Roy Lars Magnus Boe (September 14, 1929 – June 7, 2009)Bruce Weber.

. ''New York Times''. June 8, 2009. Retrieved on June 12, 2009. was an owner of the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, New York Islanders, and several other professional sports teams. Boe was a graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and a veteran of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. With his first wife, Deon Woolfolk, he founded a successful women's clothing company called Boe Jests, and sold it for several million dollars in 1966. He bought his first sports team, the Westchester Bulls of the

Atlantic Coast Football League The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional american football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid ...

, in 1968.John Jeansonne.
Roy Boe, former owner of Islanders and Nets, dies at 79
. ''Newsday''. June 8, 2009. Retrieved on June 12, 2009. In 1969, Boe purchased the New York Nets of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. During his tenure with the Nets, the team reached the ABA Finals in 1972, 1974, and 1976, winning the latter two series. After the last championship, Boe oversaw the Nets' entry into the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

as part of the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

. However, the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

demanded that the Nets pay them $4.8 million as compensation for "invading" the New York area. This was on top of the $3.2 million the Nets had to pay for joining the league. Boe offered to trade

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

to the Knicks in return for waiving the indemnity, but the Knicks refused that offer. With Erving demanding a reworked contract, Boe was forced to sell Erving to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

—in essence, trading his franchise player for a berth in the NBA, a move for which he was harshly criticized. Boe moved the team to New Jersey before the 1977–78 season, and sold the team in 1978.Mike Vacarro.
Living with the Curse: Despite infamous place in Nets history, Roy Boe feels attachment to 'his' team
. ''The Star-Ledger''. May 5, 2002. Retrieved on June 12, 2009. In 1972, Boe helped found the New York Islanders of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. He owned twenty percent of the team and hired

Bill Torrey William Arthur Torrey (June 23, 1934 – May 2, 2018) was a Canadian hockey executive. He served as a general manager in the National Hockey League for the Oakland Seals, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers. He developed the Islanders in ...

as the team's general manager. Shortly after Boe sold his share of the team to John O. Pickett in 1978, Torrey led the Islanders to four consecutive

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

victories. In his later years, Boe owned the

Worcester Ice Cats The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois. History The IceCa ...

and

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

. He died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

on June 7, 2009, and was survived by his wife, Betty Broderick, five children, and six grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boe, Roy 1929 births 2009 deaths American Basketball Association executives American military personnel of the Korean War National Hockey League owners New Jersey Nets owners New York Islanders executives Yale University alumni