Robert Kraft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Kraft
|
|
|---|---|
_(adjusted).jpg)
Kraft in 2023
|
|
| Born | June 5, 1941 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
|
| Education | Columbia University (BA) Harvard University (MBA) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Kraft Group |
| Spouse(s) |
Myra Hiatt
(m. 1963; died 2011)Dana Blumberg
(m. 2022) |
| Children | 4 (including Daniel, Jonathan and Josh) |
| Relatives | Jacob Hiatt (father-in-law) |
|
Football career |
|
| New England Patriots | |
| Position: | Principal owner |
| Career history | |
| As executive: | |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a company with businesses in paper, sports, entertainment, and real estate.
Since 1994, Kraft has owned the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He also founded and owns the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS). In 2017, he started the Boston Uprising, an esports team in the Overwatch League. As of July 2024, Forbes magazine estimated he was worth US$11.1 billion.
Contents
Early Life and School
Robert Kraft was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father, Harry, was a dress maker, and his mother, Sarah, was born in Canada. His family was Modern Orthodox Jewish, and his father hoped he would become a rabbi.
As a boy, Kraft sold newspapers outside of Braves Field in Boston. In high school, he couldn't play most sports. This was because he had Hebrew studies after school and observed the Sabbath, a day of rest in Judaism.
Kraft went to Columbia University on a scholarship and was his class president. He played tennis and lightweight football for the school. In 1962, he met Myra Hiatt, and they married the next year. After graduating from Columbia, he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Harvard Business School in 1965.
Business Career
Kraft started his career at a packaging company run by his father-in-law. In 1968, he took control of the company. In 1972, he started another company, International Forest Products, which traded paper products.
Together, these two companies became one of the largest private paper and packaging businesses in the United States. Kraft believed that as the world became more connected, trading goods between countries would grow. His companies made boxes for many famous brands, from cosmetics to toys. In 1998, he brought all his businesses together under one name: the Kraft Group.
Owner of Sports Teams
New England Patriots
.jpg)
.jpg)
Kraft has been a fan of the New England Patriots since he was young. He became a season ticket holder in 1971. In 1985, he bought a horse racetrack next to the Patriots' stadium. This smart move gave him control over the land around the stadium.
The team's owner at the time, Billy Sullivan, was having money problems. He had to sell the team in 1988, and the stadium went into bankruptcy. Kraft bought the stadium for $22 million. The stadium was old, but the purchase gave him the team's lease, which meant the Patriots had to play there until 2001.
The new team owner, James Orthwein, wanted to move the Patriots to St. Louis in 1994. He offered Kraft $75 million to end the stadium lease, but Kraft said no. Because Kraft controlled the lease, anyone who wanted to buy the team had to deal with him.
Kraft then made an offer of $172 million to buy the team himself. Another person offered more money to move the team, but would have had to fight Kraft in court to break the lease. In the end, Orthwein had to accept Kraft's offer. Kraft later said his love for the Patriots made him "break every one of my financial rules."
A Winning Era
After Kraft bought the team, the Patriots became one of the most successful teams in the NFL. Every home game has been sold out since 1994.
In 2000, Kraft hired Bill Belichick as head coach. That same year, the team drafted quarterback Tom Brady. The trio of Kraft, Belichick, and Brady led the Patriots to become a sports dynasty.
Under Kraft's ownership, the Patriots have:
- Won 19 AFC East division titles.
- Played in the Super Bowl 10 times.
- Won six Super Bowl championships.
In 2002, Kraft built a new, modern stadium for the team, now called Gillette Stadium. He also developed the area around it into an entertainment center called Patriot Place.
The Super Bowl Ring Story
In 2005, Kraft visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin. During the visit, Kraft showed Putin his Super Bowl ring, and Putin kept it. Kraft later explained that he didn't mean to give the ring away as a gift. The ring is now on display in the Kremlin, Russia's government headquarters.
Soccer and Esports
_(a).jpg)
In 1996, Kraft founded the New England Revolution, one of the first teams in Major League Soccer (MLS). The team plays at Gillette Stadium, just like the Patriots.
Kraft is also a fan of English soccer. In 2017, he was named the Honorary Chairman for the successful joint bid by Canada, Mexico, and the United States to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In 2017, Kraft entered the world of esports by buying a team called the Boston Uprising. The team competed in the Overwatch League, a professional video game league, until 2024.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
.jpg)
The Kraft family has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to good causes. They support education, healthcare, youth sports, and other charities in the United States and Israel.
Some of their important projects include:
- Funding the Kraft Family Stadium for American football in Jerusalem.
- Pledging $20 million to improve healthcare for communities in New England.
- Donating to the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
- Starting a foundation to fight antisemitism (prejudice against Jewish people).
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kraft used the Patriots' team plane to fly 1.2 million protective masks from China to hospitals in Massachusetts and New York.
In 2022, he gave $24 million to Harvard Business School to help students who need financial aid.
Personal Life
Kraft married Myra Hiatt in 1963. She was a respected philanthropist who worked alongside her husband. She passed away from cancer in 2011 at the age of 68. As a tribute, the Patriots wore a patch with her initials, "MHK," on their jerseys for the entire 2011 season. Robert and Myra had four sons: Jonathan, Daniel, Joshua, and David.
In October 2022, Kraft married Dr. Dana Blumberg in New York City.
Awards and Honors
NFL
- Six-time Super Bowl champion (as owner of the Patriots)
- George Halas Award (2012)
NCAA
- Theodore Roosevelt Award (2006)
- Columbia University's football field is named Robert K. Kraft Field.
MLS
- Owner of the New England Revolution, who won the 2021 Supporters Shield and the 2007 U.S. Open Cup.
Other
- Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence (2013)
- Genesis Prize (2019)
Images for kids
-
Kraft at Gillette Stadium in 2012
-
Kraft in 2023 at an event for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches to be held at Gillette Stadium.
-
Kraft speaks with U.S. second gentleman Doug Emhoff at an event at Gillette Stadium in February 2024.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
