John Jay Moores is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, and the owner of the
San Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
.
Early years
Moores was born in San Antonio, Texas—the eldest son of Jack and Katherine Broderick. Jack Broderick abandoned his wife, son John, and two younger sons in 1948. In 1950, Katherine wed again, to Cyrus "Red" Moores, a photographer with the
Corpus Christi Caller newspaper, and her sons were given their stepfather's name. Red Moores, by then in insurance, moved the family to Houston, Texas in 1960, and John spent his high school years there. He left
Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
before graduating and became a programmer for
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. He then attended the
University of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the
University of Houston Law CenterThe University of Houston Law Center is a law school located in Houston, Texas. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 academic colleges of the University of Houston...
.
Business
He founded
BMC SoftwareBMC Software, Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in Business Service Management software, with record annual revenue in fiscal 2009 of $1.87 billion...
in
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1980 and was the lead venture capital financier for
Peregrine SystemsPeregrine Systems, Inc., an enterprise software company, was founded in 1981 and sold enterprise asset management, change management, and ITIL-based IT service management software. Following an accounting scandal and bankruptcy in 2003, Peregrine was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2005...
in California starting in 1981 as well as Service-now another California corporation founded in 2005. He served as a director of Peregrine from March 1989 to March 2003 and as Chairman of the Board from March 1990 through July 2000 and from May 2002 through March 2003, during which he cashed out between US$600 and US$630 million in Peregrine stock. He resigned as Peregrine chairman in February 2003 as part of the company's Chapter 11 reorganization. He also founded
JMI EquityJMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software, internet, business services and healthcare IT companies. JMI provides capital for growth, recapitalizations, acquisitions and buyouts. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in more than 100 companies throughout North...
. In 1994 Moores purchased the
San Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
professional baseball team from
Tom WernerThomas Charles "Tom" Werner is an American television producer and businessman who, via his investment in New England Sports Ventures, is chairman of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club....
. He is currently in the process of incrementally selling his share to a group of 12 investors, headed by
Jeff MooradJeff Moorad is a former sports agent and is currently lead owner of the San Diego Padres and part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team.He is an Assyrian American...
(former sports agent and CEO of the
Arizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
).
He continues to operate in the IT Service Management market with continued investments through his
venture capitalVenture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm
JMI EquityJMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software, internet, business services and healthcare IT companies. JMI provides capital for growth, recapitalizations, acquisitions and buyouts. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in more than 100 companies throughout North...
.
Philanthropy and activism
Organizations that Moores has supported include the ACLU, the
San Diego ZooThe San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
,
San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, the
San Diego SymphonyThe San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. On 6 December 1910, it gave its first concert as the San Diego Civic Orchestra.Currently, the Symphony performs over 100 concerts each season...
, San Diego Center for Children, St. Vincent de Paul Villages, the
National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyThe National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a United States-based non-profit organization, and its network of chapters nationwide promote research, educate, advocate on issues relating to multiple sclerosis, and organize a wide range of programs, including support for the newly diagnosed and those...
, and
The Scripps Research InstituteThe Scripps Research Institute is an American medical research facility that focuses on research in the basic biomedical sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter, Florida, the institute is home to 3,000 scientists, technicians, graduate students, and...
where Moores sits on the board.
His 1991 contribution of US$51 million to the
University of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
was the largest in U.S. history to a public university. He served on the
University of Houston SystemThe University of Houston System is a state university system in Texas, encompassing four separate and distinct universities. It has two system centers, which operate as and distance learning course delivery sites for its universities...
Board of Regents from 1991 to 1994. Among many other philanthropic efforts, John and Becky Moores donated US$21 million to establish the John and Rebecca Moores Cancer Center at
University of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
and over US$20 million to
San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. In 1999 he was appointed Regent of the
University of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
by Governor
Gray DavisJoseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...
until he resigned for unknown reasons in 2007. As UC regent, he worked to make sure Proposition 209 (passed in 1996) was implemented. In 2005 he was elected chair of the
Carter CenterThe Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. In partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center works to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering...
at
Emory UniversityEmory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, succeeding
Jimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. Most recently, Moores is a Member of the Board of Trustees for the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. The Center is focused on finding solutions to address the crisis of extreme poverty and disease in the developing world.
Moores is also the founder of the River Blindness Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to research and treatment of
OnchocerciasisOnchocerciasis , also known as river blindness and Robles' disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode . Onchocerciasis is the world's second-leading infectious cause of blindness. It is not the nematode, but its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, that...
, the second most common cause of infectious blindness.
Personal life
John and Becky Moores met in a high school history class in Texas and married in 1963. They have four adult children, two biological and two adopted.
In February 2008, Moores' wife Becky filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. As part of potential settlement in the divorce, it was reported that Moores is prepared to part with the family home on a golf course at
Pebble Beach, CaliforniaPebble Beach is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3 feet . Pebble Beach is a small coastal resort destination, home to the famous golf course, Pebble Beach Golf Links....
. The property is overlooking the Pacific and the 18th fairway of one of the world's most glorious golf courses. The divorce also prompted a major overhaul of the roster at the San Diego Padres and then a sale of a large portion of the Moores' interest in the Padres. Associates say since the filing for divorce, Moores now spends most of his time in Texas and rarely attends Padres and San Diego State games.
Honours and awards
- 1996: Donor of the Year by the National Association of Athletic Development Directors
- 1997: San Diego Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
YMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Human Dignity Award
External links