Texas billionaire Red McCombs dies at 95

B.J. “Red” McCombs, a San Antonio businessman who started as a car salesman and grew an empire that spanned media, oil and professional sports, died at his home at age 95.

McCombs, who was born in 1927 in Spur, east of Lubbock, at one point owned 50 car dealerships under the name Red McCombs Automotive Group. He founded Clear Channel Communications with Lowry Mays in 1972, and brought the Spurs to San Antonio in 1973.

McCombs owned the Spurs professional basketball team two separate times and also previously owned the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. Clear Channel Communications is now known as iHeartMedia and is still headquartered in San Antonio.

McCombs was also known for his philanthropy. The University of Texas at Austin named its business school after him following a $50 million gift in 2000. The north end zone at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the school’s softball stadium are also named after McCombs. In 2005, McCombs and his foundation gave MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston $30 million. He also contributed to The Texas Tribune.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/20/red-mccombs-texas-dies/

Mr. McCombs and his wife were also contributors to my alma mater, Southwestern University in Georgetown. Mr. McCombs and his wife, Charline, both attended the university in the late 1940s. The campus center is named for both he and his wife while a residential complex is named for his wife. His wife passed away in 2019.

The McCombs were contributors to GOP causes and candidates; however, their philanthropy and engagement in various pursuits influenced the lives of many fellow Texans.