued at least six times between 1965 and 1988.

In 1974, Davidson and college classmate Oscar Feldman enlisted ex-Detroit Lions great Joe Schmidt to be part of a group bidding on the Tampa expansion franchise.

The expansion fee soon grew too high for the group's liking, and it bowed out of the bidding.

Two months later, Davidson learned that Pistons owner Fred Zollner was thinking of putting the team up for sale.

Zollner quickly reached a deal to sell the Pistons to Davidson for $6 million, which closed in late 1974.

At the time, the Pistons played at 10,000-seat Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit.

Davidson was displeased with this location, but opted not to join the Detroit Red Wings at the under-construction Joe Louis Arena.

He has been Chairman of the Board of Governors and was active on several committees, including the one that selected former NBA Commissioner Larry O'Brien in 1975.

Instead, he relocated the team to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1978 and then to The Palace of Auburn Hills, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds, in 1988.

To help pay the $90 million construction cost, the Bob Sosnick-designed arena featured lower-level suites, then a never-seen-before feature.

His Pistons were at the league's forefront with respect to amenities.

The franchise has a state-of-the-art practice facility, solely designed for the Pistons.

During the offseason, team members are able to use the facilities while working on personal off-season conditioning goals.

Against the advice of friends, Davidson was also the first owner to buy an airplane for his team, nicknamed Roundball One.

His Pistons won the NBA Finals in 1989, 1990 and 2004; his Shock won the WNBA Finals in 2003, 2006 and 2008; his Vipers won the 1997 Turner Cup; and his Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2004 Stanley Cup.

In 1989, Guardian was ordered to pay its competitor Johns Manville $38 million for stealing fibreglass-making technology.

Guardian now stands as one of the world's giants of glass manufacturing with facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America in addition to its sprawling North American interests.

Being acquainted with football, Davidson wanted to acquire a football franchise.

Roundball Two, a newer, larger, multimillion-dollar aircraft refurbished with 42 luxury seats and a state-of-the-art video system, was purchased in the summer of 1998.

Davidson was also the first to encourage globalizing the marketing of the NBA.

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.

He lost to insurance tycoon Art Williams, but only months later Williams sold the team to Davidson and Palace Sports at a huge loss.

In 2009, the value of the Pistons franchise was estimated to be over $430 million.

Regularly seen at the team's home games, Davidson had said repeatedly that he would never sell the Pistons and the franchise would remain in his family after he died.