B.J. “Red” McCombs, a prominent San Antonio businessman, philanthropist and the namesake of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, died Sunday. He was 95.
McCombs is the founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group and former owner of the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Vikings. The McCombs family said in a statement Monday it was “heartbroken” by the loss and he was surrounded by family who “loved and adored him” when he died at home.
“Red was a visionary entrepreneur who touched many lives and impacted our community in immeasurable ways. But to us he was always, first and foremost, ‘Dad’ or ‘Poppop,’” the family said. “We mourn the loss of a Texas icon.”
McCombs rose from working as a car salesman in 1950 to a billionaire with successful business ventures in several industries, including a car dealership empire and several sports enterprises. According to Forbes, he had an $1.7 billion estimated net worth.
“McCombs was a multi-industry business magnate known for his local car dealerships, pro sports team ownership, generous philanthropy, and bigger-than-Texas personality,” the family wrote. “With a booming voice, classic drawl, and mop of red hair, McCombs left a legacy in line with his lifelong desire to support San Antonio and all of Texas.”
The McCombs family and the McCombs Foundation — the family’s primary philanthropy arm — have contributed more than $135 million to civic causes in Texas since 1981, according to McCombs Enterprises.
McCombs gave $50 million to UT’s business school in 1999. The UT System Board of Regents renamed the school in McCombs’ honor, according to a news release from the family. He also helped fund a new softball stadium, the Red & Charline McCombs Field, and the north endzone at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, known as the Red McCombs Red Zone.
McCombs was “one of the first people I met when I came to Texas, and definitely the most colorful,” UT System Chancellor JB Milliken said in a statement. “He lived large, was remarkably generous, and had an infectious gusto for life. And he loved his Longhorns!”
In 2005, McCombs and his wife, Charline, donated $30 million to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston — the center’s largest ever gift for cancer research — to create the Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer and “to bring cross-discipline researchers in-house to take down incurable cancers.”
McCombs attended Southwestern University in the 1940s on a football scholarship, where he was a lineman and receiver. He later served in the Army from 1946 to 1947 before enrolling in UT’s law and business school, although he did not graduate.
Texas Exes, UT’s official alumni organization, honored McCombs with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1998, recognizing “alumni who have made significant achievements in their careers and service to the university.”
From 1992 to 2000, McCombs was the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern University, which honored him as a distinguished alumnus. The McCombses gave $6 million to Southwestern University in 1998 — the largest alumni gift in the school’s history — to fund the Red & Charline McCombs Campus Center.
McCombs was also one of the largest investors in Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 Grand Prix race. In 2020, the Circuit of The Americas renamed its iconic Turn 1 — the famous first turn of its Formula One track — to “Big Red” in honor of McCombs.
“Red McCombs is a Texas legend; known for his big heart, successful businesses, and love for his home state,” COTA Chairman Bobby Epstein said in a statement announcing the renaming. “I’m delighted that we are able to honor his legacy.”
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
