Robert Carl "Bob" Wetenhall Sr. (February 14, 1935 – September 3, 2021) was an American businessman who owned the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

Football Club of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

from 1997 through 2018.

Biography

Robert (Bob) Wetenhall was born on February 14, 1935, in

Rye, New York Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...

. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and became an investment banker, becoming a founding partner of McConnell Wetenhall Inc. When the American Football League and National Football League merged in the 1960s Wetenhall became a part owner of the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

of the AFL and the New England Patriots of the NFL. In the 1970s Wetenhall became involved in a North American soccer team. In 1997 Wetenhall purchased the

Canadian Football League club. During his ownership the Alouettes played in eight

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

s during the 14 seasons between 1997 and 2010. In addition they won three championships in the 2002, 2009 and 2010 seasons. On May 31, 2019, Wetenhall, facing old age and worsening conditions both on-field (the team missed the playoffs four consecutive seasons) and off-field with worsening attendance and exponentially growing financial losses, surrendered ownership of the Alouettes to the league in hopes of finding a new owner. He was granted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

on November 23, 2011, in recognition of his work in the redevelopment of the Montreal Alouettes and the expansion of

Percival Molson Memorial Stadium Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (also known in French as ''Stade Percival-Molson''; commonly referred to as Molson Stadium in English or Stade Molson in French) is an outdoor football stadium in Downtown Montreal, on the slopes of Mount Royal, ...

. In 2015, he was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

. He died on September 3, 2021, at his home in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

, at the age of 86.

References

External links

Montreal Alouettes profile
1935 births 2021 deaths People from Milwaukee American investment bankers American sports businesspeople American company founders Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Montreal Alouettes owners New England Patriots owners North American Soccer League (1968–1984) executives Boston Patriots Princeton University alumni {{Canadianfootball-bio-stub