Bill Boyer
{{Short description|American businessman}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
E. William Boyer was an American businessman who was a founder of the Minnesota Vikings.
Bill Boyer Ford
Boyer was an investor in McDonald Gilfillan Motor Company, a Minneapolis automobile dealership founded in 1927. In 1938, the company became a Ford Motor Company franchise holder. In 1952 he became the sole owner of the dealership and renamed it Bill Boyer Ford. In 1958, Boyer began selling Ford heavy commercial trucks.{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.boyersiouxfalls.com/about-us/ |website=Boyer Trucks |publisher=FordDirect |access-date=10 March 2023}}
Minnesota Vikings
In 1959, Boyer, Max Winter, and H. P. Skoglund were awarded the Minneapolis-St. Paul franchise in the new American Football League.{{cite news |title=New Pro Football League Formed With Six Members, Including New York |work=The New York Times |date=August 15, 1959}} In an effort to fight back against the new league, Chicago Bears owner George Halas proposed adding Dallas and Houston to the NFL.{{cite news |title=Halas Bids N.F.L. Add Texas Cities |work=The New York Times |date=August 30, 1959}} However, the ownership group for the proposed Houston franchise backed out after they were unable to find a suitable stadium, which led Boyer's group to withdraw from the AFL and apply for an NFL franchise.{{cite news |last1=Sainsbury |first1=Ed |title=Minneapolis May Withdraw From AFL |work=Daily Defender |date=November 24, 1959}} On January 28, 1960, Minneapolis was awarded an expansion franchise that would begin playing in 1961.{{cite news |title=NFL Gives Two New Franchises: Dallas This Year, Twin Cities in '61 |work=The Boston Globe |date=January 29, 1960}}
Boyer served as president of the Minnesota Vikings from 1960 to 1965, and a vice president until his death. He died at the age of 67 on February 19, 1973, at Palm Springs, California.{{cite news |title=E. W. Boyer |work=The New York Times | page= 36 |date=February 20, 1973}} Boyer helped start the National Football League's Punt, Pass, and Kick competition by presenting the idea, which was conceived by National Football League Properties employee Carl Schroeder, to the league and the Ford Motor Company.{{cite news |last1=Sanri |first1=Jim |title='Punt, Pass, Kick' competition may be start of a big career |work=The Boston Globe |date=September 5, 1971}}
References
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Category:American automobile salespeople